The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-08-07
LETTER FROM SALEM.

LhTThh fRUM SALEM,
To THE EDITOR OF THE NEW NORTHWEST:
Yesterday evening three small boys
might have been seen seated in a wagon
in back alley impatiently awaiting
the arrival of two of their comrades with
some cigars, for which they had been
dispatched. These soon made their ap-
pearance carrying the precious o. arti-
Giles in hat. Having mounted the
wagon, the smallest Of the five handed to
each Of the others some matches, and
soon all were pulling away in true imi-
tatiOn Of their paternal progen-
ltors. This state of things continued
| for q few minutes, when the largest of
the boys removed his cigar, and, after
allowing the smoke to slowly escape
/ through his nose, exclaimed, "Boys,
these cigars arn't what we bargained
| for.i
"That So" said another, "the China
man cheated Us"
'ATaybe you kept them in your hat
too long, and that's what makes them
Damp said third.
And in like interesting discussion sat
these five boys, between the ages of ten
and twelve years, in the stolen indul-
gence of this disgusting habit, of which
more than likely their parents know
nothing.
But who knows but that the parents
. themselves, especially the fathers of
these boys, may not be much more in
fault than the lads are? Perhaps they
have attempted to govern the boys by
precept, which their own example fails
to enforce. Boys are brought up in an at
mosphere of tOboccO smoke at home,
meeting the fumes of the same at every
turn on the street, and imbued with an
idea that it will render them manly to
do that which they see men do, and it is
not strange that they become possessed
of a desire to follow i'm the wake of their
elders.
"Lets go, boys, Pm sleepy" said one,
and each stupidity climbed from his
perch and started for home.
"What a debilitating, unwholesome
stimulant for these boys to sleep Off"
thought /.
! And this little evening scene, which
is of all too frequent occurrence, caused
my thoughts to turn to the why's and
wherefOres, concerning the use of this
filthy weed. 1t is generally acknowl-
edged to be very injurious to the human
system, and it remains a mystery why
the plant should be cultivated at all.
Why is il that we must muster up cour-
age to submit to its almost universal
use, as a necessary aflliction? Many a
woman, who proclaims herself possessed
Of ''all the sights she wants." complains
bitterly when she is forced into nau-
seating. contact with the filth and fumes
which it everywhere engenders. re-
Gently heard one of these quieseent Ia
dies remark, turning white about the
mouth as she did so, 'I can't bear the
filthy stuff! My boarders leave its
marks upon their rooms and about the
porch, and l am daily compelled to
wash them of, and my husband, al
though he does not use tobacco himself,
yet spends his evenings in saloons or
other places where men resort, and
comes home with his clothing so satu-
rated with it as often to sickeu me-"
could not forbear remarking in my
blunt way, "Well, Madam, if you are
possessed of all the rights you want, you
certainly have all you deserve"
Every tobacco consumer pOisons his
own blood, and in time that of his Off
spring, and thus is undermined the con-
stitution Of very many of the human
family. The injurious effects Of this
poisonous weed are as great, perhaps, as
those that result from the use of pure
liquors. 1t is used by many who are
mere children, and by far the larger
part of the men of the world, and by
very many women. We, as 4 nation,
accept these two monstrous evis-liduor
and tObacco-and make them a source
of national revenue. And this in def
ance of, rim total disregard to the start
ling facts and figures, which are daily,
almost hourly, brought forward to show
their blighting effects upon our race.
IL now tobacco has champion who
will come out and defend its filthy
fumes, he will confer a great favor upon
MRS. J. A. JOHNS.
Salem, August 5, 1874.