Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-09-05
REASON WHY WE SMOKE.
Scientist Discusses Psychology OF
Nicotine lnhalers.

this case as you can in regard t6
other human pleasures and the vices
that result from excuses, point out
that it responds to ii certain organic
craving IN our nature which has grad
ual!y become excessive and tyrannical.
In more or less perfect forms all our
modern enjoyments have been pfac-
ticed at all times, but this particular
enjoyment vas unknown to the ancient
civilizations and became known in Eu-
rope only at the time of Catherine dc
Medlci.
Those of our senses which seem t.
crave for it today are really not tickleo
,ly it, If il were tht, smell we enjoyed
we should really smoke through the
cose, which we do with our palate
that is nearly. unable to appreciate
1dors. 1t has been proven that When
YOU blindfold Il smoker and compress
ais nostrils he is unable to tell whether
the cigar he is smoking is lighted o.
not. Everything in the act of smokint
IS, Therefore. abnormal.
A smoker forces the mucous mem
branes OF his mouth and throat to per
form work which they do not GRAY,
lDi, anu Waiting w IlilIilS dli Oil Ciiis'
he inhales ii through the mouth, whicl
is almost as strange as if you Woui'
put a straw in your nostrils to appre
ciate the flavor of a glass of fine Dor
dCauy.
Let us admit, however, that the sens
of smell comes into play in this strang
| act. There are aromatic odors thai
please everybody but the door of to
| tacco is distinctly disagreeable and tn.
| proof is that nobody likes to smell the
smoke OF another. Everyone tolerate
! only the taste ard the odor of his oW:
smoke.
To counterfeit the unpleasant SenSa
| ton produced by the smoking of other
we men may at least smoke ourselves
| but what about our women whom w
| force to innale their poisonous fume
| without permitting them to participate.
| in the enjoyment? If women did mo-
possess q less developed sense of smell
| than men, fact that has been proved
they worti surely have revolted Ions
| time ago. Though only half sensitiV
| to odors, as they are, they will no
| hesitate to tell you what they thin
| if YOU insist on knowing. After aSSur
ing you that they just love the smell Q
a good cigar. tEey will end by telln'
you that they detest this fouling of thu
| Air and that they always admire {
man who ahstans from smoking, a.
least in their presence.
Il admit" smoker will say "tha
the odor of anothers tobacco smoke il
unpleasant, but you surely will no
deny that. to q man who smokes. {;
choice Havana possesses an exquisite
taste ana a delicious aroma"
| Yes. my smoking friend, a choice
| Havana does really contain a perfum'
| in it's smoke, or rather subtle taste
| which may even be compared with The
taste of the best Burgundy. But do you
always smoke choice Havanas? And
| YOU do. how many smokers are abb
to do the same? Before the recen
| added tax was pat on tobacco in France
cQnnoiSseurs agreed that a good ciga
| could not be bought here for less THAI
50 centimes. and if you wanted to ge'
a really good cigar You would have t.
pay franc and 20 centimes. Then yoi
may easily figure out what YOU mus
| pay today not t. smoke refuse.
| Refuse is jus@,What cheap tobacco
| III france as well dS btIleI )idttS. 1t
| equivalent "a a ffth-claSs meal, t.,
wine ct sous the ltre. to the kline
of food you get in the poorhouses
| Remember that the French govern
| ment makes 800 per cent on a pacl
age of tobacco ana on other thing
almost the same proportion. Whel
you pay four sous for a cigar, it ha
not cost hut a fraction of one sou t.
produce.
The result is YOU smoke only refus,
and if you are quite honest you vii
admit that you know ii. The taste oI
your cigar is almost disagreeable t.
| Nol If it does not taste bad all tn.
way through il does 50 at least when
you have smoked half of it, 1t is n,
more tobacco than the workimgman
petit verre" is choice liquor
Why do YOU smoke, then? Not be
cause we love the taste of tobacco.
which it is next TO impossible to &c,
pure and uradnlteratel in cigars or fol
the pipe.
| Why do we smoke? Because smok
| ing is pastime, because of the intoy-
| ication which the poison produces, for
tho same reason that makes the la
| horer gulp down his glass of execrably
poisonous brandy.
| Ii is a series Of pleasant gestures to
walk into the barroom. to treat and b.,
treated. to raise the glasses and bend
| the elbow, and then follows ultimately
the temporary stupor which most peo-
pie like Every human being loves
sleep. which is the suspension Of ami
nation. and every one tries when
awake to enter into states of torpor
and resemble the precious sleep. That
is why people drink to feel their ideas
and thoughts grow confused, the sense
of reality disappear. In the same way
people smoke to feel their brain grow
heavy. to confuse their thoughts to
localize all the activity of their head
in the mucous membranes of nose and
palate.
Tobacco, like alcohol is nothing but
an accidental form of opium, and that
l. why tue quality of tobacco and al
cchol after all matters very little to the
consumer, who is only looking for the
pleasure of certain gestures AMI vari-
Gus degrees of intoxication.
Tho Judge keeps q sharp eye on each,
ard again and again calls his warn
ing. Smoke please" Sometimes the
Smoker coniures ghost-like wisp from