The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1881-06-25
Catarrh and Tobacco.

Round.
Catarrh and Tobacco.
Mr.. Archibald Forbes, who came to this
country to astonish the natives with tales
Of tioings Of a war correspondence carry
ing Of Goals to ewcastle-being asked BY
a reporter what popularity he observed in
Americans, specified the habit Of clearing
the throat. Mr.. Forbes, being an English
man, had Of course observed no agreeable |
trait in Americans. An American editor |
who paid admiring tribute to Mr.. Forbes
pleaded in defense OF the American people |
the climate, through whose influence he
had said that full 90 per cent have some de-
gree Of nasal catarrl,.
This Is rather severe on the American
climate and on Americans, and is another
Of the signs that the European races run
out in America. But is our climate and
physical state 80 bad rs this? The English
mans judgement Of Americans, or OF any
other peoples, is not Of a broad character.
And all superficial travellers have habit Of
comparing the average or worse individu-
ais OF other countries with the highest Of
their own, in giving judgement ON their
relative character.
The throat is an avenue for many things
besides being pipe for speech, and there
may be many occasions for clearing It, be.
sides for oratory or psalm singing. Man.
ners may make this more public and az.
! y essivc than is necessary. Good manners
will keep any tar reaching and resounding
clearing Of the throat private, or other tol
let necessities. But ii the general manner
is to spit publicly and ostentatiously, any
delicacy as to clearing the throat by hawk.
ing can hardly be looked for, and it, pub.
lie manifestation, can he traced more to the
tobacco habit than to the great american
catar,h.
Man is subject to logic in spite Of hi. lack
Of the faculty Of reason. The mouth Is the
most dclicrote organ. lie who bcfouls his
mouth cannot logically have any nice sensi.
tiveness to uncleanliness in any other part
or in his surroundings. lie who .efilcs his
mouth with tobacco seems to delight in ;,e.
! touling all about him, and in making hi.
; nasty habit conspicuous. From this come,
: the national splitting habit. They who spit
before others can have no sense Of indelica
: cy in hawking to clea, their throat in til.
loudest manner. In company, which CLEAN
~ sensitiveness would tell them should b.
= done az privately as practicable.
In Europe the use Of tobacco in its mos
:. disgusting form, chewing, is practiccd onl,
= among the lower classes, and thi, habit i
y not limited. Consequently no place AM
'. no society is exempt iron, the splitting prac
y tice; therefore in none can there be an,
= fine sensitiveness as to the nastiness Of spit
:. ting or the lesser disagreableness Of hawk
- ing. Who has not seer orators ON the pc
e li,ical platform, lawyers in making ,l,ei
:" argument, judges on the bench, splitting OF
= tentatiously and with heavy splash! VIII
> has not seen orators splitting for u pause t
gather their wits, aud even preachers gai
;. ing time BY heavy clearing Of This throat
T. The woman who gives party is In fea
p" and trembling least her carpet and curtain
y. should be ruined BY the society spi,tcrs.
>" general her fear and trembling fail to sav
them. In the Mosaic. the Nlol,ammetia
" and the Poytheist religion, cleanliness ",
y an absolute requirement Us preparation
8 tor worship; but Christianity has dcgene
y ated, and the spittoon, the tobacco split
y" without that offensive dish, are not II,
known In the churches. From the use
!. tobacco comes the splitting habit, and Wit
:" this the universal prevalence Of nastines
'e' and the destruction Of all delicacy as
~ disgusting operations Of throat, mouth al
nose. This, vastly more than the gre
American catarrh, Is that which makes Il
American offensivencss in these things a,
US makes the Europeans think the American
)" i'll bred people, Cincinnati Gazette.
Rrnm1ht MIN In A1fve