The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1893-11-04
A Parable on Tobacco.

Dear reader, by the mercies OIL
God, let me ask you to give the
following parable your prayerful
attention:
Seeing that men who professed
to be servants Of the Most High
had corrupted themselves and be-
come filthy and abominable, a
a great and wise prophet stood up
and did prophesy these words Of
truth and soberness: Then shall
the kingdom of Satan be likencd
unto a grain of tobacco seed,
which, though exceedingly small,
being cast into the earth. grew
exceedingly and became great
plant, and spread forth its leaves
rank and broad. so that the huge
and vile worms with thorns on
them, even on their tails, came
and formed habitations thereon,
and did crawl all over and leave
their slime and filth thereupon.
And it came to pass in those days
that the sons of men did look
upon this rank and filthy plant
and were very much enamored
Herewith and did think it was
beautiful to behold, and plant
very much to be desired to make
lads big and manly. And it
further came to pass that men
claiming to be nice men, did put
forth their hands and pulled the
heads off these filthy looking
worms, and left their bodies still
sticking to the tobacco leaf that
the leaf might be made rich by
the juice thereof, and having cut
these filthy plants and smoked
them, even with an exceeding
great smoke, and cured, and
stripped and priced and wrought
the leaves thereof into curious
shapes and forms and the sons Of
men gave gold and silver for it.
and did chew thereof.
And some that chewed thereof
it made sick at the stomach, and
others it made their heads to ache,
and still othors to spew and vomit
most filthy; but for all this they
continued to chew thereof.
And it came to pass that those
who continued to chew became
exceedingly unmanly and exclaim-
ed; 1--WE are enslaved and cannot
cease from chewing
And the mouths Of all who
were enslaved became exceeding
ly filthy and foul, insomuch that
they were seized with a violent
splitting, and they did spit even in
ladies parlors and on their floors
and carpets, and being wholly
abandoned to the use of the plant,
they even invaded the sacred pre-
cincts of the house Of the Lord,
and there with prayers on their
lips and tobacco in their mouths.
they sang and prayed and preach
ed, and chewed, and spurted the
filthy juice on the floor Of the
Lords house. and under the pews
and against the walls and in the
pulpit and did drop their guilds Of
tobacco all over the floor Of the
house of the most high God, and
would return home and say, eve
have worshiped God to-day"
But some Of the saints Of the
Most High were not well pleased
with such conduct; but chewers
cared not for any Of these things,
and continued to chew and spit
where they pleased. And in the
course of time it came to pass
that this rank and filthy plant was
ground into dust, even the stalks
and stems and filth thereof, and
was called snuff; and it came to
pass that ladies-even beautiful
and fair ladies-did make unto
themselves brushes and mops and
dipped the same into the filth
called snuff, and did put these
filthy mops into their mouths and
they would rub and scrub might
ly, and spit and sneeze, and call