The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-07-12
THEY DON'T CHEW GUM.


THEY DON'T CHEW GUM.
The one American Custom Which Our
English Cousins Are Slow to Adopt.
81 say, Wilson, let's have try At
your paste"
The gentleman thus addressed was
druggist. He reached in the show.
case in reply to his customers request,
and handed him q package of chewing
gum. The customer slowly unwrapped
the tin foil, took out q strip OF the
favositc American jaw-mover, and
after examining it curiously moment,
put it in his mouth and walked out.
"That's the third Englishman to buy
chewing gum Of me since I've been in
business here, and I've been in this place
for ten years come next july re-
marked the druggist. I'm an Eng
lishman myself and there are lot OF
young fellows from the other side who
deal with me. Englishmen are rather
slow about taking up new ways, but
in the course Of time they get to adopt
most of our American habits except
that of gum chewing. They can't see
any philosophy in working your jaws
over something which isn't food.
There is where the practical side OF
the British character comes out strong,
you know. Possibly that young chap,
whom / have known ever since ne
came over here, about year ago, has
been told that gum is good for indiges-
ton, although an Englishman of his
are with bad stomach is a rarity.
More likely some new American chum
has been talking to him on the subject
and excited his curiosity. He will
probably use up that package and
never touch it again.
"Gum chewers, I believe, are like
poets; they are born and not made.
This country produces them just as IT
does popcorn and peanut eaters, but
other soils are not congenial tp them.
When / was back in the old country on
visit last October Lady friend OF
mine who said she was very curious
about the states asked me II it was
true that there is a kind of maize in
this country which, upon being sub.
iected to heat, busts into little white
flower. She referred, of course, to pop.
corn. and when assured her that such
was the fact she said:
why, how extraordinary
s.You see, have grown to be so much
Of an American myself that the way In
which they look at things American
over there amuses me. Various at
tempts had been made, even before I
| left there, to introduce gum, hut with
little success. Occasionally q cockney
would be found brave enough to take
it up. but he was made the subject OF
SO much ridicule that his example was
| not generally initiated. see one OF
the leading manufacturers in tails coun-
1 try has inaugurated another campaign
there in behalf of his specially and has
succeeded in getting it through chan
cery. Chewing gum in chancery
court! Just think of it. There's COM
| bination to tempt the pen of Boz The
gum it seems is meeting with most favor
| in the mining districts. Some patriot.
scandalized no doubt at seeing his fol.
low creatures wagging their jaws to
so little purpose, as it seemed, made a
test case at the petty sessions to try to
stop the sale. The summons was dis
missed and he appealed to chancery.
4 When the case came up there the pre-
siding Justice inquired solemnly-you
know chancery justice is always as
solemn as church yard-if chewing
gum was sort of tooth powder. The
barrister in charge of the case for the
crown, who seems to have been about
as much at sea as the learned judge,
replied that the gum melted away dur
ing the chewing operation and passed
into the stomach. 1t seems that, ows
ing to the novelty of the article, it lie
necessary to take unusual precautions
as to its use, for the Judge is repre-
sented by the London correspondent
of one of the trade journals, in which
/ saw the item, as remarkirg, more
perplexed than ever:
! "sBut the article is labeled not to be
swallowed. Is it nutritious?'
FINALLY, after lengthy argument,
it was decided that gum is neither q
food nor drug, and therefore Not
within the provisions of the act under
which it was sought to stop its sale.
Having been thus publicly advertised
it may with judicious management,
come into general use after awhile,
but its course is, think. by no means
clear even yet Chicago Tribune.
|
Philadeiphia Lawyers wit.
One of the citv's bright LAWYERS said