Mower County transcript., 1890-08-06
TOBACCO AND NARCOTICS,

TOBACCO AND NARCOTICS.
The following article, written and
read br Mrs. G. ], Short before the
meeting Of the District w. G. T. U. con-
vention held In this city last week. treats
the subject Of tobacco and narcotics very.
forciblY. Believing that 1t should have
q more general hearing. we print 1t in
full: z5s %.s. s.
At quite an early stage in the study of
geography children are taught that we
are indebted to the old world for q great
share Of our vegetable productions.
They learned thatias the human race ln-
creased in number emigration became
necessary, and as each succeeding gener-
alton pushed farther and farther away
from the first home Of man they carried
with them the seed Of every herb bearing
seed that in the beginning had been given
them ior meat, until. wherever civilized
man is found, his taste is gratified with
all that is pleasant to the sight and good
for food. '%= = 49, :.
Later on in school life, upon taking up
the history of our own country. they find
that it was reserved to a very remote
period of the world, even for the follow
ers of Columbus to this Western Cont.
nent, to discover something new in
vegetable life. The natives of San Do
mingo were found to be using the pull
verified leaves of plant for snuff, and
were also lnhaling the smoke of the same
leaf through the nasal organ, The ex-
ploring race changed the mode of lnhal-.
ing somewhat, and also made the discov.
cry, probably after repeated sickening
attempts, that it could be rolled like
sweet morsel in the mouth.
Those who returned to. their homes
across the water, notably Sir Walter
Raleigh. carried back the habit thus &C
qaired of the savages, and from that
time on 1t has continued to spread, till
now it is world wide. Go where you
may on the habitable globe, you will en-
counter the fumes of pipe or cigar and
the stained lips and the discolored teeth
of the "chewer." And this, too, in spite
of the laws by the soverigns of England
and other European countries, and the
governors of provinces and colonies IN
the New World, forbidding Its use.
Even in the early days Of Harvard, regu-
lations were made by the officers of that
institution of learning to the effect that
''no scholar shall take tobacco, unless per-
mitted by the president with the consent
of the parents on good reason given by a
and then only in q sober and
private mann er.
z Now many OF our own states are en-
acting laws to prevent the sale of tobacco
in any form to minors. Our military
and naval schools forbid its use by their
students, as do many colleges. Oberliu
was for years successful in its endeavors
to restrict its use by students there, and
possibly is up to the present time. The
w. G. T. U. takes up the crusade against
it aqd all narcotics, the same as against
the use of alcoholic drinks; and yet the
discouragine fact stares us in the face
today that the use of tobacco has never
been so great as now. Probably the reve-
nue. to our own government. and the profit
to the dealer were never 80 great as in the
current year. ~..s
Why then make further attempts to pre-
vent its use, since all that has been done
in the past has so signally failed? Chiefly
for the reason that the friends of the
human race are not willing to see it dete.
riorate physically, mentally and morally
under the influence of 80 degrading a
habit.
That it is a physical evil is the testimony
of medical and scientific men almost uni
versally given. Without quoting author
tiles, only saying they are the statements
of the highest in the profession, l will
make these few selections out of many al
hand on the subject: r., ~ .@
Nicotine is one of the most powerful
nerve poisons known. Its yirulence i!
compared to that of prussic acid, i
destroys life by attacking all the func.
tions essential to 1t, beginning with thl
center, the heart. Hence the smoker
heart ..u IL 81
Again; Experimenting observatory
38 boys of all classes Of society aDs' - -
age health who had used tobr . - - ~ 80
periods ranging from two r. 49,. - =.
years, q showed severe yn.us ~ = = "
=|stitution. and ir, :. ..a'y = s..v -
j s..,. - - 49,. .4arity Of the action of Il
.saaho, I ~ ..dered action, and craving +
a wonderful instance of deterioratit
fof national life Is found in the Maoris
New Zealand, the most finely deyelop'
and powerful tribe Of any inhabitan
of the Pacific Islands. Upon the il
PRODUCTION Of tobacco they developed
! PASSIONATE liking for it, and it is 50
from this cause they have become desc
= mated in numbers and very much rednc.