The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-10-19
TALENY dfD TOHdCCO.

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TALENT AfD TOBACcO.
How Literature is Saturated with tho
Smoke OF the Weed.
Do.t)u Traveller.
james Parton has recently written u
letter, which has had wide quotation,
eXhorting writors and braill-workcrs
to throw away their pipes.- This re-
opens tho discussion Off. social topic
which affords tho largest room for hon
est divergence of opinion. Suppose
notwithstanding to decide the nootcd
point as to tho soundness of Mr.. Par
toms advice, wo indulge in few ran
dom observations OH the prominence of
the Pipe in literature.
Mr.. Part0n's counsel to brain-Work-
crs may DO wiso or not, but that he is
In minority is fact Of which there
can be little question. Tho consump-
ton of tobacco increases yearly and to
this increase brain-workcrs, we be-
lieve, contribute very large proper
ton. English literature, asa whole,
may be said to be surchargcd with
smoke. Anti-tobacconists can point,
it is true, to the fact that Ehakcspcnrc's
pages do not contain II single reference
to the weed. But this notable cxccl-
ton only serves to emphasize the rule.
Lord Bacon culogiZes tobacco, dcclar-
ing that it "comt0rtcth the spirits and
dischargcth WEAKNESS. which it work
eth partly by opening, but chiefly by
the opiatc virtue which condcnscth
the Spirits" Ben Johnson and Drum
mond and Fletcher and Beaumont
constantly renewed their friendships
over a pipe. The great DR.. Barrow
pronounced his pipe TO ben curc-all,
his Panpharmacon. Sir Thomas Over
bury calls smoking "that dclcctablc
passtilnc." BoXhore, the great Dutch
scholar, smoked almost inccssantly in
his study. Sir Isaac Newton not only
loved his pipe, but had u playful and
somewhat ungallant way of using the
fingers of his lady friends for shoppers.
Steele wrote his splendid essays with
a pipe in his mouth, and Addison sent
out his brightest things from "a cloud
Of smoke. Dryden loved his "whitf"
only second to his "pinch," and Con-
grcve was fond ola soothing long
stcmmcd clay-tIc "churchwarlcm"
of the oldcn time. Daniel Dcfoc made
his pipe his nearest friend. All the
literary men of Queen Annc's day aD-
pear wreathcd in fragrant clouds, and
no period, ,.surcly, has given us great
CT number Of great writer's. Charles
Lamb was long dcvotcc Of the weed,
before he wrote his celebrated Clare
well to Tobacco" in which hc anathc-
tiZed it as
''Fllth o. tho mouth, and fog O. the mind"
Coming down TO later times, we find
the example Of Sir Walter Scott, the
prince OF romanccrs. on the same side.
His novels are full Of tobacco. Ills
characters arc continually snufling or
smoking. Dominic Sampson heard
Meg Nlcrrilics singing on thc stairs
and groancd deeply, "pufling out be-
tween whilcs huge volumes Of tobacco
smoke" Hc makes the old haG her
sclfa disciple Of the weed, introducing.
her to Henry Bcrtram "busily cngag-
ed with short black tobacco pipe"
Shelley, Edgar Poo and Tom
Moore are three modern poets who
arc to be set down on the other side as
anti-tobacconst. Macaulcy, we think
may be added to the number.
In our own day Dickens and Tenny-
son, who stand. at least in popular cs-
umation, as the English laurcatcs of
OF prose and poetry respectively, are
TO be set down as ardent lovers Of nico-
tine comfort. Spurgcon has preached
some eloquent sermons in defense of
the pipe, declaring Oh one occnsion
that he had always intended to "smokc
to the glory Of God" On this side
we think we shall not err in setting
down Longfellow, Lowell, Aldrich
and Clemens, at lest, as disciples OF
Sir Walter Raleigh. Oliver Wendell
Holmes, if lie follows his own advice
to young men, must be set down rs of
q contrary mind. Mr.. Bccchcr is not
attached to tho weed, but Boston
clergyman whose fame once almost
rivaled that Of tho Brooklyn pastor,
was deeply devoted to it. eff you
want to find out if Mr.. - is in his
study you need not ring the bell, but
just look and sec if the smoke is pour
ing out Of the Window" one of his dca-
cons was wont to say to people who
wanted to see him.
/, Bismarck once told group Of visi-
tors tho following story: "Tho value
of good cigar" said he. els best un-
dcrstood when it is the last you pos
scss, and there is no chance Of getting
another. At Koniggratz I had only
one cigar left in my pocket, which I
carefully guarded during the whole of
the battle, as miscr does his treasure.
| did not feel justified in using it.
painted i'll glowing colors, in my mind,
the happy hour in which I should en-
joy il after the victory. But l had
miscalculatcd my chances" "And
what" asked ono Of the company,
"was the cause of your miscaicula-
tion% "a poor dragoon," replied
Bismarck, "who lay helpless with both
arms crushed, murmuring for some
thing to refresh him. I felt in my
pockets and found / had only gold,
and that would be of no use to him.
But stay had still my treasured
cigar! lighted this for him and Dlac.
ed it between his teeth. You should
have seen the poor fellows grateful
smile! [ never enjoyed cigar sc
much as that one I did not smoke"
John Cornelius, ofPlumstcad, Eng.
land, fell dead as hc was running
homo ont ~ fho Il