St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-06-26

act of mine, | will prove to you that
have more strength of character than
you now think possess. confess
have had great weakness in regard to
smoking. 1t always seemed such
manly practice to me, but | think can
safely say that my first smoke shall be
my last"
As Mrs. Strong looked into Joe's face,
so earnest in its expression, she knew
he meant all he had said, and laying
her arms around his neck, said, ~ can't
tell you how glad am, Joe, that you
have manliness enough to make this
confession. l have been deeply grieved
at this show of weakness on your part.
/ could not but fear that if you yielded
to temptations and INDUCED in such
practices while SO young, the same
weakness would lead you into other
evil habits as you grew older, and
might eventually end in running both
your health and character. 1t is our
strong love for you, Joe, that makes us
so solicitOus for your future. We would
have you abstain from every habit that
would prove injurious to yOu in after
years."
81 was never more convinced of
yours and fathers love than | have
been to-day, mother. That is one
| thing caused me to view my actions in
the light | do. could not help think
ing how ungrateful have shown my
self to be. While you were working
for my happiness and doing all in your
power to show your love for me | was
doing the very thing that | knew
would give you pain. And while | for
g, 81 Il
had intended for me, | feel that the loss
was nothing less than deserve"
A few days later, Joe received a
pamphlet written by an eminent ply
sician, containing some well authenti
Gated facts i'll regard to tobacco. He
had no clue us to the sender, but
strongly suspected it to be the kind
hearted old doctor. There were mark
ed passages in the pamphlet which Joe
read with the deepest interest, and
which greatly added to the feeling of
disgust which he had formed for the
poisonous weed, and helped him in
faithfully keeping his promise through
all the years of his life.
We will quote a few paragraphs from
Joe's pamphlet, hoping that they may
lie of some benefit to other boys who
have foolish admiration for the prac-
tice of smoking:
"Chemists, bOtanists and physicians
unite in prOnOuncing tobacco to be one
of the most deadly poisons known. No
other poison, with the exception of
prussic acid, will cause death so quick
ly, only three or four minutes being
required for fatal dose to produce its
full effect"
"The poison contained in a single
pound of tobacco is sufficient to kill
three hundred men if taken i'll such il
way as to secure its full effect. A sin
gle cigar contains poison enough to eX-
tinguish two human lives if taken at
once"
"The fact is established beyond the
possibility of successful controversy,
that tobacco is IA poison, deadly i'll
large doses, pernicious and harmful i'll
all doses. 1t taints the breath, ruins
the digestion, obliterates taste and
smell, spoils the blood, oppresses the
brain, depresses the heart, irritates the
nerves, wastes the muscles, obstructs
the liver, dims the vision, stains the
skin, and deteriorates and contami-
mates every organ and tissue with
which it comes in contact i'll the body
Its influence is to lessen vitality, tC
henumb the sensihilities, to shorten
life, to kill Nellie Burns, in Christian
at Work.