The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-01-12
THE SMOKING HABIT.
An Englishman's Interesting and In
structing Experience.


structing Experience.
What like about the habit of smok-
ing is the ease with which it may be
abandoned. Many vices, such as opium
eating, whisky drinking, lying, or
reading newspapers, once acquired, OBJ
tain a certain hold on a man that is
difficult to shake off. Not so smoking
The most inveterate smoker can quit it
without the slightest trouble, and does
often. l have been in the habit of
ceasing to smoke about once every
three months, and 1 always swear off
on New Years day. l think the smok-
err who does not occasionally resolve
never again 10 touch tobacco lacks
some of those nobler qualities which
have made our nation so bright and
good and cause us to be the envy of
foreigners.
This commendable resolution should
practice, the abjuring of tobacco be-
comes an easy and pleasant exercise of
the will Neither is the resumption of
smoking attended by any serious diff
Guilty. / have often quit smoking for
ever in the forenoon and begun again
in the afternoon without experiencing
the slightest Inconvenience. Once
deserted tobacco for a week. l wish l
could record for the satisfaction of
those who purpose like desertion the
effect the absence of the narcotic had
on me, but the fact is l did not feel
we'll that week, and so neglected to
notice whether l suffered from the abb
stinence or not.
My impression is that did not, but
then | was hardly myself that week
and it was scarcely a fair test. l wan
dered aimlessly about like lost spirit.
l constantly felt my pockets in an
absent-minded way and lit matches
merely to blow them out again These
unexplainable symptoms disappeared
when | took on" tobacco again, and
so | am forced to the conclusion that
smoking is good for the health.
TO enjoy tobacco thoroughly you
must be moderate in it's use. Put a
limit on yourself and see that you don't
exceed that limit. This exercises the
will and makes resolute man of you.
l never allow myself to exceed the
limit, no matter how strongly tempted
may be. If l find myself yearning to
smoke more than my allowance
merely raise the limit" which phrase
is. / am told, also used in the wicked
but fascinating game of poker This is
simple and easy thing to do. Say
your limit is two ounces of tobacco a
day, and you find by constant expert
ence that duty impels you to use two
and half ounces, then raise the limit
to three ounces, which leaves a margin
for accidents.
Every man, patriotic man, has his re-
sponsibilities to his country, and if
everybody suddenly stopped smoking
and drinking what would become of
the revenue? Looking at the matter,
hen, from the lofty standpoint of love
of country, every man should fix his
limit as high as his conscience will let
him. place my limit at one hundred
and thirty-five cigarettes day, and
never exceed it. l have, however, been
gradually compelled to raise the limit
from the simple box of ten, at which l
began, to the number just mentioned,
as | acquired greater and greater facili-
ity in the use of the cigarette.
This shows what may be done by
constant practice and assiduous atten-
tion to the task undertaken. l set
down these simple facts with no desire
to boast. 1t is not genius on my part
at all, but simply logged perseverance.
ANY able bodied man NAV accomplish
the same degree of moderate perfec-
ton merely by putting his mind to it.
Robert Barr, in Idler.