Evening journal., 1900-02-24
A SMOKERS VIEW.
Using milder Tobacco and Less Of It
as He. Grows Older.


as He Grows Older.
'As a youngster in the army, thirty
odd years ago" said a smoker, Il
smoked plug tobacco and liked It;
used to cut off thin shavings, across
the layers, from the end OF the plug,
and roll them and crumble them be-
tween the palms OF the hands and
then load up the old pipe and smoke.
1t took q powerful draft to get this
tobacco started, but it held fire well
and made a good, long smoke; and
after a supper of boiled pork, hard
bread and lineup coffee-that. you see,
was what you might call pretty solid
food to smoke on-a pipe Of cut plug
was eelight. But gracious goodnessl
| couldn't begin to smoke that now,
pipe like that now would knock me
clean over; but do like to get sniff
of just such a pipe on a cool morning
before breakfast In the open air, when
| happen to walk behind a man smok-
ing one.
II continued smoking after got out
Of the army. Smoking a pipe a good
deal, but not plug tobacco, and COM
ing finally to smoking chiefly cigars
and these rather strong and I came
finally, too, to rely on tobacco a good
deal to brace me up in my work, and
1t was a great help and comfort, and
] could do better with It than without
it; but at last the time came when it
was just the other way; when 1t did
not stimulate me; but when rather
my fire seemed clogged by it; when
though freely used for fuel, tobacco
didn't generate the heat, nor afford
the stimulus at all that it once had.
It was still a comfort, but no longer a
help in the work, and In time it came
to be q drawback; 80 retard rather
than facilitate my mental operations.
It gave little glow at the outset, but
It was soon lost. and the brain, as one
might say, became Opaque and insen-
sible, and so tobacco came to be worse
than no help, a hindrance, as far as
work was concerned.
One time a wise friend told me Of
a friend of his who had been immense
ly benefited by abstaining from tobac-
co, and made up my mind to try that
myself was sort of run down and
half played out-and for two years
and half used no tobacco whatever.
It was hard work to give it up, but l
soon got used to being without it, and
soon | began to feel better a better
tone, better nerve, and a better grip
generally. It did me a pile of good to
give up smoking that two years and a
half; it seemed to sort of shake out of
me the ragged nerve ends and to
freshen me and brighten me and
strengthen me- 1t was giving nature a
chance, and nature responded by Civ
ing me buoyancy and power of resist
ance. Nothing ever did me more good
than that long period of abstention
from tobacco. It brought me around
in good shape again, and then once
more ! took up smoking. That may
seem foolish; perhaps it was, but
that's what / did.
Il had a few cigars, the last Of a
box from which / had been smoking
when / stopped, and / got out one of
them with anticipations Of great pleas
ure. These anticipations were real
ized, though not only at the beginning.
for the smoking OF the cigar before
got through with it pretty nearly up.
set me. But the next cigar didn't az
feet me that way. With that I fell in
to the old habit Of smoking readily.
so hard is 1t TO give up the habit and
SO easy to resume it,
ut oovh Aouhu tndL LOT my own
comfort and welfare, If | were to use
tobacco at all, l must use It in moder-
alton. Mine is a mental occupation,
but suppose a man can work as hard
with a pen as he can with a pick.
When resumed smoking | tried it as
a stimulant at work, but I promptly
found that that wouldn't do at all 1t
gave a light and agreeable exaltation
at the outset, but, as before, one not
at all lasting nor OF sufficient force to
be valuable, and not only that effect.
brief and feeting but continued
smoking whilo at work served now,
as it had come to do years before.
only to clog up the brain. In fact.
found that as far as / was concerned /
could not work and smoke, too."-
New York Sun.