Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-01-03
Practice VS.. Preaching.

Mother, how much tobacco does 1t take
to make sermon p
What do you mean, my son 7"
"Why, how much tobacco does father
chew, and how many cigars does he smoke,
while he is making a sermon 2"
"Well, the tobacco and cigars don't make
the sermons, do they 7"
IL don't know but they do-they help
along, at any rate for | heard father tell
Mr.. Morris, the minister who preached for
him last Sunday, that he could never write
well without cigar So | thought maybe
the tobacco makes the sermons, or the best
part Of them
any son, | am shocked to hear you talk
so |"
"Well, mother, ] was only telling what
father said, and it made me think. lie said
prime cigar was great solace-whatever
that is-and he said, besides, it drove away
the blues-put him into happy frame OF
mind and simulated or stimulated his brain,
so he could work better. suppose stimu-
late means to make one easier; and I've
been thinking, mother, If had something
to stimulate my brain, could study better ;
and the next time have one of those knotty
questions in arithmetic to work out, | will
get cigar, and see if that don't help me
along. You know yon often told me if
follow my fathers example, | will not go
very far astray; and how | would like a
few cigars to make my brain work well, so
that can stand at the head of my class.
al hope / shall never see my son with a
cigar in his mouth-it would be his first
step to ruinl"
"You don't think father is ruined do
you, and he has taken good many steps
since he has taken the first cigarp"
al think, my son, your father would he bet
ter without cigars, or tobacco i'll any shape
but he formed the habit when he was young
and now it is hard to break it off
But father says we are to blame for form
ing bad habits, and it is sin to continue in
them | heard him say that in the pulpit
not long ago. There is old Tom Jenkins
who gets tight every day. | suppose hi
would find it rather hard to leave off drink
ing whisky. But father says . it is no ex
cuse for man, when he gets drunk, to say
! he is in the habit of getting drunk liz
says it only needs resolution and mora
courage to break off bad habits"
"But, my son, smoking tobacco is no
quite drinking whisky and getting drunk.
No, know that mother; but, was goinl
on to say that, if smoking was bad habit
father would have given it up long ago
But don't believe smoking is any harm
and it does some folks great deal Of good
You know how nervous and fidgety fathe
gets when he has to go a day without an,
cigars and, besides, he could not write hi
sermons without them. / am sure, if h
could write as well and do as much goo
without using tobacco, he would not spen'
so much for it. When want to buy lii
tie candy, or bit of spruce gum, father tell
me had better practice the grace of sell
denial and save my money for the mission
airy box. Besides, he says such stuff is no
good for me it will spoil my teeth and ruiz
my health. Now ! am quite certain tina
father would not spend so much money
more than ever spent in my whole life, 70
candy, gum, clothes and everything else
he did not believe tobacco was a real benz
fit to himself and others. Why, mother, d
you know anything about the price of cigar
in these times Cousin Edward Wilkins
who smokes great many, says you can't sc
a decent cigar for less than fifteen cents
and the best cost forty and fifty cents apiece
heard Deacon Tompkins say his cigar
cost him six hundred dollars a year for h
uses nothing but the very best, and the
| are all lie lOlu ldlueT 81 vi
other day, when they were smoking in tn
study after dinner, and was trying to &c
my arithmetic lesson. Now, mother, d
you think my father and the deacon and
whole host of ministers and elders, and ten
perance lecturers, and lots of good Christia
people spend so much money to keep then
selves in bad habits Why, just the SUI
that Deacon Tompkins alone spends for c
gars, would support a missionary in tn
West for whole year, and would be a be
ter salary than many Western ministers no.
get. Really, mother, l can't believe thi
using tobacco is wrong as long as so man
good Christians use it. don't care so niue
about chewing. would rather have SON
nice, clean spruce-gum, like they have dow
in Dickson's store. would like to smok
as my father does and please, mother, 81,
me little money to get some cigars"
"My son, you may talk the matter over wit
your father" Ask him if he thinks it wi
improve your habits and your manners
learn to smoke if he approves, you ina
ask him for cgar.-Ne~ Jersey Repnbiica