Genl. J. H. Cocke
My venerable Christian Brother,
I have received your letter of the
11th and also a check of 15$ from the Bank
of Virginia. Hearty thanks toyou and
hearty thanks to our friend Mr. Powell.
"A Friend in need is a friend in deed."
We battle the most popular vice under
heaven and our cause can hardly
live in the best of times! how can it
now live when the most popular cau
ses, nourished by church and state,
languish! But my dear General
amidst wars and rumors of wars
we must drive on the battle against
this abonimable and distinctive nar-
cotic, because we have enlisted in
this warfare for life.
You refer to dear Doctor Humphrey!
Gone to his rest! His memory is precious.
an honest man! a Saint! How
many blessed men we knew in com-
mon have gone, since our brief
acquaintance.
[page 2]
You refer general to your own
departure. Be that distant. Live as
long as you can--and let a
generation north and south, see
you a hale old gentleman, if possible,
marching on to the completion of a
century. We need such examples!
These are noisy and strange times--
but you and I know something of that
God who is always secure on his
throne--the same yesterday to
day and forever! He reigns and
Satan tries to reigh. Let us lean
with all our might on his bosom.
A fresh no. of journal is issued. I hope
you and the dear you youth at
College in Virginia will receive it at
once.
Do send me your article for the
next journal. Let nothing sunder
our correspondence. Let us God willing write till the last gun is fired
Yours with gratittde
Geo. Trask.
The Reverend George Trask, a former smoker, established the American Anti-Tobacco Society in 1850 and served as president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and auditor. General John H. Cocke, convinced that all the ills of Virginia could be traced to tobacco, refused to grow it on his Buckingham County plantation.
MSS 640
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