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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



July 



other plot to break up our party, we'll vote against 

 it, notwithstanding we wish the making and sale of 

 liquor to cease." Absurd as this last position is, 

 thousands are thinking that way, and some speak 

 their thoughts right out. Let there be a truce be- 

 tween us, brethren, until the amendment is adopted, 

 seeing wc all want that. We know that the man 

 who wants a new party will continue to want it, and 

 the man who detests third parties will continue to 

 detest them; but let these feelings just rest in their 

 little beds for a few months, until we give the com- 

 mon enemy such a drubbing as he never had before 

 in his life. Don't throw away the only fighting 

 chance we have had for a quarter of a century, in 

 mere pett'ishness. Let every one who goes forth to 

 labor for this amendment, first be sure he is sound 

 on the catechism. 



THE CATECHISM. 



Is this a crusade against the Democratic party? No. 



Is this a crusade against the Republican party? No. 



Is this a scheme to build a third party, and cun- 

 ningly use my vote to help on the project? No. 



Is this a plan to squeeze the Prohibition party out 

 of existence? No. The truth is, this is simply a bat- 

 tle to stop the sale of liquor. Other matters we will 

 dispose of when we get to them. 



After all, perhaps the best way to conquer jeal- 

 ousy is to get warm in the contest, and get rid of the 

 faint - heartedness, which is the second obstacle. 

 Friends, if you will do as we have been doing, I 

 think you will cease to feel despondent. Immedi- 

 ately upon the submission of the amendment, I as- 

 signed six school-districts lying adjacent to our new 

 church to different persons, to be canvassed, that 

 we might find out what was the present opinion of 

 each voter about the amendment. The first district 

 to report panned out as follows: Total number of 

 votes, 32; prohibition, 26; wouldn't say, 4; not seen, 

 3. I need hardly tell you, friends, that my faith in 

 the people went up several hundred per cent about 

 that time. Most of these men are not Christians, 

 and many of them rarely come to our meetings. 

 Two of the 26 are Germans, the only ones in the dis- 

 trict. We are far too ready to set down all the Ger- 

 man vote as sure for free liquor. Several of the 26 

 are men who drink too much themselves. We must 

 by no means forget this section of our forces — the 

 men who feel a personal need of prohibition, that 

 they may be free from temptation which they fail to 

 resist when presented to them. 



Three other districts have reported since. One, 

 which lies adjacent to the city of Toledo, and feels 

 strongly the influence of city sentiment for high li- 

 cense, reported, prohibition, 6; license amendment, 

 17; all others, C. This district was canvassed by a 

 lady. Another lady brought this report of her dis- 

 trict: Prohibition, M; license amendment, 2; would 

 not say, 2; not seen, 4. Another lady, not a mother 

 in Israel, but a young lady, reported that she had 

 seen personally every voter in her district. This is 

 not so easy a matter to accomplish as one would 

 think before trying it. The result was, prohibition, 

 11; license amendment, 11; free whisky, 2. I should 

 delight to get at specimen districts in various sec- 

 tions of the State, and see more definitely how they 

 stand; but I pretty strongly believe that those re- 

 ported are no better than a fair average of the coun- 

 try districts of the State. If you will collate these 

 figures you will see that, putting all other shades of 

 sentiment together, and throwing in those who will 

 not tell their intentions, and quite a number not 



seen at all, prohibition has a clear majority of seven 

 over all — and this at the outset, before the cam- 

 paign is fairly opened. Notice further, that of the 

 mixed minority, three-fifths certainly, and probably 

 more than two-thirds, are intending to do something 

 for temperance by voting for the first amendment. 

 We hope to make a great many converts from this 

 class between now and fall. When they realize how 

 little their plan will amount to, they will consent to 

 go further and do more. 



Now, can we not have the whole State canvassed 

 in this thorough bit-by-bit sort of way? Will not the 

 one who reads this go now and canvass his own (or 

 her own) school-district, and see if the faint-hearted- 

 ness does not get shaken out of himself in the pro- 

 cess? Go in warm earnest; convince people that 

 you have no sinister point to gain, but simply long 

 to sec the curse of whisky stayed; and then ask how 

 many will help, to the extent of putting the word 

 " res " on their ballots. Will not you, friend Hoot, 

 let them send in the figures for publication in Our 

 Homes? Political State committees have in this 

 manner been able to tell very nearly what the vote 

 of a State would be in important campaigns, before 

 the votes were cast. It will be a burning shame, if 

 the friends of temperance in Ohio are too indolent 

 to do as much. In doing this work, a list of names 

 and postolHce addresses should be made out, and 

 those to whom campaign documents ought to be 

 sent should be marked. This is one of the principal 

 objects of the canvass, to find which voters are hope- 

 ful timber to make converts of. The list of address- 

 es should be handed over to some working commit- 

 tee that will send the proper temperance documents. 



Ohio's temperance fruit has been a long time on 

 the tree; but it is the nature of fruit to mature 

 slowly, and then drop suddenly. So mote it be. 

 The struggles and praj'crs and arguments of many 

 years have not been lost, although at times it seem- 

 ed so; they have been ripening the popular senti- 

 ment, and it does seem as if the fruit were ready to 

 drop now. 



One frequent and terrible objection thrown up to 

 us is, " Prohibition can not be enforced." It can be 

 enforced. In pi'etty good measure it has been en- 

 forced. There is no room to dilate upon the matter 

 this time; but the mightiest arrow of prohibition has 

 not been shot yet; it is still in the quiver; and when 

 the people get sufficiently aroused to shoot it, it will 

 certainly bring down the enemy. E. E. Hasty. 



Richards. O., June 13, 1883. 



You will notice that friend Hasty says 

 there are two great obstacles iu the way. 

 The worse of the two great obstacles is jeal- 

 ousy between the different bands of temper- 

 ance folks. Is it really possible, that this 

 thing has stood thus long, because Christian 

 people could not agree ? We are opposed to 

 intemperance, and unite in one great body 

 on this; but iSatan, knowing we will quar- 

 rel before we get to work, stands grinning 

 at us, and laughing to scorn our attempts to 

 stop his work of ruin. Why do Christian 

 people disagree and waste precious lime, 

 while precious souls are being lost, about 

 trilling and unimportant matters ? Two of 

 the best men I know of in the world, regular 

 old wheel-horses in all kinds of Christian 

 work, once in talking in meeting about a 

 fine new church that had just been built, al- 

 most got into a dispute, right before the 

 congregation. What do you suppose was 



