The age-herald., 1901-02-03

N HE Loafers' Club had uncon- sciously resolved itself into a
 debating society. The question
 N before it was the comparative ethics of chewing tobacco gum. Had 1t been a college society the Chairman would probably have stated the question somewhat as follows: Resolved, That chewing tobacco is a more reprehensible habit than chewing gum. MT. Watkins will open the debate for the affirmative
 The club, however ont being bound by any obsolete parliamentary rules. dis cussed the matter in it's own sweet way. The tobacco chewers crowded around MT. Schmidt as the champion tobacco chewer, if not debater, and the gum element, which was in the minority, supported MT. Boil, whose gum purchases were so numerous that he kept running account.
 Chewing tobacco" said Schmidt, what ever may be said against it, from an aes- thetc point of view, is at least an ancient and honorable custom. Some of the great est men the country has produced were to- bacco chewers, but defy anyone to name a great man who chews gum. I believe Senator Ingalls, chewed gum, but how quickly he lost his job when the public lOuIu IL out. VIII IlOt lO c0uHlel ate the great men who chewed tobacco. I will content myself with saying that my grandfather chewed up to his death, and my father and myself are both patrons of this national industry. Not only is this habit sanctioned by distinguished prece- dent but some of the oldest men living chew tobacco, and whenever I hear of a man passing away at an untimely age, 70 S0 I wol1d give oddS that he not a tobacco chewer. Men who lived 10 be a hundred statistics invariably show were tobacco fiends It is true they are usually drinkers also, but the mainstay of their constitutions is tobacco Why, gen. tlemen," he continued, warming up to hls subject, mo one will ever know the num- Der of lives that have been saved by to- bacco. I have heard that a drop of nico- tine placed on a cats tongue will kill It. If this is so think what effect it would have on germ. How many million germs Of all sorts and conditions will not drop of nicotine kill? And as nearly all germs en- ter the system through the mouth, man who chews tobacco is unconsciously daily, hourly and continuously carrying a life preServer under his tongue, and killing the germs that would otherwise kill him.
 After this peroration MT. Schmidt paused to attend the funeral of a few million germs which he had been killing for the past sixty seconds, and MT. Boil who had narrowly escaped being the graveyard embraced the opportunity to reply. In jumping out of Mir Schmidts line of fire he had slightly wrenched his ankle, which somewhat ex- asperated him.
 "A more disgusting habit he began than chewing tobacco I have never seen It is bad enough to smoke and fill your lungs and nostrils with soot but to chew the stuff is horrible. Instead of prolonging life everyone knows that it is the direct cause of badness and cold feet by weakening the heart and thereby affecting the circulation. So much for its hygenic aspect. From an aesthetic standpoint it is indefensible and 1t is bad morally it sets a bad example to others. Now gum is not only wholesome, :sat is is Esei al and beautiful, and therefore