Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-04-18
study and stimuian.s.

Mr.. Matthew Arnold mas never
smoked, but he has always drunk wine,
chiefly claret. As a general rule, be
drinks water in the middle Of the day
and "a glass or two of sherry and some
light claret mixed with water at late
dinner" and this, he says, seems to
suit him very well. He has given up
the use of beer in the middle of the
day, because the doctors assured him
it was bad for rheumatism. from which
he was a sufferer. Mr.. Arnold thinks
that most young people could do as
much without wine as with II, and adds:
.'Real brain work of itself, think,
upsets the worker and makes him bill
ions; wine will not cure tBIs, nor will
abstaining from vine prevent II. He,
however, thinks that wine used in
moderation seems to ''add to the
agreeableness of life-for adults, at any
rate, and whatever adds to the agreea-
bieness of life, adds TO its resources and
powers"
Wilkie Collins writes: "When [ am
i'll q am suffering from govt al this
very moment) tobacco is the best friend
that my irritable nerves possess; when
L am well, but exhausted for the time
by a hard days work, tobacco nerves
and composes me. There Is my evi-
dence in two words. When a man
allows himself to become a glutton IN
the matter of smoking tobacco, he suf-
fers for it; and if he becomes glutton
IN the matter OF eating mea he Just as
certainly suffers in another way. When
/ read learnsd attacks upon the practice
of smoking, feel indebted to the wri-
ter-he adds largely to the relish OF my
cigar" The late Charles Darwin
drank a glass OF wine daily, but he
writes: 81 should be better without
any, though all doctors urge me to
drink wine, as L suffer much from giddl-
ness. l have take II snuf ali my life,
and regret that ever acquired the
habit, which have often tried to leave
off, and have succeeded for time. l
feel sure that it is great aid and
stimulus III my work. l also daily
smoke two little paper cigarettes OF
Turkish tobacco. 1t Is not a stimulus,
but rests me after have beel compelled
to talk with tired memory more than
anything else. l am 70 years old. J"
THIS letter was written ON the 9th of
February, 1882. Mr.. Thomas A Edison
gets his inspiration from chewing to
bacco, which he thinks a good stlmu-
liant ''upon any one engaged In laborious
brain work." Smoking he hnds
pleasant, but ''too violent in its action;
and the same remark applies to alco-
hohc liquors. L am inclined to think
that it is better for intellectual workers
to perform their labors at night, as
after long experience of night work,
| find my BRAIN Is IL a better condition
at that time. especially for experimental
work, and when so engaged L almost
invariably chew tobacco as a stimulant.
MIR. Reade included Gladstone among
those of wnom he asks his questions;
the answer came from the Premier S
son, Mr.. Herbert j. Gladstone, who
begs to say that ''MT. Gladstone drinks
one glass or two OF claret at luncheon,
the same at dinner, with the addition
OF glass of hight port. The use OF
wine to this extent Is especially neces-
sary to him at the time OF the greatest
intellectual exerlion. Smoking he de-
tests, and has always abstained from
the use OF very strong and fiery stimu-
lants." DIR. Oliver Wendell Holmes
prefers an entirely undisturDed and un-
clouded brain for mental work, un-
stimulated by anything stronger than
tea or coffee, unaffected by tobacco or
other drugs; his faculties are best
under his control in the forenoon be-
tween breakfast and lunch. The only
intellectual use he could find IL stimu-
lants is the quickened mental action
they produce when taken III company.
He thinks ideas may reach the brain
when slightly stimulated, which remain
after the stimulus has ceased to disturb
its rhythms. DIR. W. ID. Howells never
uses tobacco except IN a very rare
self-defensive cigarette, where a great
many other people are smoking. and !
commonly drink water at dinner. When
take wine l think it weakens my work
and my working force next morning.
Marx Twain writes that he has moi
had a large experience with alcohol
drinks. 81 ind that about two glasses
of champagne are an admirable stimu'
liant TO the tongue, and Is perhaps, the
happisst inspiration for an after-dinnel
speech that can be found. But, a.
far as my experience goes, WINE is 8
clog to the brain, not an inspiration.
| nave never seen the time when could
write to my satisfaction after drinking
even one glass Of wine. As regards
smoking, my testimony Is OF the oppo
site character. 1 am 46 years old ant
have smokrd immoderately during 81
years, with the exception OF a fes
intervals which L will speak OF presently
During the first seven years OF my LII,
L had no health. 1 may almost say
that / lived on allopathic medicine. bH
since that PERIOD L have hardly know1
what sickness is. My health has beeI
excellent, aEd remains so. AS L hay,
already SAID. began to smoke immode
rately when 1 was s years old; that is
1 began with 100 cigars a month, and
by the time 1 was 20, had increased
my allowance to 200 month. Befor,
/ was 30 l had increased 1t to 800 ;
month. l think do not smoke NOR,
than that now. l am quite sure
never smoked less. Once, when L wa
10, ceased from smoking for thre,
months, but do norremember whethe
the effect resulting was good or evil,
repeated this experiment again when
was %, but do not remember what tn,
result was. l repeated the experiment
once more when L was "a, and cease,
from smoking during year and half
My health cid not improve, because j
was not possible to improve healti
which was already perfect. As L neve
permitted myself to regret this absti
nence, experienced no sort of incon
venience from it. l wrote nothing bu
occasional magazine articles durin,
pastIme, and, as L never wrote one ex
cept under strong impulse, L observe.
no lapse OF facility, but by and by
sat down with contract behind me Il
write book of 500 or 600 pages-th
ok called "Roughing lt''-and thel
L found myself most seriouslyobstructeu
was three weeks writing SIX chapters
then 1 gave up the fight, resumed 30
cigars, burned the SIX chapters AN,
wrote the book III three months withou
any bother or difficulty. L find cigar