The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1915-05-19
HEALTH OFFICERS COLUMN.
BY u. L. TAYLOR.

l propose to write this week on the
subject of tobacco. Tobacco is a nox-
ious weed that was discovered in
North America two or three hundred
years ago, and in some way at some
time, the people got in the habit of
eating it, chewing it, smoking it and
dipping it. Tobacco is the natural
habit of the tobacco worm, one of
the nastiest specimens of animal life
that any body has ever seen. The
taste of tobacco is sickening and no.
body at first loves it. 1t requires
long time to get anybody's stomach
to tolerate it at all. Children, after
/ seeing their fathers chewing it, and
smoking it, and seeing their mothers
smoking and dipping it, will steal
away to some quiet place to take their
first lessons in the use of it, knowing
that the trial will be a severe one.
Most fathers who use tobacco try to
get their boys not to use it. But ev.
cry boy naturally thinks that his faith
er is the smartest man in the world,
and if there was not something really
good about the chewing of tobacco, he
would not engage in it, 1t is foolish
for man to try to keep his boys from
contracting the tobacco habit, so long
as he uses it himself. The tobacco
habit is so widespread that suppose
that over one-half of the male part of
the population of any county INDUCES
in its use. When you talk to man
about chewing tobacco, he will tell
you that it is filthy habit, but it has
him so much under its power that he
can't quit it. He will not hesitate to
acknowledge that he is slave. to- his
appetite, That he is no longer a free
American citizen. If you ask a young
man about smoking cigarettes he will
tell you that he has almost quit. That
he is tapering. off. If you askgla girl
about dipping snuff, she will denYit
altogether. And am pleased co. be-
lieye that she generally tells the truth.
But the terrible habit is widespread
Lawyers, doctors, farmers, and occa-
sionally am sorry to say, l find a
preacher who has so far missed his
calling, as to indulge in the use of tine
filthy weed. l believe that as class
the school teachers are freer from the
nasty habit, than any other class of
people. In all my experience in visit
ing the schools annually for several
years, have met only one teacher
who uses tobacco, and he insisted on
me talking to his school about the ug-
ly habit. He said while using it him.
self, he knew that talk from him
against the use of tobacco would do no
good. In this he showed his good
sense, while he showed his bad sense
by using the weed at all. In an arti-
Gle for this pap.r, The Adair County
News, some time ago, said that ev-
cry case of consumption was brought
on by promiscuous splitting. l did not
mean by that every one who splits will
spread consumption, but he must have
the germs of consumption in him be.
fore he can spit them, out, but as no
one can know whether he has these
germs or not, the safest way, the
incest way, and the most sensible way,
is to refrain from splitting altogether.
AS an economic question the using of
tobacco is very serious problem. 1
suppose nobody has an idea what the
use of tobacco, this poisonous weed,
costs the people of this county in dol
lars and cents annually. 1 said awhile
ago that more than half of the
male population of our county
use tobacco in some of it's forms One
fourth Of the people would amount to
1000 Where people use tobacco at
all, two dollars year would be
small estimate, which would amount
to $1,000. More money than is paid to
all the preachers and mission in the
county. But bigger question from
an economic stand point, is the vast
amount of toll, sweat and money ex.
pended in the growing of the crop, and
how much this adds to the high cost
of living that we hear so much about. !
When tobacco is planted, fortified,
sold and used, whom does it benefit?
No human being has ever been ben
Gifted by the use of tobacco, and l
suppose no one ever will be- Bat sup.
pose that every body that raises the
weed, should turn his attention to the
prowinp of horses. cattle. sheen.