Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-03-24

Study and Stinulants.

EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL AND ToBAcco Up
on LITERARY Work THE CONFLICT
ING TESTIMONY OF DISTINGUISHED
AMERICANS,
A gentleman by the name of A. Arthur
Reade has made an interesting addition to
the curiosities of literature. Mr.. Reade.
who is either scientist or a temperance
man. has aimed to get testimonials from
all the distinguished men of letters in
Europe and America on the subject of
study and stimulants, and has been fortu-
nate enough to receive letters from l2s
different persons on this interesting SUBJ
ject.
Rev. DIR. Lyman Abbott. editor of the
Christian Union, is first on the list by vir-
tue OF his name, the arrangement being
an alphabetical one. DIR. Abbott has no
personal experience either of alcohol or
tobacco, but his judgment tells him that
neither one nor the other is good in ex-
cess.
Many other American authors are in
troduced The late DIR. George NJ. Beard
did not find that alcohol is so good slim
ulant as coffee, tea, opium or tobacco
.'On myself he says, ''alcohol has
rather benumbing and Supplying effect,
whatever may be the dose employed !;
whereas tobacco and opium, in moderate
doses, tea, and especially coffee, as well
as cocoa. have an effect precisely the re-
verse. Coffee makes some people sleepy,
but the majority of persons are made
wakeful by it. Some persons are made
nervous by tobacco in the form of smok-
ing. while on others it acts as sedative
and induces Sleep Gen. Grant once
told DIR. Beard that, if disturbed during
the night, or worried about ANYTHING so
that he could not sleep, he could induce
sleep by getting up and smoking short
time. few whiffs being sufficient. For
himself, DIR. Beard found coffee the best
stimulant for mental work: ..next to that
tobacco and quinine. but. as grow Older.
| observe that alcohol in reasonable doses
is beginning to have a stimulating effect ;"
Mr.. Thomas A. Edison gets his inspira-
ton from chewing tobacco, which he thinks
is good stimulant upon any one en-
gagged in laborious brain work" Smok-
ing he finds pleasant, but .too violent IN
its action and the same remark applies
to alcoholic liquors. am inclined to
| think that il is better for intellectual work
ers to perorm their labors at night. as
after long experience OF night work,
find my brain is in better condition at that
time, especially for experimental work.
and when so engaged almost invariably
chew tobacco as a stimulant."
| DIR. Oliver Wendell Holmes prefers an
entirely undisturbed and unclouded brain
for mental work. upstimulated by any,
thing stronger than tea or coffee, unaf
fected by tobacco or other drugs; his
faculties are best under his control in the
forenoon, between breakfast and lunch.
The only intellectual use he could find in
stimulants is the quickened mental action
they produce when taken in company.
He thinks ideas may reach the brain when
slightly stimulated which remain after the
stimulus has ceased to disturb its rhythms.
| Mr.. w. ID. Howells never uses tobacco
except ''in very rare self-defensive ci-
garette, where great many other people
are smoking. and commonly drink water
at dinner. When | take wine think it
weakens my work and my working force
the next morning"
| Mark Twain. who writes one of the
longest letters in the book. says that he
has not had a large experience with al
coholic drinks. II find that about two
glasses of champagne are an admirable
stmuant to the tongue, and is, perhaps,
the happiest inspiration for an after-dnner
speech that can be found. But, as far as
my experience goes. WINE is clog to the
brain, not an inspiration. have never
seen the time when could write to my
satisfaction after drinking even one glass
of wine. As regards smoking, my testi-
mOny is of the opposite character. l am
| 46 years old and have smoked immoder-
| ately during 80 years, with the exception
of few intervals which will speak of
presently. During the first seven years
OF my life had no health. may almost
say that | lived on allopathic medicine.
but since that period have hardly known
what sickness is. MY healty has been ex-
celent and remains so.
| As l have already said. l began to
smoke immoderately when | was eight
years old that is. began with 100 cigars
n month, and. by the time | was 90, had
increased my allowance to 200 a month
| think | do not smoke more than that nows
| am quite sure | never smoked less.
Once when | was Is ceased from smok-
| ing for three months. but do not remem-
Der whether the effect resulting was good
or evil. | repeated this experiment again
when l was %, but do not remember
what the result was. repeated the ex-
| pertinent once more when was 81. and
ceased from smoking during year and a
half. My health did not improve. because
it was not possible to improve health
which was already perfect. As | never
permitted myself to regret this abstinence
[ experienced no sort of Inconvenience
from it,
wrote nothing but occasional maya
zine articles during this time, and. as
never wrote one except under strong i'm
pulse, observed no lapse of facility. but
by and by sat down with contract be-
hind me to write book of 500 or 600
pages-the book called, "Roughing IT,
and then found myself most seriously
INSTRUCTED. | was three weeks writing
six chapters; then gave up the fight.
resumed my 500 cigars. burned the six
chapters and wrote the book in three
months. without any bother or difficulty.
| find cigar smoking to be the best of all