Worse than all Egyptian plagues, the preachers' plague is spreading violently over this land of Washington.

Already at present there are swarming here formally thousands of preachers, moralists, puritans, prohibitienists and other maniacs, who imagine that they have been called upon to save the world with violence.

Tabernacles arise throughout towns and cities, in which various "Filly Sundays," "Promleys," and whatever you call them accidental prophets and evangelists, as madmen shriek their gospels, displaying their antics, and the foolish crowd opens wide their mouths, stuffed with chewing gum, pulls out their wallets and pours out coin to those odd whimsical persons, who, in a somewhat more sensible society would have been locked up in an insane asylum.

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Wherever you turn,you poor hapless fellow, you cannot get away from some sort of moral puritan preacher.

That one sounds into your ear, threatening you with hell, that you are a godless one.

The other one thunders that you are a drunk, that you quaff too much coffee.

Some other one, that tobacco is driving you into your grave; again another that you are a bawdy (lewd) man and as without an end.

A very home for the insane, making life disgusting to the average citizen.

The more energetic ones are looking around for a club, to drive away from themselves this band of uninvited guardians, the less energetic 3ones are looking for a rope and hook, then hang themselves from despair.

What do these people want?

For the most part these accidental, home-bred preachers haven't the least green imagination about what they prattle.

Not only alcohol, tobacco and coffee, but any other thing used to excess is harmful.

Now you know that nobody will class as poisons sugar, meat, bread, fruit and similar kinds of foods.

Even water is deadly because the one who instead of drinking it, jumps into its depths must drown.

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Even while walking you can break a leg or perish while riding on a street car or railroad train. And besides, not even moving from one place you may die.

The great-grandson Noah (sic) drank before the flood; he drained jugs of wine after the flood, the people have flooded themselves from time immemorable, and anyhow they were healthy, powerful and lived the life of Methuselah.

Why is mankind so degenerate today?

Not alcohol alone, not tobacco, not coffee is at fault; they only ruin individuals who use them beyond measure, but different, entirely, much more powerful, more universal, more menacing is the cause of degeneration, and everyone sees it, only those annoying preachers cannot see it, or do not want to see it.

It lies in the entire social system, supported by class exploitation and robbery, in work strained to the utmost, in want and poverty, in 5the uncertainty of tomorrow with the broad masses of workers in society, who are ruining their physical strength, nerves and spirit."

A wood-cutter in a forest will not become degenerated even if some times he becomes over indulgent or takes a smoke, a farmer will not become degenerated because they have healthy work, fresh food and not adulterated.

But things are different with the inhabitants of the cities, in particular then, this condition comes to light at its worst in the large factory centers.

These people from their earliest youth are compelled to work hard for their livelihood in the heart of a noisy, dusty and smoky city, in suffocating warehouses, offices and workshops, under conditions defying the most elementary laws of health.

The nourishment of these poor wretches is really a dog's, if not worse; the vilest kind of carcass tainted from laying in storage 6for many years, soured preserves, what they take to their mouths is adulterated and unhealthy. At such exerting, enervating work and such a means of living the people must become degenerated.

If then you, hypocritical moralists and preachers, cannot remove that true cause of this evil, so then give us peace, unfasten yourselves from us with your importunate morals, do not poison that already enough miserable life!

It is good for you to plough (gab) with your snout, or damn the whole world, but we have to work and endure poverty, therefore we have no time for such nonsense.