Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-05-27
w. G. T. u. COLUMN.
"THE UNIVERSAL NU7SANCEo

This is the caption of a we'll written
editorial in late number of one Of
the best religious papers in the United
States. Of course a moments re-
Election will tell any one that by the
universal nuisance is meant the con-
slant infection upon a long suffering
and patient public of the fumes of to-
| bacco. The assertion is made, and
the observation and experience Of all
corroborate it, that tobacco users are
becoming more and more Indifferent
to the rights of nOn-users of tobacco,
and this rudeness is shown more and
more to women. During the late
snow blockades, when cars filled with
passengers were often detained for
hours, it was the rule rather than the
exception that few men would AFRO
gate to themselves the privilege of
filling the air with the fumes of cigar
smoke, utterly Indifferent to the dis
comfort Or even the sickness and suf-
fering inflicted upon their fellow pas
sengers.
What can society do to arouse public
sentiment against this growing AFRO
gance and Indifference to the rights of
others on the part Of tobacco users?
What can good people do to help
arouse the moral sentiment (Which in
deed, Indulgence in the use of tobac
co seems to blunt) in the hearts ard
minds of those who practice this self
ish and pernicious Indulgence. The
chief sufferers are wOmen-affection-
ate, loving wives whose very kindness
and gentleness is made an excuse for
inf1icting upon them the distress of
being compelled to tolerate the foul
odors which stale tobacco distributes
around the habitat of the smoker.
From these infections wives have no
escape short of absolute disruption of
the most sacred of home relations, land
this very fact is also taken advantage
of by the selfishness of husbands. In
the present state of society probably
the only thing that wives can do is to
submit; probably there may be even
a slight consolation for a wife if her
husband does nothing worse. But it
is sad commentary on the times and
manners that a wife must find conso-
lation in such considerations. If she
is the mother Of sons her position is
doubly painful and embarrassing, and
the question whether she shall submit
silently to the imposition and run the
risk of the effect of example upon her
boys is to be decided by circumstance
es. Many a wife and mother is SO de-
pendent, SO utterly at the mercy of
her family relations that she must en-
dure and submit. But there are 9TH
ers so independently situated that
they can force an issue on the matter. |
Perhaps if few more women thus
would do so it would be a
benefit all around.
There are two classes of the COM
munity who can work effectively to
abate this evil. One class comprises
the young women of the country, the
other non tobacco users among men.
An anti tobacco sentiment cultivated |
and expressed by young women might |
in time effect much. There should be |
a sentiment also that would mark as a
girl of small spirit one who would ex-
press liking for the smell of cigar.
such an expression is mere
ly bid for the attention and good
will of some cigar smoking young
man. Let the truth be maintained
that the highest style of gentleman
does not smoke. A perfect gentle
man! All, how rarely is he met! How
many wife who is a perfect lady re-
allies in the depths Of her heart that
her husband falls far short of being
gentleman in this particular. Many a
wife realizes the gradual dulling of
the moral sense in her husband, "a grow
ing selishness and Indifference alike
to her comfort and to the outward re-
fnements of life We have known
gentleman who at one period of his
life denounced in the strongest terms
the impertinence and vulgarity, as he
termed it, Of the presence of a spit
toon, who in a few years became SO
by his own Indulgence in the
use of tobacco that two or three of
these nuisances we're kept in requisi
ton with never a thought or word as
to their unpleasant effect upon 9TH
ers.
But it is to men who are non-smok-
ers that society will probably have to
look for an abatement of the nuisance
of the use of tabacco. It is all right
and proper for them to claim and in
sist upon their rights and denounce
the rude selfishness of tobacco users.