Brookings County sentinel. (Brookings, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1890, 1882-11-30
THE TOBACCO QUESTION.

Nj. Bulcy is at the head of French
association whose object is to decry the
use OF tobacco, and the title of the or
ganlzation is tia Societe Contre PAbus
dc Tapac." The weed is inveighed
against in its economic and hygienic as
poets. France spends every year in
tobacco 352, 53S, ,0O0i., or about 800, ,0OO,-
600. Before 1880 French people were
only moderate smokers, though great
snufters, hut since that period, though
snuffing has sensibly diminished, smok.
ing has enormou,ly increased. Chewing
rs rare IL France, being considered as a
coarse habit, carriers and sailors only be-
ing masticators of the weed. In France
the government, recognizing how uni
versal is the habit of smoking, gives
every one of her soldiers, for his 10
days OF consumption, 100 gram mes of
smoking tobacco, tabac de cantine, for
which he is charged only cents. To
provide the soldier with tobacco is con-
sidered by some French military author-
tics as almost necessity. In Gen.
Brack's "Traite des Avant Postes" he
insists that the cavalry soldier should
cultivate the use of tobacco, as it makes
him more alert and indifferent to hun
ger or thirst. In opposition to this DR..
Blanchet, an army surgeon, insists that,
inquiring into the effects of smoking in
the ranks, the illness of many men could
be traced to the abuse of tobacco. 1t
produced ulcers of the lips, the mouth,
tongue, and nose, necrosis, gastralgia,
gastritis, and enteritis, with vertigo,
mental debility, and even transient at
tacks of mania. 1t should be noticed
that the French surgeon cites all
these ills as arising from the abuse
OF tobacco. Sir Benjamin Brodie
thought that tobacco in moderation
acted as sedative on the nervous sys-
TEN, especially when in condition of
excitement, worry, or physical fatigue,
but that its abuse brought with it many
terrible diseases. Experiences in our
civil war induced the same conclusions.
Over use of any stimulant is hurtful,
and there are many men, strictly tenn
perate, who were not smokers who are
suffering to-day from nervous diseases
brought on by the over-use of strong
coffee, taken by them while in service.
Is cigarette smoking hurtful? That is
aquestion often discussed. We are to.
day among the great cigarette smokers
OF the world. If cigarettes be prejudi-
cial to health, 1t must arise from the
paper. Now, this paper can be nothing
else than pure lignose or wood fibre. If
it we're made of hemp, there might pos
slbIy arise some source of danger TO the
smoker, though it is quite unlikely that
any of the pernicious qualities of hemp
would survive the manufacturing pro-
cesses paper pulp is put to. Such pyro-
hugneous Installations as oome from the
paper could hardly be more hurtful than
those arising from the tobacco itself.
Where the danger Of cigarettes arises is
from their cheapness, which permits too
many OF them to be smoked, and because
they are getting into use by urchins of
all ranks who are not more than 10 years
old. Smoking when indulged in by boys
is as pernicious habit as if they COM
menced to tipple. Itstunts their growth,
destroys digestion, o6scures vision, and,
rendering them nervous, induces them
TO seek such stirnulant as can be found
in alcoholic fluids. .#i