The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-04-12


As conscious of my Joy, with brighter beams
To gild the happy world land all things smile.
-
Confession of a Tobacco Chewcr
Ny father chewed tobacco. Ny mother
smoked. Three elder brothers did both. A
widowed aunt, who spent most of her time
in our family, when was child, took snuff.
Is it strange that should have done one or
the other9 These antecedents and sur
roundings, if they do not exculpate, / hope
will excuse ..... What am l saying
sat down to write confessions, and here am
framing excuses This propensity to apol-
ogise for the use of tobacco;
''The struggling pangs Of conscious guilt to hide"
to ''cover my transgression, like Adam,"-
so common to transgressors of every sort
it was my intention to call up at a later stage.
But having thus thrust itself uncalled into
notice at the very outset, let it take the place
Of CoNFEssIoN No. One.
My first remembered taste of tobacco was
on Sabbath day, when, at the age Of seven
years, was left in charge ofa younger sister,
while the rest of the family had "gone to
meeting" To relieve the dreadful tedum,
rather than for any devotional purpose,
opened the Massachusetts, Missionary Nag-
azine, for August, 1907, with leaves freshly
cut, which mother had been reading that
morning, and my attention was attracted to
q specimen Of poetry entitled, "SMoKrNG
SPIRIrUALIzED," puttogether in oddly shaped
verses, with the refrain, "7hus think ami
smoke Tobacco" coming in at the end Of
each stansa.
On looking back to the now old Vol. v
of that periodical, on PIP. ll7-lS, where all
the verses stand just as they stood before my
childhood's eye, the whole scene is brougn,
so affectingly to view, that must beg leave
to pause in my confessions, long enough to
give them re-perusal. The reader is al
full liberty to skip this episode, as it cannot
have the same interest with him that it has
with me.
SMOKING sPIRITUALrzED.
IN TWO PARTS.
PARTI.
This Indian weed now withered quite,
Though green at noon cut down at nigat,
Shows thy decay;
All flesh shay.
Thus think and smoke tobacco!
The pipe, SO lily-ke and weak,
Does thus thy mortal state .espeak,
Thou art cen such,
Gone with touch.
Thus think and smoke tobacco,
And when the smoke sscends on high,
Then thou behods the vanity
OF wsrdly stuff
Gone with apuF.
Thus think and smoke tobacco!
And when the pipe grows foul within,
Think on the soul defed with sin;
For then the fire
1t does require.
Thus think and smoke tobacco!
And seest thou ashes cast away'
Then to thyself thou mayest say,
That TO the dust
Return thou must.
Thus think and smoke tobacco!
II,
Was this small plant for thee cut down?
So was the Plant of great renown;
Which mercy sends
For nobler ends. ....
Thus think and smoke tobacco!
Doth juice medicinal proceed
From such naughty, foreign weed!
Then what the pow'r
or Jesse's fow'ra
Thus think and smoke tobaccoi
The promise, like the pipe inlays,
And by the mouth of faith conveys
What virtue flows
From sharon's Rose.
Thus think and smoke tobacco!
In vain tn unlighted pipe you blow;
Your pains in outward means are so,
Till heavily are
Your heart inspire.
Thus think and smoke tobacco!
The smoke, like burning incense, tow's;
eoshouid praying heart Of yours
With ardent cries
surmount the skies.
Thus think and smoke tobaccof
TO me it was a perfect gem-the measure,
rhyme, moral, and all. l had often watched
those ascending and expanding wreaths OF
|, smoke, and now had strong inclination
come over me to look at them poaticaily-
morally. determined to experiment little
myself, before mother returned. So lighting
the pipe, as I had often seen he do. ! sue
ceaned in drawing few beautiful "whiffs, !"
and seeing them ascend. But the poetry o!
it was soon over; the moralizing lasted long
or. Perceiving that the centre of gravity in
my little corporation was getting unsettled,
rushed tn the door for fresh air ; but before
could turn it to any medical use, my dizzy
head struck on the door stone. thee effect Of
which. after the lansc of fifty years. is still
discernible in what amateur phrenologistS
have called ''the bump of individuality"
term which, if it be intended to denote the
sengleness with which that Sabbath's doingS
stand out and apart from all my otherjuven.
lie fo'lies. is fitly enough named.
Those few "puffs" answered for years. In
fact was well on in my teens when tried
the next experiment, just to keep pace with
several youngsters Of my age in their strides
towards manhood. BY degrees the dizzy
and dis~s,at;s.A a~nsaf;nv, hnravnA >nNur>hl>