Tobacco in the Sunday-School.
I HAVE often heard of noxious weeds growing in beautiful places. Now I think the most noxious and ill-smelling weed, in a place far too good for it, is tobacco in the Sunday-school. I was once present at a school, the Superintendent of which chewed vigorously and squirted scientifically. The opening exercises were somewhat after this fashion:— Superintendent.—“We will sing [squirt] a hymn found on the thirtieth page [squirt], “Now, children, I want you to sing with more [squirt] life than you generally do” (squirt). Then came the singing, interspersed with squirts from the Superintendent. How can a Superintendent or teacher talk to the children about clean hearts and pure lives when his own mouth, whence the words come, is so very filthy? How can he urge the children to be economical, and save their money for the missionary and Sunday-School cause, when he himself spends forty or fifty dollars per annum in sustaining this disgusting and debasing habit. The only argument I ever heard from Scripture for the defense of this practice is, “Let him that is filthy be filthy still.”