The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-12-27
REVERIES Of A SMOKER.
Thoughts Of a Dreamer Over q Christ.
maStide Pipe.
WHERE SHALL VIZ DRAW THE LINE 2
Banish the saieenist, Hut Long live
the vintner-The Rose VIII re
More Acceptable Under n New
Name.

A merry Christmastide to thee, o, Ar
cadian; in spite Of the fact, which it
grieved us to learn. that the pale fiend OF
dstemper had entered thy dwelling and
seated himself by thy hearth. He is
sorry company, indeed, and much phil
osophy or grace is needed to accept or
profit by these lessons, wholesome but
nauseous, which it seems to be the OBJ
iect of his unwelcome visits to instill.
And We doubt not that the presidentess
OF the anti.tobscco league has verv grave
ly and earnestly ascribed thy trouble to
thy vile habit of smoking, and has be-
sought thee, while vet it 10 called to-day,
to repent and smoke no more. She has
poured out on thee the bottomless walls
OF her pity, harder to endure than her
preaching. But, malgrs malice and mis-
taken zeal, We wish thee merry Christ
mas and many Of them, the while we
burn thy favorite incense at the altar OF
Hygeis, beseeching her much to heal thy
sickness. But, suggested by the question
of the goodness or badness OF thy beset-
ting grace, is 1t not strange, my Barrie,
that Of all things else the most difficult
to avoid are bad habits?
While mythology is silent as to their
birth. thou and know we'll that they are
the firstborn Time and Earth, and re-
main ever young. Their high-placed sis
ters, even Hera herself passed away
when great Pan died. Passed away into
that quiet shadow land whence they come
not out, but whittier those who love the
grace Of them still can enter and hold
converse with them, and revsl in the en-
ioyment of their gracious beauty. But
the bad habits remained with the chill
dren OF men. Passing fair, they lie in
wait for us at every turn. Tripping their
light pas de fascination, and smiling with
the old enticing witchery, they ad.
vance; and when, with that soft charm
that heightens ease with peace, they
lay their gentle hands upon us aad greet
us so brightly and winsomely, we little
realize the iron grip Of which these deli
cate fingers are capable.
So happy knack, too, have
they of falling in with our
moods, that or ever We are aware
the wenches have fastened on us,
and made themselves OF ourselves part
They are faithful enough. God wot; and
what pleasure is theirs to give they be-
stow with no unlavish hand. But we
cannot always get rid Of them when we
would. They cling to us, drawing from
US the strength to sap our strength. And
If, haply, we do cast them off, they still
leave the mark Of their sharp kisses be
hind them. But why this fatal subjsc-
ton? Are we driven to the drim-and-
dren old doctrine OF human depravity, or
| is there some other way out OF the wood
All things, it has been wisely said, are
relative. Some habits are worse, or bet
ter, than others-or are only bad or good
relatively to the conditions or surround
ings in which we find ourselves. Some
habits, when set alongside OF others very
much worse, seem not otherwise than
good. True, If compared with habits that
are hopelessly good, they appear to be
bad. But truth is to be found between
extremes. Ia the case of habit lying
between the extremes OF good and bad,
must we not, to be fair. consider it with
reference to both OF these? Have we any
better right to say, as q fiDality, Com
pared with this standard thou art only
bad" than to say, Compared with this
other we find thee good?"
Miss Cleveland, when mistress of the
White House, before the advent OF the
present charming incumbent, said, refer
ring to delicate but interesting question,
There Is line" But then, who il to
draw the line? Are we 10 do so each for
himself? If not, who? When? Where
Let US suppose the case Of a man in
good social neutrality-suspicious. in the
bonds Of matrimony or out of the bonds
of matrimony it matters not-such an
one whose system $50 far as nc can Judge,
and he thinks he knows more about it
than the president Of the local w. c. T.
u is benefited by an occasional, mod
crate glass of good &c" or "a A." or 9TH
or comforting connection of more com
pick character. Your subject argues that
he knows the stuff does him good--it goes
to the spot and be feels 1t in his bones, as
he says. He points triumphantly to the
statistics, which would certainly seem to
prove that moderate drinkers live longer
than abstainers. He concludes that If
the habit is good in its general results
and also good for him, it cannot be bad
one, per Sc. He knows too much to dream
OF denying that one may have too much
OF good tbing-he has, not improbably,
been there once or twice himself during
his experimental days. But that, as he
points out, is not the question. He de-
cides that the habit Is good one. The
president OF the w. G. T. U. says it is q
bad one. Then follows the question, nat
urally, of where shall he indulge in this