The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-06-02
Smoking and Drinking.

What is the real influence of wine and
cigars, Gin and tobacco, stiinulants and mar
cotics, upon the brain ? Do they weaken and
cloud the intellect ? Is a mans intellectual
strength hindered or helped by their use?
These are the questions to which a practical
inquirer has been endeavoring to find some
satisfactory answer. And he evidently has
taken much trouble about his work. He has
addressed his inquiries to men of letters,
essayists, journalists, men of science, states
men, in England. France, Germany and
America. Their replies he has embodied
in a volume of 200 pages. ("Study and
Stimulants.' By A. A. Reade published
by A. Haywood and Sons) Altogether,
some one hundred and twenty-four answers
have been received TO his appeal, and in
piled to the direct questions. DO you
smoke ?" ''Do you think ?" but have given
many details of their everyday habits,
which add much to the interest of the COL
lection.
twenty-five use wine at dinner only
thirty are abstainers from all alcoholic
liquors; twenty-four use tobacco. OF these
twenty-four, only twelve smoke while at
work. Mr.. Edison chews, and Darwin took
snuff. One or two find alcohol useful at
a pinch" Not one resorts TO alcohol for m
spiration. Mr.. Gladstone detests smoking,
though he finds wine is necessary to him at
the time of greatest intellectual eXertion.
He drinks one or two glasses of claret at
luncheon, the same at dinner, with the adj
dition of a glass of port. NJ Jules Simon
objects TO smoking on the ground that it
tends to seperate men from the society OF
women. NJ. St. HIlaire thinks that in
France no stimulants are needed. The
Duke of Argyle has never touched tobacco,
and only takes alcohol under medical advice
Sir John Lubbock considers the use of to-
bacco in most cases prejndicial. Louis
Blanc neither smoked nor drank. and so
could not give an opinion. Of the scientific
opinions, those of NJ. Paul Bert, given at
some length. are. as usual with him, out
spoken. trenchant and TO the point. 81
never smoke he says, because | am not
fond of tobacco | take wine at all my
meals because | like it." AS'with all other
fessor Tyndall thinks the man happiest who
is able TO dispense with the use of both.
Sir Henry Thompson, IN a speech at Exeter
Hall, declared that brain workers could not
stand alcohol. Professor Huxley did not
commence 10 smoke until he was forty
years of age. DR.. w. P. Carpenter his
never used tobacco, and has never felt the
need of alcoholic stimulants. Darwin used
TO drink a glass of wine daily. 81 have,'
he adds. taken snuff all my life, and regret
that | ever acquired the habit. | feel sure
that it is n great Stimulus and aid in my
work He was accustomed to smoke two
paper cigarettes of Turkish tobacco. This
rests me after | have been compelled to talk,
with tired memory. more than ANYTHING
else Out of twenty men of science, only
two smoke. Professor Boyd Dawkins finds
quinine the best stimulant. Edison lnvari-
ably cheWs tobacco when at work smoking
he thinks too violent in its action. Night,
he ~fancies, is the best time for intellectual
work.
To turn from men of science TO men Of
letters, Mr.. Mathew Arnold tells US that lie
has never smoked and has always drunk
wine--chiefy claret. As a general rule he
drinks water in the middle Of the day. At
a late dinner "a glass or two of sherry, and
some light cIaret mixed with water,
seem TO snit me very WELL He comes to
the very acceptable conclusion that, in
general, &" wine-used in moderation adds
to the dgreea6EeneSs of life-for adults, at
any rate, and whatever adds to the agree
ableness of life adds to its resources aud
powers" Mr.. Freeman is c,ndid enough
in his reply. Tie tried once OF twice when
young to smoke, but " finding it nasty. did
not try again" Why people smoke he has
no notion. As to alcohol he has no theories
He drinks wine like other people, and finds
brandy an excellent medicine. ." have
drunk beer and wine as | have eaten beef
and mutton, without theories one way or
the other Mr.. Lecky is not a smoker
Mr.. RuskIn is very emphatic. He abhors
smoking for two reasons a Gig, n or pipe
often makes a man content TO be idle the
excessive use Of toblcco abroad, and the
consequent splitting everywhere and upon
everything. Mr.. Charles Reade sums up
the matter in three curt but pithy sentences:
81 have seen many people the worse for
tob,cco. | have seen many people appar-
emily none the worse for it. | never saw
anybody perceptibly the better for it On