Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-11-13
MISCELLANEOUS.
From tic CironOigPe.
The MYSTERIES of Tobacco.

This is the title of a remarkable book put in
our hand by Messers Saxton g. kelt, book
sellers in Washington street. The mysteries
of tobacco We thought the weed was full
of nothing but revelations. Spittoons, old
chaws, cigar stumps, do they shroud them
selves in mystery Snuff, does it not re-
veal itself on the shirt bosom ! Smoke, is it
not the vital atmosphere Of the most common
place of mortalsl Yet, come to think of it,
there are mysteries about this subject. 1t is
an unfathomable mystery how a man who is
not overblesscd with brains should be will
ing to make the blessing less, and there are
other mysteries which cluster around this
On the whole, the more we think of the to-
bacco subject the more mysterious it be-
comes. Alchrhol is such a monopolizing
old tyrant that he oyershoots himself. He
carries it so far that his victim escapes at
last, even in the agonies of despair. But to-
bacco is a cool, calculating, cunning slave
master, who manages so as TO be able to
boast tl.at his slaves love him, and would
not leave him if they could. lie doesn't
work them 10 death. True he keeps them
forever grinding in his mill, grinding over
and over the most v~illanous morsels that ever
entered human lips, the liquid ever and anon
escaping in little telltale streams at the cor
ners of their mouths, but then the work is
not hard. 1t is only dirty. There are few
men who would take their shirt bosoms from
the laundress and blotch them over with mas
ty yellow spots. before putting them on
Yet a man who is up TO snuff will do what
amounts to the same thing, Immediately af-
Ter he dresses himself. One would not ex-
pect a man TO stupefy himself with a stink
ing sort Of smoke which will smother bees
as quick as that of birthstone, willing, day
after day, and at considerable expense, and
to 20 splitting and puking about into every
by-corner as if he were sick at the stomach
and awful bilious. Yet thousands appear 10
| do it voluntarily. Truly this is a mystery.
4 man calling himself a gentleman, with
all the outward appointments of gentleman,
will do in your house, in your parlor, in the
very presence of ladies, things which, if not
under the spell of tobacco, no money would
tempt him to do. How does this come a.
bouil The god of Tobacco takes the man
in the gristle CT youth, in the tender age of
boyhood, while the chin is yet downy like a
young gosllng, and while the brains are only
in that state of forwardness which they reach
in monkeys. He points him TO the dignifed
LAWYER smoking in his Office as he thumbs
the revised statutes, and then gravely knock
ing the ashes feom the end of his cigar, de-
livers the precious lore TO some consulting
client. He points him TO a number of first
chop gentlemen smoking at the hotel, and
delivering the most striking views OF their
own importance. He even gees 50 far as to
point him to some Reverend divine, who,
with great sanciity of manner, smokes and
chews. Thus the young man in the gristle
is taught that the highest style of morals do
smoke or chew, or both. He sees the great
men smoke.
As 10 the great men who do not smoke,
their example passes for nothing of course,
for they may smoke when he does not see
them. lie never hears them say no. or boo
or whe%? ? to the business OF smoking. If
they don't smoke they are smoked and they
don't resist. Their example and influence
are only Negative. The youth is carried a.
way by the positive. That is something, that
is great, that is manly. Is there any thing
sires, in his exceeding verdure, than to be-
come a man? Does he not sigh for whis-
kers and razor? Is there any drug, any
detestable compound of villainous tastes and
smells which he would not chew and roll as
a sweet molsel under his tongue to become a
man.? No. If you were to soak wolleI
rags in the common sewer, he would chew
them with a serene face to help him become
a man! He schools himself with little nips
of the narcotic, as his stomach can bear, and
suffers like a little martyr in secret. Ht
smokes and throws away the stumps at
genteel length. Finally the Tebellious nerves
begin 10 become manly. AL smells ant
tastes begin to become more alike, a delight
full quietness, stupidity and devil-may-car
begins to creep over him. And along witt
it all comes the great price, the high sensl
of being a complete man. And it is 500
r wondrous TO behold with what a relish, san
? ftoid, and maiter-of-course matter the huma
r tadpole will put on the frog in the art of us
ing up his Havannas.
Poor fellow, he little knows that a 90
more cunning than all the heather divinitie
put together has bound him in his spell, an
that he is in for a whole life of unspeakabI
denominations. He little knows that he
IT destined TO be an everlasting stencil ever,
where. That he is fated to declare his 10,
t. to the angel of his affections in the interva
Of spewing upon the brass andirons, or into
l~ustrous spittoon, or out of the window, an
she shall submit to his salutations as to
dreadful Cross which must be taken up f
the sake Of the kingdom. He little thinl
that he has taken upon his intellect, his in
agination, his memory, his wit, a perpetu
load of lead I! But he has. And there is
CoOdpN' llO "a " bb q hllAJ ANllCh III nll
Of himself. If tobacco got him down amor
the swine, robbed him of every cent of h
money, and turned all his friends to enemie
as alchohol does, he might get out of
clutches. But wo to it! Ii leaves him fc
ever a respectable nuisance, of whom no o.
COMPLIMENTARY behind his back.
TIE HEART AND THE SwoRD.-It is !
corded of the Duke of Luxemburg, that
would have cherished more deeply the mel
DRY Of having given a cup of cold water TO o.
of his fellow-creatures inpoverty and distres
than all the victories he had achieved, wi
their scenes of blood, desolation and deaf
An admirable lesson is conveyed in this bri
expression Of opinion;
Heart-work is better than head work; al
it is a better temper to be ~feryent in chart
than in disputes.