HE SPEAKS TRULY | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 8, 1902

HE SPEAKS TRULY.

A TOBACCONIST in Philadelphia, Printer’s Ink—the “Little Schoolmaster” in advertising—tells us, bulletins his pernicious wares in the following startling, frank way:—

“Pipes to Hit, “Tobacco to Burn, “Cigars to Light, “Cigarets to Kill, “At Prices which will paralyze you.”

“Pipes to hit everybody possible.” The pipe is a “hard hitter,” and the sufferer is not only the user, in shattered nerves, affected sight, weakened heart, and numerous other ills, but it poisons God’s pure air which others must breathe.

“Tobacco to burn,” and it burns not only itself out, but the very vitality of soul, mind, and body. Would that it all, seed, leaf, root, and branch, manufactured and unmanufactured, would burn up in one grand bonfire. There would be growling for a few weeks; but after that the world would bless God for the fire, and date a new era from that day.

“Cigars to light” the way to the saloon, to the gambling hell, to beer, and wine, and whisky-drinking, and perdition. The cigar light is an ignis fatuus of evil.

“Cigarets to kill.” The dealer speaks truly. They are killing thousands of the youth, and blighting the mentality of millions more, many of whom are worse than dead, walking lazar-houses of disease, infamy, and shame.

“At prices which will paralyze” every soul who buys and uses. The money paid, tho reaching way up into the millions, more than is paid for bread in “Christian” America, is small as compared with the price paid in benumbed consciences, in hardened sensibilities, in ruined morals, in ways paved to drunkenness, in the destruction of nervous energy: aye, even in the literally paralyzing influence upon the physical, mental, and moral man.

There are noble men who use the cursed weed,—noble despite the paralyzing influence of the thrice-poisoned drug. May God enlighten and save as many as desire it from the debasing influence of tobacco.