The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-08-17
TOBACCO, BRAIN AND BODY.
Fresh Batch Of Opinions ON an Old
Question.

The secretary of the French Anti.
Tobacco League, which is trying
very hard just now to induce the
smokers of France to cease smoking,
recently asked the most famous
French authors to send him by let
ter their opinions concerning the eff
fects Of smoking upon the mind and
the body. Most of the replies To
the secretary's letter harmonized
with the views of the league. Emile
lola, however, wrote:
Ten years ago / gave up tobacco
at the instance of my doctor. | do
not believe, however, that the intelli
gence and the creative strength of
man are injured by smoking. Per
lection is so stupid that | am often
sorry / ceased smoking"
Francois Coppec replied:
You have the wrong man this
time. ! have been heavy smoker
since my eighteenth year. ! am
now forty seven. | smoke cigarettes
all day, but throw each one away
after few putfs. Till proof To the
contrary is adduced, shall regard
tobacco as an incentive to working
and dreaming, which, FOR poet, are
one and the same thing"
Alexander Dumas, the younger,
sent reply after the secretary's
own heart. He said:
Tobacco, which gave up years
ago, is, next to alcohol. the most dan
gerous enemy Of intelligence. Moth
ing can abolish its use. however, for
the fools are in the great majority,
and they have nothing to lose by
using it. Since your society is not
after the fools. may it strive to con
vert the wise"
II. Tame confesses thus.
The fact is, ! smoke cigarettes.
1t is pastime in moments of
thoughtlessness and intellectual
waiting. Nevertheless, the habit is
a slavery and danger, as many ex
amples show. Since you know all
about the evils OF smoking, you
ought to prepare valuable mono
graph on the abuses of tobacco, es-
pecially II you can collect data from
Germany, America, England, Austria
and Holland. where the people smoke
much more than in France.
Andre Theniret wrote:
Il was never member Of the
league for the simple reason that |
am passionately fond OF smoking
Two years ago your president asked
me to write a story about the acute
sufierings Of the young smoker |
did it. After publishing the stor, |
received silver medal from your
league. That is all | ever had to do
with the enemies of tobacco
Emile Angler replied CURLY;
II am no doctor. All l can say
is, that after smoking 40 years !
gave up the soft opiate because il
was hurrying me to the brink of the
grave before my time
Octave Feuillet indicates the gen
eral drift of opinion among many
other authors, who answered the sec.
retary's letters, in these strong
words, concerning his own expert
ence.
81 was once a great smoker and
cured myself of the use Of tobacco
with difficulty. | was driven to the
sacrifice, however, by vertigo and
dyspepsia, which afflicted me as long
as | smoked. / was long unwilling
to believe that nicotine caused my
hut ! as compelled finally
to acknowledge it. According to
my experience, tobacco is verv in
furious to nervous persons. ltcaus-
es ut first disagreeable excitement,
but eventually produces general
1t weakens the capabil
tiles of the mind. The effort neces
sary to rally from it wearies and
consumes the will power"