The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-02
FACTS ABOUT THE
CONSOL|NG WEED
Tobacco Will Be Feature OF
Jamestown Show.
WAS UNKNOWN TO CAESAR
The plant Is Now Used BY More Than
soo,ooo,ooo People In Different
Parts of the WorId-The
Weeds History.
WAS UNKNOWN TO CAESAR
BY JAMES BOYLE.

norfolk, Va, December l.-lopecldl'l-
Tobacco! How insidious its seductive in
fluence. What a stimulant to energetic
manhood and how soothing to the repose
OF old age Tobacco is plant indigenous
to America, and the fact that 1t Is now
and has been for generations staple OF
| trade to the environment of the James,
town exposition, gives 1t right of prece-
dence over all other products of the
earth.
| Alexander and Caesar knew it not, De-
mosthenes ana Cicero excogitated their
rolling sentences and sonorous periods
without the inspiration of its aid. In
deed the history of the world, until the
sixteenth century, contained no treatise
on this plant, which is now consumed
/ By more than 8O0,0O0,0O0 people in different
parts of the globe. The reason for this
is quite obvious. The continent whence
1t sprung and the primitive people who
used it were unknown until Columbus's
voyages brought America to the knowl-
| edge of the rest of the informed uni
verse.
| It is one of the striking anomalies of
American collegiate life that the youth
| full mind is instructed for his basis of
general knowledge in things European,
Asiatic and African. AS a protest against
this the full-grown and well informed
American at the present day might ask
| why is the civilization which Columbus
found among the aborignes neglected and
the murderous deeds of imperial Neros
played up as field of study and in
structive information? This. by way of
| depression, and by varying the French
| phrases, let us now return to our to-
| bacco.
Early History.
| The earliest information we have con-
| corning tobacco is to be found in the
| ever reliable Las Casas, the faithful and
| conscientious record of the things seen
| and done during the Columbian eXpedi-
| lions. Las Casas tells us that on ap-
preaching Cuba the expeditionists saw
the native smoking weed rolled up IN
| the form of a tube"
| The American Cyclopedia under the
word tobacco, says: 1.-The plant and the
dried and prepared leaves of Nicotiana
| tabacum and other species of Nicotiana,
| a genus of the Colanaceae or nightShade
| family. The name of the genus COM
meroates that OF Jean Nicot, French
ambassador to Portugal, who in 1860 sent
| the seeds from Lisbon to France, as
plant which was then known throughout
| Portugal having been introduced in 1920.
| The botanical specific name, and the COM
| mon name, come from tobago or tobaca,
| the native term in Santo Domingo for
| the tube or pipe through which the
| smoke of the burning leaves was in
| hailed. The native Brazilian name for the
plant was plum. which the Portuguese
| introduced into Europe
| One the same subject the New Inter
| national Encyclopedia thus speaks: TO
| bacco seed was first taken to Europe by
| Gonzalo Fernandez de Oyiedo, who in
| troduced it into Spain, where 1t was
| first cultivated as an ornamental plant,
| till Nicolo Manardes extolled it as pos
sessing medicinal virtues"
| Aroused James !.
| As the weed found it's way into popular
use it created CONSERVATION and brought
| on opposition from high personages.
James the First of England. who wrote
| pedantically on all subjects, issued the
| following Illumination: "A custom 1oathe-
| some to the eye, hateful to the nose,
harmful to the brain, dangerous to the
| lungs, and in the black sinking fumes
thereof nearest resembling the horrible
| Stygian smoke of the pit that Is botsom-
| less"
Notwithstanding the royal disfavor with
| which 1t met, the use of tobacco spread
! throughout Europe and Asia, indeed
throughout the entire world, with rapid
ity unknown to any other article of coiu-
| merce and as it's home in this country IS
the entire territory surrounding closely
| the jamestown Ter-Centenniel exposition
grounds, it will form, In every stage OF
its growth, development and manufacture
/ one of the most attractive exhibits to be
| found at the exposition.
The various methods by which tobacco
| is cured and prepared for commerce will
be shown, and this fact will have a most
| important value for those who use t.
Adopts in the use of the weed are con-
stantly on the quest for a mixture thar
while pleasant to the taste Is not injuri-
Gus to the membranes. Doubtless, their
aim will be largely subserved by the ox-
position.
There are many facts connected with
the history of tobacco in this country
but as these have a commercial connec-
| ton to employ which would only be in
the nature of an advertisement for the
parties whose names would be mentioned
| the jamestown exposition will invite its
visitors to the great display to be made of
the weed there all these facts may lie
acquired in a way that VIII do no injus>
tice to others engaged in the trade.