Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-07-05
New Crusade Against Tobacco.

THE opponents of tobacco " in all its
FORMS" though they seem less active
than formerly in this country, are
abroad now reviving their crusade
against the abominable but seductive
weed with unusual energy. Societies
have just been formed in France for
the purpose of putting down as best
they can by moral suasion, the "perni-
cious practice of the use of tobaceo;'
and one of the chief of the tobacco re-
formers has recently published some-
what startling statement as to the al
most universal use of the weed among
sterner sex in France. His history is
certainly an interesting one, whatever
we may think of its lesson, or the value
of the moral he derives from it. 1t ap-
pears that the lively Gaul begins to
smoke as rule at school, and at the
early age of eleven and, as smoking is
prohibited very strictly within the walls
of the lycee, the scholar avails himself
of his day out'' to puff away in some
safe woodland or urban retreat, undis-
turbed all day long by visions of
stern proctors. 1t is asserted that " he
gravitates as naturall to the bureau
de ta6ac as the English boy to the pas
try-cook's or the sweet-stuff shop"
Among the French lower classes the
young apprentice and the middle-aged
werkmen trudge to their daily labor
pipe in mouth, and would as soon think
of leaving their kit of tools at home as
their cheap two-sou briarwood. In the
army every officer, from the STRIPPING
sub-lieutenant to the Marshal-President
of the Republic, smokes indefatigably.
The author composes, the artist lays on
his colors, with pipe or cigarette in
mouth; the shOpkeeper leaves his shop
in care of his bonne femme many times
a day, to have pull at his beloved ca
pordL at the eStdnlnlet round the corner;
the honorable deputy smokes as he
awaits the train that is. to take him to
Versailles; the stockholder, as he hies
him to the Bourse, the fG1seUr loung-
ing on the Boulevard, the club man as
he loiters at the big front window, the
advocate as he reads his brief on his
way to the Palais de Justice, do all
these things under the soothing in
fluence of tobacco. 1t is said, indeed,
that there are only two classes of
Frenchmen who do not smoke; the cab
men, because they are too constantly
under the vigilant watch of the police,
and the priests, because they fear lest
hint of the transgression should
reach the ears of their bishop. Thus,
the new anti-tobacco societies have no
lack of targets at which to hurl their
anathemas, no want of heathen on
every hand to convert to their own alb
horrence of the weed The progress of
tobacco using, and especially of smok-
lng-for few Europeans chew, and the
fine old patrician practice of snuf-tak
ing is fast going QUITS, indeed, amaz-
ingly rapid beyond the Atlantic. The
large majority of males in every civil
lied country smoke habitually. 1t used
to be said that excessive smoking was
the decline of the Turks in vigor and
enterprise; but it is doubtful whether
there has not been as much smoking in
the ranks of the Muscovites and Cos
sacks, during consolation, as in the
stubbornly-fghting, but finally defeat
ed legions of Islam.-Appleton'S Jour
nal