Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-11-08
WAVING THE WEED.
Bill Nyc Describes His Struggle With
the Filthy Habit.

From the Detroit Free Press
I have again renounced the pernicious and
terrible tobacco habit. Most every year / quit
smoking and lead different life for several
weeks. and it Is pleasure that would no,
forego The JOY of busting long established
habit and asserting manly independence of it.
even for three weeks, is q good thing.
Tobacco is filthy weed-that is, 1t is poi.
sonous and venomous plant this week 1t will
be so till further notice. / remember very well
the struggle had to break off last winter The
doctor said never would have flesh enough on
my bones to catch shrimp If didn't stop the
use OF tobacco. so stopped. For weeks was un-
| certain about whether would renounce my pipe
or not. 1t was SOlace to me when was lonely
It gave me much pleasure and seemed to me.
| after stormy and tempestuous career as post
master. to be very mild sort of vice. But
wanted to get fat. so one day when / was
| over at Bootjack Camp / threw nv pine over
into the woods as far as the strength Of great
resolution could send it.
l can still remember how it went hustlinc
through the air and how Invent hustling through
the air the following week on my hands and
knees hunting for it.
1t was about those days that rashly resolved
to keep diary. 1t hardly shows the marks OF
use, but will sell 1t at reasonable price to
any one desiring an easy-rnnning diary, with a
place in it to stick pencil when not in use.
gu ote few entries from the same:
"Jan. l, lSS4.-Have resolved to quit the use
OF tobacco and to keep diary showing what
ala each succeeding day. so that future genera
lions may know the inner life of great man.
| l also desire to keep strict record here of my
various private expenses so that l may know
from month to month where my money has
gone.
Jan. 2.-HOw gloomy everything looks to-day
Made several New Years calls yesterday l am
told. In an unguarded moment perhaps, / did;
but it was unintentiOnal. did not smoke. how
ever, yesterday. feel much better without to-
paccO in any form. Think am gaining flesh
do not notice it so much in my body, but my
head and feet are certainly much larger than
they were yesterday How much more happy
and light-heafted we are when out from under
the tliraldOm OF an old vice that has chung to us
for years-lke a vice. as it were. Paid 20 cents
Tor pound of marsh-mall0wS to gladden. the
chiidrens hearts, and while in seai-br0Wn
study on the way home ate them all. When
quit the use of tobacco | notice that l want to
eat everything / see. Came very near eating
the infant class at the Sabbath school yesterday
Jan. 81 am getting little bit irritable,
notice. and several Of my friends have called my
attention to it. policeman last evening first
mentioned it to IRE downtown. Guess we can
fix it up for S. or So. l shall have to get a new
coat and perhaps new nose. | cannot tell yet
as to the nose. When the swelling goes down
so can see over it better. | shall be better
able to judge. At present it shuts out the land
SCdpe SOOu zeal ana gives mea sinister express
sion.
Jan. 4.-Went out walking in the woods to-
day. The air was crisp and frosty. l stroed
over about where threw my pipe along in the
latter part of the year '63. did not want the
pipe, and yet when found it. after searching
three or four hours, | felt a secret thrill OF
pleasure. do not know why. | brought il
home thinking it might be convenient for some
one who had no pipe and who might still be a
slave to the abOminable habit. / have iii my
mind party who might thus be benefited. He
is young man of great promise. and none
know him but to love him. none name him but
to praise. l will save the pipe for him. He
Will be pleased and gratitied. He is my wife's
first husband"
When started out l announced in this vol
ume that would quit the use of tobacco and
keep diary. | shall continue to do So making,
however, slight change in the arrangement,
by which l shall keep the tobacco and quit the
use of the diary. This diary is now for sale.
Smoking tobacco taken in exchange No addi-
tional charge for the four days work already
done on the work.