Some years ago it was quite evident that the cigarette was doomed.
Groups of well desiccated females, assisted by large droves of
impotent he-virgins, met together, assailed the “filthy weed,” and
determined to abolish it by vituperation if not by legislation.
Tobacco manufacturers began to feel vague worries, some States passed
anti-cigarette laws and righteousness seemed about to triumph. Then
came the war!
War is a great release. We all live pretty prosaic lives. Social
conventions are harsh and unless we live in Philadelphia or Chicago
it is not considered courteous, much less expedient, to go out and
rob, kill and commit arson. War delights in that it releases these
crude desires which seem to be suppressed and lying potentially in
wait in the most sedate of us. Men were released to rob, murder and
commit arson and they did it with a vim and vigor which belies the
idea that we are becoming a decadent and anemic race.
At the same time war had its disadvantages. A chap needed
stimulation. He needed whiskey; he needed women; he needed
cigarettes. He got them all and the dear, good Christian souls
applied themselves so whole-heartedly to the good work of providing
needful stimulation that natural smiles began to sprout on technical
virgins, liquor ceased to draw the sex line and cigarettes were
actually dispensed by the hands of Christian ladies and gentlemen.
The tobacco industry was saved.
After the war women decided to continue doing what they had done
during the war. They decided to retain “This Freedom.” Men decided
they should not retain it. The Christians decided they should not
retain it. It was against ethics, morals and law. The women retained
their freedom and added to it. Among other things they smoked
cigarettes so indefatigably that a consumption which had commenced to
decline hopped to a point of unprecedented size.
Women are like that. Men are more civilized, have more modern bodies,
are younger in an evolutionary sense and respect this nonsense called
law. Women are much older physiologically--phylogenetically for that
matter, if you really like long words. They adopt primitive means to
accomplish their ends and primitive means are always effective. When
they wanted to smoke they smoked and that was that.
At the same time, however, it is vaguely interesting to many people
to know whether smoking is injurious. All sorts of ills have been
laid to its door. But there is this to be said in its favor. In very
many people smoking is undoubtedly the percussion cap which sets
in motion a train of conditioned reflexes and enables them to work
efficiently.
Watson has worked on these conditioned reflexes. Let the young baby
have a rat. It is not afraid and will play with it happily. But some
day produce a blinding flash of light or a loud noise just as you
give it the rat and you have imbedded a conditioned reflex which may
last its life. It will always fear rats. Watson holds that education
should address itself to the job of making our conditioned reflexes
of such nature that they are helpful rather than a hindrance.
Thus a certain man cannot think unless he plays with the keys in
his pocket. That is the original stimulus which sets his benign
conditioned reflexes in motion. Another smokes in order to think
deeply. A third smokes and finds that it is laxative. Perhaps these
men cannot either think or avoid constipation unless they smoke,
and the probable reason is that the act of smoking is an original
stimulus which automatically sets in motion a long series of
conditioned reflexes of a benign character.
Yet there are people who do not want to run any risks. They want
to avoid nicotine. Perhaps it is as well that they should. They
therefore buy cigarettes or cigars or tobacco which have been
“denicotinized.” To what extent do they succeed in avoiding the
poison then? The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin
295, a prosaic scientific-looking thing, pretty well explodes the
bunk of these tobaccos and it calls a spade a spade. More power to
the research agencies of the U. S. A. which dare be so outspoken. A
brief analysis of the results shown seems in order.
Tobaccos were analyzed for nicotine and the percentage given is in
all cases on a dry basis. First tested were several common brands of
cigarettes. They ran as follows in nicotine. Take your pick hereafter
when you buy--
Cigarette. Percent Nicotine.
Egyptian Deities 1.28
Pall Mall 1.38
Philip Morris 1.40
Lucky Strike 1.88
Camel 2.21
Old Gold 2.17
Capstan Navy Cut 2.30
Chesterfield 2.53
Piedmont 2.89
Since not even physicians have had any idea how much nicotine common
brands of cigarettes carried this alone is important. Now how did the
“denicotinized” cigarettes line up? They ran as follows:
“Denicotinized” Percent
Cigarette. Nicotine
Sano 2.32
Cestrada Virginia 2.10
Dormy Turkish 1.19
Sackett 1.02