Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1861-03-28
The Tobacco Question,

tic Monthly, widely circulated Magazine, ar
Rev. Geo. Trask, who publishes the Anti Tohac-
co Journal, replies after the following style,
which we ask our readers to read carefully:
Your article in the Atlantic stripped of its in
sidious garb. is an apology for the common use
of tobacco, and, like the gigantic nuisance to
which it panders, is highly popular Whenever
| meet a visionary Of your profession or my own,
a somnambulist of any typo who has smoked AMI
dreamed away years of precious life, and designs
to smoke and dream away the residue, he is full
Of its praises. Whenever | ueet n genuine
dandy, well fumgated, whose elixir of life is ex-
pressed by slight play on lenses, Sumo, fuma-
vi, fumabo,-he uttezs like praise, and lights his
cigar with fresh zcst and pride These, with the
sons Of smoke on every hand, thank you for rails
ing a rampant around darling vice, and consign
poor rcformers to "the tomb of the Capulets. -
Your production doctor, is doing mischief
Hence ! must do the little can to peutralize the
poison which it is infusng into the veins OF
rising millions.
The outline Of your rumert is easily stated
I
tics of its consumption, and from its enormous
consumption and great popularity you draw the
sage conclusion that its influence is innoxous
You argue, !. "That an article so widely used
must possess some peculiar quality producing a
desirable effect" Toeacco, we admit, as an ar
tcle in Materia Medca, used as a sedative, a
laxative, clyster, 4 cathartic, emetic, or
when used to kill moths, bugs, or other vermin,
does ''rroduce a desirable effect"-.iust such as
God intended il should produce. But never docs
it produce this effect on man, so long as he
stands erect in health and beauty. He must be-
come sick man, subject for medicine, before
this nauseous, noxious poison acts benefcially
upon him. \ gentleman once said to Dr. Frank
lin, "Doctor, why have you never used tobacco ?''
The doctor rejoined: "Sir, never saw well
man, in the exercise of common sense, who
would say that tobacco did him any good: why,
then, should use it?''
Ifby desirable effect" you mean that the vic
tim of the quid and pipe, while gratifying his ap-
petite, feels better for the time, answer, the
drunkard, the libcrtine, the opium eater, feel
better in the qualification of their debauched
tastes, for the time, and your logic bids you
apologize for every vicious and popular indul-
gence on the globe, as well as for the practice of
this particular vice.
Man, doctor, man in his normal condition.
which is allegiance to God, abhors tobacco;
and it, popular use, instead of indicating any
desirable effect shows that its dcvotces have
''Sought out many Inventions Alas. it shows
their stupcndous folly in attempting to fill up the
void between them and God by abomnable mar
co,ics.
You argue 2dly, THAT an article so widely
used can not produce any marked deleteriou, ef
'cct" It, popular use, if / apprehend your logic,
i. evidence of its harmless character.
Glance at your argument in the light of analo
~, and TO what al,syrdi,ics Il coB,lucts YOU.
Fifty wears ago alcoholic drinks were "widely
used" in every section of our country; temper
ancc was the xception-inebriety the rule; but
vas their popular use any evidence that they
produced no marked dccterious ellectl" Did
they not light the incendary torch, sink ships.
and lay unnumbcred thousands in dishonorcd
gravcsl
ldolatry is "widcly" practised. Six cghths Of
mankind, instead of worshipping the true God,
worship sonsolcss images and horrible deties
but does the popularity of such worship show
that it "produces no marked dclotcrous eilect7"
Sin, in all its developed forms, stalks abroad
from "sca to sea, and from the river to the ends
Of the carth;" but does the popularity Of sin
show that it can not produce any marked dele
tcrious effect"
Such, doctor, is your logic.-the full ampli
tudc of your logic, The orations OF ofDemosthencs,
it Is said, smell of oil. Your article smells of
smoke; and those gentlemen who assigned it n
place in the Atlantic, regret to say, gave evi
dcncc of "lhc delcterious effect of the weed on
themselves, at least, when they disfgurcd n
graceful periodical by admitting an article which
pardcrs 10 a loa,,omc vice.
You, DOCTOR are wthout excuse. You know
that this drug is poison. Medical science, the
world over attributes toit the essential elements
of a poison as deadly as prussic acid, stramonium,
or strychninc You know that il is poison in
relation To human organism; that nature una
buscd stcrnly rcpcls its first aggrcssion', and
cries, al will spcw thee out of my mouth" You
know that YOU uscit proiesscdly dcrnier re
sort, and with great caution, aud that YOU would
not place the dccoction of one cigar on the
empty stomach Of your child for California, with
all It's treasures.
You know it would prove fatal more frequent
", did not constitutional vigor, exercise, per-
,piration, and expectosation, acting like safety
valves, eliminate much of the poison.
You know that, used 10y the millions, it must
produce some effect. The idea that il produces
no effect is simply ridiculous. You know that it
can produce no good effect man in health.
II aids neither the power of the mind, nor the
strength OF the body. The Inference is irrosst-
BILE, that its common use is ''eyl, and only evil,
and that continually' This i undenable.
Still you, an educated physician, a sworn guar
dian of health, in a popular magazine, in high
" elaborated article, the style OF which is these
ductvc satire of a harlot,'' tell credulous
young men in this happy land that tobacco
''must produce some desirable effect and ''can
not produce any marked deleterious efioct"'
We confess We lose our composure when edu
Gated physicians, educated in our bencfeent in
stitutions. educated on purpose to care for the
mighty interests of health prove recreant to their
high calling, recreant to science, and give the
millions to understand that they can use this and
other rank poisons with perfect innoeency in the
sight of God and man Is the vulgar notion