The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-03-22

to. This brought on disturbed nights and
dull mornings, so he gave up smoking alto
gether, as an experiment, for six months. At
the end of that time he found his health so
much improved that he gave up smoking al
together. Mr.. Hamerton thinks that fresh
air is the best stimulant when writer
seems dull. Victor Hugo makes good fire
before writing, and then opens the window.
Mr.. Hamerton is not teetotaler, though at
various times he has abstalned altogether
from alcoholic stimulants for considerable
periods,
TEELING BETTER WITHOUT THEM.
He drinks wine with his meals, but never be-
tween meals. AT one time he thinks he did
himself harm by drinking tea, so he has CIV
en- up both tea and coffee. His breakfast Is
basin of soup invariably, and nothing else,
and he Is thankful to the observance of few
simple rules for the enjoyment of very regu-
lar health, with great equality and regular
ity of working power, so that / get through
a great deal without feeling it any burden
upon me, which is the right state. never
do any brain work after dinner; dine at Z
and read after, but only in languages that
can read without any trouble, and upon sub
ects that are familiar to me.o Mr.. Thomas
Hardy, the popular novelist, has never
smoked pipe-full in his life, nor cigar,
his impression is that it would be very inju-
lluuo III MS Ndocs dluy 81 lar DIS NO nus tu~
served, 1t is anything but beneficial to lit
erary man. His experience goes to prove
that the effect of wine, taken as prelimlna-
ny to imaginative work, is to blind the writ
er to the quality of what he produces rather
than to raise the quality. When tramping
about the continent, he occasionally drinks
a glass or two of claret or mild ale,
Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes prefers an en-
tirely undisturbed and unclouded brain for
al fa1 lSx.
stronger than tea or coffee, unaffected by to-
bacco or other drugs; his faculties are best
under his control in the forenoon, between
breakfast and lunch. The only intellectual
use he could lind In stimulants is the quick
ened mental action they produce when taken
in company. He thinks ideas may reach the
brain when slightly stimulated which re-
main after the stimulus has ceased to disturb
| its rhythms Mr.. w. ID. Howells never uses
tobacco except Tin very rare self defensive
cigarette, where great many other people
are smoking, and commonly drink water at
dinner. When take wine think il weak
ems my work and my working force the next
morning." Mr.. w. Il. III. Lecky sends a
short communication II am not q smoker
and am therefore unable to give you any evil
dence on the snbject.n Sir Theodore Mar
tin, the author of the Life of the Prince
Consort," finds that to himself tobacco is
simply poison, and he believes it to be SO to
very many who use it. Wine In moderation
he is sure is beneficial to brain-workers, and
he feels confident that II is far better, as a
rule, to assist the system by this than with
food
WITHOUT WINE OR ALCOHOL,
which, in my experience, seems always TO
lead to eating to an extent that Is very apt to
cause arrangement of the functions of the
hn1V " Raw 1afOaa Marffuaa1 NH
of Spinoza has recently been attracting pub
lie attention, has nothing to say on the sub
| jeet OF tobacco, except that he dslikes il.
| Ordinary claret, he found, for a time, did
| him no harm, but after awhile he became
| subject to attacks of govt and Indigestion,
so he gave 1t up, and has never since had
any tendency to equity affections, and he
| writes: Notwithstanding the advance of
old age II am now III, have retained the
| power OF mental application, with only this
abatement perceptible to myself, that Civ
| en- task requires somewhat longer time
| than in fresher days. Mr.. Augustus Nor
| gidien, the political economist, now 10 years
| of age, has smoked moderately all his life,
and flor the last 80 years has never, except
| in rare and short instances of illness, retired
to bed without one tumbler of whiskey tod
/ dy.n
James Payn, the novelist, writes that. sin
1
brethren, am a constant smoker; smoke
the whole time am engaged in composition
/ three hours per diem) and after meals, but
| very light tobacco" He has no doubt that
| it stimulates the imagination, and, as he
has worked on it for 80 years, he cannot be
lieve that it has done him any harm. In
| the way of drink he only takes light claret.
and occasionally dry champagne. Charles
Reade wishes that he could throw more
light upon the subject. He says: 81 tried
to smoke five or six times, but ii always
Llade me heavy and rather sick; therefore,
| as 1t is not a necessity of life and costs
money and makes me --L-esas.>-s.-ss
from me. haze naverf felt the want of Il.
| have seeeI many people the worse for 1t.
1--we seen many people apparently none
the worse for it. | never saw anybody per-
| ceptibly the better for it, William II.
| Russell, the distinguished correspondent,
has smoked tobacco and taken wine for
| years, though he cannot say but what he
| would have done as well without them, but
he has felt comforted and sustained in his
work by both at times, especially by the
weed" He is inclined to think that sto-
bacco and stimulants are huftful mostly in
the case of
| INFERIOR ORG ANIZATToS