The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-03-19
6RoWTH oF-TnE cteAaETTE.nABl1.
The Terrible Experience Of q Vic
tim as Related.byEHlmself.

The Terrible Experience Of VIC
tim as RelatedsbyEHlmself.
The growth of the cigarette habit
in the United States within the past
decade has been alarmingly rapid
when it's serious effects are known.
1t has been estimated that no less
than "a per cent of the boys and
young men who are sent away to at
tend school contract the habit dur
ing their school and college days,
and out of this number perhaps
from is to % per cent become con-
tirmed cigarette smokers. How to
stop the spread of the habit is now
the absorbing topic before many of
the medical congresses, and physi.
clans are trying to devise some
means of counteracting it's dread
full effects. No more conclusive
evidence of the growth of the habit
can be given than a statement of
the immense output Of the factories
for the year 1891, as compared with
that of any previous year. The in
crease in the number of cigarettes
sold was 451 ,284 ,O8O, and the total
revenue paid to the Government by
the manufacturers was 81 ,342, 1885,
38. The number of cigarettes taxed
was 1884, ,538,76O. The work is
nearly all done by machinery now.
The Bonsack machine, which is
controlled by the American Tobac-
CO Company, is used most exclu-
sively, and turns out completed
cigarettes at the rate of $1,000 to
100000 day per machine. There
are only seven manufacturers of
note in the United States, and these
control 80 per cent of the trade.
Every one of the manufacturers in
the trust has become immensely
wealthy out of the profits of the
business.
IS CIGARETTE SMOKING A DISEASE?
"Most certainly So" cay many
physicians. at first becomes a
habit and finally develops into dis
ease. The disease acts directly upon
the nervous system, and INJURIES
that part of the organization upon
which existence most directly de-
pends. This habit, or disease, con-
tracted by the young, hinders the
development of the higher nerve
centers and impairs the bodily nu-
triton by interfering with the pro-
cess of digestion and assimilation"
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
A young man who has been a
confirmed cigarette smoker for sew
eral years and has been through all
stages of the disease, consented to
give his experience for publication,
provided his name would not be
used. He pronounces the habit a
/ disease-more so than the whisky
or opium habit. He tells the fol-
lowing interesting story:
81 smoked my first cigarette at
the early age Of nine years; l am
twenty-one now. | can't say that
liked the taste of the thing al that
time, but boy-like l kept on smok-
ing them, my ambition being to
ultimately reach the dignity of
cigar. They made me dreadfully
sick at first, but | persevered, and
finally got SO that felt quite at
home with one in my mouth. While
| was a boy my money allowance
restricted the number l smoked to
very few, but as soon as l got to
work for myself l bought as many
as l wanted. l never gave the sub
ject thought then, further than to
smoke when / felt like it; but some
how I never got to smoking cigars.
l smoked almost necessarily when
in the Office and around home. FL
nally, about four years ago, the
boys in the office were taunting me
about it, and declared l could not
stop if l wanted to. A small wager
was made, and I tried to leave off
smoking for two weeks. It went
pretty we'll for the first day, but be-
fore long | began to crave for a
smoke. This craving developed
into burning and incessant desire,
but l was resolved not to show my
weakness. The days passed slowly
enough, and was in absolute mis-
cry; l positively suffered. After
the first week / began to lose my
appetite, and merely ate enough to
keep myself alive. This feeling be-
came worse and worse. but the de-
sire to smoke never left me for an
instant in fact it intensified. My
stomach became unsettled and
would not retain food, and before
the time was up, rather than stand
the torture longer, gave up the
wager and smoked. | cannot tell
you the deep satisfaction | felt
when | drew the smoke from that
little cigarette, and for more than
two wears after that | kept on smOk-