The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-06-13

1Ne S1aOAeTS Car.
Reader, have you ever, either by accident
or design, been in the smoking car of rail-
road train well under way? It not, We beg
of you to improve the first opportunity TO do
so. It will enable you to see life in a new
phase, and you may possibly learn = lesson
from it.
We think We are safe in saying there is no
life, either animal or vegetable, less tenacious
than that of man, which could continue
long within its smoky precincts. Thirty,
forty, and sometimes as many rs fifty pipes
and cigars of all kinds and conditions, in
full blast, are giving off their clouds OF
poisonous smoke, which fills the entire capa-
city of the car.
Fumigation 90 thorough would soon clear
an infested ship>of rats and other vermin.
Plants subjected to its influence would be
poisoned to death in q short time. A child
would be soon su6ocsted, and strong men,
who have not been accustomed to such an
atmosphere, would suocumb to its poisonous
influence.
The human physical organization il of
wonderful endurance. We have only to
notice the vast amount or poisons, admins
tered by medical advisers in their daily prao-
tice, which the system rejects, always with
more or less injury, to be convinced of that
fact. Without going to extremes for illustra-
tions, We see how tea, coffee, pepper, spices,
and other things not natural to mans ap-
petite, or beneficial to his system are, after
constant and moderate use. not only received
by the system without oppoaition, but finally
a hunger is induced which they alone can
satisfy or which at least it il difficult to over
come. The same may be said of tho ne Of
spirituous liquors, arsenic tobacco in it,
various forms, opium, and many other forms
of poisons. Perhaps man was 20 constituted,
expressly to enable him to >witha&and the
poisonous atmosphere of the Sunoking-eaE.
The smoking-car may b taken. % an il
lustration of mans moral ~ VEN - his
physical nature and tendenciss.i II Tho doc
trine of total depravity, ~ once: taught, was
true, We might suppose ourselves born in .
spiritual smoking-car, whose cloudy con-
tents were in exact oonsonAnco with our un-
holy condition, and amid which we should
revel with the highest enjoyment.
But in these days Of more liberal views,
we arc taught that men are only naturally in
clined to evil ways, and readily believe that
in our individual cases The inclination il 10
very little from tho perpendicular that there
is no danger Of fall. Our neighbor,: who
indulges in Awhole pipefull of sin, may be in
danger, but our little cigarette can work no
harm. In fact, We see no reason Why We
should not bs allowed to smoke it II W
choose.
The little sins are but blossoms Of which
the larger ones are the fruit, and the season
| of growth is sometimes exceedingly abort.
One wrong thought or action il followed by
another as readily and inevitably a. i the
cigarette by the cigar.
The confirmed sot had his first glass Of
wine, and he who stands lowest in the moral
scale, his first departure from The paths of
righteousness.
We are all journeying on lies railway,
and on each train there is = smoking CAT.
Those who enter it do 70 from choioe. They
may be urged or Influenced by othszs, but
the decision, the yes or the no, is with them.
More or less of the dust Of the road viii bs
found on each one of us. We shall not run
into the terminal station with our apparel
fresh and clean, let ~ do the best W may;
but We can show that 10 have striven 10
avoid contamination, and that ~ have at
least kept clear of the denominations Of ths
smoking car. ,.,,-. ~