The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-06-17

Snystery to induce considerable specula-
ltion.
My Lady Nicotine's influence is not
always soothing. Like all great per-
tSonages she has made enemies. Men
began to fight over her a long, long.
while ago, and only the other day the
newspapers told of the first of pos
iSible recurrence of the night raiders
lOutrages in Kentucky. Urban VIII and
innocent XI Illuminated against her.
ISultan Amuret " decreed death by tor
Iture to her devotees. James l of Eng
Hand issued his "Counterblaste to To
Ibacco," in which he denounced her as
IA creature of the ''pit that is bottom
Hess" Lucy Page CASTOR of Anti-Ciga-
lrette League of America fame is sus-
Ipected of desire to shy her bonnet
into the presidential ring. Low on the
horizon, no bigger than a woman's
hand, is a cloud which rumbles ''to-
lbacco nextr'
Possibly some of My Lady Nicotine's
famous devotees have loved her for
1.-THE enemies she has made. Anyway,
lSpenser wrote of her as "divine." BY
IRON said sublime" Lamb declared his
affection thus:
For thy sake, tobacco, I
Would do anything but die.
Bulwer-Lytton wrote this: '"The man
whO smokes thinks like sage and acts
hike Samaritan" Kipling profoundly
reflects that "a woman is only a wonl-
Ian, but a good cigar is a smoke"
Mark Twain suspects that the man who
doesn't smoke loses IAN appalling ag-
gregate of happiness
This sort of worshiper clings TO the
heresy that this is q pretty good old
world after ALL He isn't worrying
about spirit manifestations and is not
concerned over the doctrine of the sub
liminal soul. He suspects Lucy Page
Gaston of being spiritual descendant
of the Puritans who condemned bear
batting not so much because it gave
pain to the bear as because it gave
pleasure to the spectators.
"When doctors disagree who shall
decide?" The doctors are as divided
in their opinion of My Lady Nicotine
ias are the literary lights. Some see
lin her veritable plague to humanity.
Others maintain that she is rather a
lbenefactor. OF course most physicians
hold that smoking is bad for young
and growing specimens of the human
species. And probably most of them
are not prepared to advise that women
10 AID
some men who cannot smoke without
jill effects-just as there are men who
cannot eat strawberries or drink coffee
without harm. A cold bath in the
morning is meat and drink to some
men; it would put others under the
sod in short order Probably the ma
jority of up-to-date medical men are
of the opinion that it has yet to be
proved that smoking in moderation
hurts any normal man.
At one extreme of human judgment
is that of the man who wrote that q
nation which smokes tobacco perishes.
At the other is that of the man who
predicted in 1918 that America would
win the war because it was the heav-
fest smoker of all the nations
My Lady Nicotine needs no press
agent and has 10 trouble about break
ing into print. Some enthusiastic col
lectors of 'Nicetania" have whole
libraries about her. There is one
George Arents, Jr.. of New York
who is the proud possessor of more
than $500 books, booklets and pam
.phlets devoted wholly or in part to
her. These libraries fell pretty much
everything about the lady.
No European ever heard of tobacco
until the first week of November 1892
The commonly accepted version of the |
story is that two sailors sent by Co
1umbus to explore the island which he |
named San Salvador returned with a |
tale of natives who carried firebrands |