The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-01-25
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the London Saturday Review,
The Tobacco Question. -.

The Tobacco Question. 49,.
The Secretary of the United Kingdom
Alliance lately invited the Dean of Carlisle
to join that association, and the Dean re-.
plied that he would be delighted, and only
regretted the Alliance did not 20 in for nut
ting down tobacco as well as strong drink.
The exact expression in which he clothed
his feelings was this II wish you only
carried on the war against the kindred mon
ster evil, tobacco, at the same time. They
*re twin fiends, gorging their Unsuitable ha-
tred on the human race with at least equal
~ fearful results" This is strong language
VI course it is metaphorical, and it is in a
poetlcal sense only that tobacco is called a
fiend, and is said to gorge. But the meta
phor will appear singularly inappropriate to
any who has been accustomed to the mild
or even the medium Cuba of real life. To
call tobacco "gorging fcnd" is scarcely
more apt than to call hair.oil disporoing
mend. we are not surprised that Dean
Close does not smoke, but we are surprised
tnat any amount Of ignorance as to tobacco
and Its effects should have prompted him
70 throw out such big words SO vaguely.
we Will not, however, quarrel with par.
tcular expressions. 1t is much more i'm
portant to examine whether tobacco is real
~ an evil to the human race. We think it
is not that though it does some harm. it's
main effect is to furnish the greatest amount
OF innocent enjoyment which is derived from
any one source OF physical qualification
we 40 not wish to slur over its bad effects !:
but still we doubt whether, in the classes Of
society that can afford to purchase both.
pastry does not do more harm than tobacco
The people in England who could afford to
have apple pie every day, if that luxury
were always in season, can also afford q
cigar day; and in this class there is. we
should guess, more dyspepsia from ME crnst
than from tobacco. This only proves that
both, except in moderation, are bad. Rnt
then, who would venture to call pie-crust a
"gorging fiend? ?" We must also allow that
some persons find their appetite for tobacco
grow on them, and they smoke until they
are paralyzed or rendered imbecile, SO that
the worst cases Of tobacco are worse than
the worst cases of pie-crust. But these are
quite exceptional, and, as rule, we believe
mat most persons diminish the quantity of
tobacco they take when they find it un.
wholesome. This is not virtue, but is merely
owing to the simple fact that the desire for
tobacco gets weaker as age makes the dipes.
ton more tender. If two young men at
college smoke equally, and then one goes
into sedentary profession, while the other
lives IN the country and takes constant ex.
ercise, the probability is, that at the end Of
ten years the latter smokes more than the
former The sedentary man does not care
tor the tobacco that would do him harm
and the sportsman can stand the tobacco
which he likes. And if there is one THING
more certain about tobacco than another
it is that, among the upper classes, It dis
cosrdges drinking and probably this is tn,
case generally. The great smoking nations
where people smoke SO much more constant
" than in England, are eminently sober ma.
tons. The effect of good tobacco is certain.
~ not to make the smoker wish to drink
II does not produce thirst, and it spoils the
fiavor Of most liquids. The wish to smok,
VIGOROUSLY abridges the drinking of wine
ana many man takes two or three glasse.
ana his cigar, who, if he did not smoke
would finish his bottle. OF the effect of to-
oacco 90 the poor man we speak with some
hesitation, forwe do not consider that mere.
~ hurTying by poor men as they cluste,
round . public-house enables any one 10
pronounce upon their habits. But we know
Of no facts which tend to show that tobacco
does increase the consumption of alcoholic
liquors. Certainly the poor tobacco which
the poor smoke would make the palate of a
person unaccustomed to it very hot and dry:
out the poor are accustomed to it, and that
makes oil the difference. How is any one