The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-09-06
THE USE OF TOBACCO.
New York SUM-


A correspondent propounds to us a
question which it is not difficult to an
swer, and We are somewhat surprised
that man who seems to be in other re-
spects intelligent should ask it. This is
the question:
Being undecided as to the presence of
any poisonous substance in tobacco, l
ask your opinion, hoping you will oblige
by answering in your columns. Being
consumer, | will stop its use in chew>
ing if your answer is in the affirmative.
First, we will observe that of all the
forms ofusing tobacco the chewing of it
is the most offensive. This practice is
one no gentleman should indulge in, for
it carries in its train disgusting necessi>
ties, and really renders man unfit for
the society of people of refinement. A
tobacco chewer pollutes the places he
frequents, and outrages the society into
which he intrudes himself. The longer
he INDUCES in the habit, the more care
less he becomes Of exhibiting its odious
incidents, until he grows to be verita>
bic nuisance, with his discolored lips and
bulging cheek, his profuse expectoration
and offensive breath. He ought not to
be tolerated where ladies arc, certainly;
and, unless he can keep his quid out of
his mouth while in their society, he
should not venture into the company of
gentlemen. There is much excuse for
the tobacco chewing of sailors, for pipes
are not available at sea but no man
who lives on shore, and who pretends
to the least good breeding, should dis
gust people with the filthy habit.
All forms in which tobacco is used
may be made offensive, and they are so
made by men who are careless whether
they annoy people or not, and pay no
heed to the sensitive nostrils of others.
A man may so impregnate his clothing
with stale tobacco smoke as to make
himself disgusting when he goes into
company. This he has no right to do,
and no man of proper sense will do it.
Before entering mixed society he will
take pains either to change his clothes,
or to air those he has on; and he will
not suffer himsefto become such a slave
of the habit that he cannot go without
his cigar or his pipe when they may
prove disagreeable to his neighbors.
Snuff taking, which used to be so gener
al among ladies and gentlemen, has
fortunately passed out Of vogue, for it
was an unclean practice, though some
of the courtiers of former day used to
take their snuff with a degree of grace,
and the management of the snuff box
was great art, as the handling of the
eye glasses may be made now. 1t is
painful to have to add that large quanN
titles of Scotch snuff are now sold for the
and pernicious purpose Of
dipping by women, practiced in the
South by reputable women, but in the
North by scarcely any others than those
who are in deep moral and social degra-
dation. There is no other way of using
tobacco so fatal to health and character
as this.
Now. as to the poison of tobacco.
There is in it one of the most violent poi |
sons-nicotine, which produces tremor,
fthe heart, and, in sufficient
quantities, paralysis If you wish to
find out whether tobacco has poison or
not, blow the smoke of it on an insect |
and see the result; or try it on a bird,
and see how rapidly it succumbs to the
effect. Tobacco, however, is not poi.
son that leaves important disease of any
particular organ or class Of organs in its
track and hence it is not an especial
object Of attack by physicians, the ma
ority of whom, indeed, use it themselves.
But that its excessive use seriously dam
ages the nervous system is fact proved
beyond dispute, and one of which large
numbers Of smokers have personal ex-
oerience. Tobacco is an irritant of the
nervous system, but the body becomes
accustomed to it, and in moderation it
nay be taken by many people with
slight injury, though no man addictedt to
IS consumption can be said to be in per-
ect health from day to day.
But chewing, never