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A
DISQUISITION
ON THE
EVILS OF USING TOBACCO,
AND THE NECESSITY OF
IMMEDIATE AND ENTIRE REFORMATION.
By REV. ORIN FOWLER A. M.
THIRD EDITION.
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY GEO. GREGORY.
For sale by D. S. KING, No. 1 Cornhill; JORDAN & CO. 121
Washington Street. NEW YORK: JOHN S. TAYLOR,
145 Nassau Street. PROVIDENCE: WM.
APLIN, 65 South Main St.
1842.
A
DISQUISITION
ON THE
EVILS OF USING TOBACCO,
AND THE NECESSITY OF
IMMEDIATE AND ENTIRE REFORMATION.
Delivered before the Fall River Lyceum, and before the Congregation to whom
the Author statedly ministers
BY ORIN FOWLER, A. M.,
PASTOR OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN FALL RIVER, MASS.
Third Edition.
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY GEO. GREGORY.
For sale by D. S. KING, No. 1. Cornhill; JORDAN &. CO. 121
Washington Street. NEW YORK: JOHN S. TAYLOR,
145 Nassau Street. PROVIDENCE: WM.
APLIN, 65 South Main St.
1842.
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1842, by ORIN
FOWLER, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS,
BY THE PUBLISHER.
Among the evils which a vitiated appetite has fastened upon mankind,
those that arise from the use of Tobacco hold a prominent place, and
call loudly for reform. We pity the poor Chinese, who stupifies body and
mind with opium, and the wretched Hindoo, who is under a similar slavery
to his favorite plant, the Betel; but _we_ present the humiliating
spectacle of an enlightened and christian nation, wasting annually more
than twenty-five millions of dollars, and destroying the health and the
lives of thousands, by a practice not at all less degrading than that of
the Chinese or Hindoo.
Whether, then, we consider the folly and indecency of the habit, or the
waste of property, health and life which it occasions, it is time for
the Patriot, the Philanthropist and the Christian, to put forth united,
vigorous and systematic efforts to banish this injurious and disgusting
habit from the community.
It is a fact, that one reform not only prepares the way for another, but
often so depends upon it, that the complete triumph of the one cannot be
effected without that of the other. Such appears to be the relationship
existing between the use of intoxicating drinks and that of the
stimulating narcotic, tobacco. The use of tobacco almost always
accompanies the use of alcoholic drinks, and it may be feared that total
abstinence from the latter will not be _permanent_, unless there is also
a total abstinence from the former. Our temperance brethren,
particularly our worthy Washingtonians, will do well to bear this in
mind.
The tobacco reform, being similar to that of temperance, must be brought
about by similar means. Information must be diffused, the evils of the
practice exposed, and the attention of the public aroused to the
subject. To aid in this, is the object of the following pamphlet, two
editions of which have already been put in circulation, and it is said
to have been re-published in England. The favorable reception of the
former editions, as shown by the repeated editorial remarks, and the
numerous letters of thanks addressed to the author, affords much
encouragement for a vigorous prosecution of the enterprise. Three
members of the church of which the author is pastor, placed at his
disposal a sum sufficient to supply, gratuitously, each of the 1000
Beneficiaries of the American Education Society, with a copy of the
essay. Orders were furnished for bundles for distribution. An individual
in Maine ordered 500 copies, and 1000 were ordered by E. C. Delevan, of
New York, the distinguished advocate of Temperance.
Let the friends of true reform remember the early days of the temperance
cause, and take courage. All interested should exert themselves.
Clergymen can do much by lecturing and other means. Churches should form
Anti-Tobacco Societies, circulate information and induce as many as
possible to take a stand against the evil, by enrolling their names on a
_Pledge_.
Teachers should speak on the subject, and endeavor to prevent the
formation of so vile and tyranical a habit, by those under their
influence; for it is a fact that lads in many of our public schools try
to hasten their claims to _manliness_, by learning to chew, smoke or
snuff. This being the case, we may expect, of course, to find these
practices prevalent in our academies and colleges, our medical and our
law schools and theological seminaries.
In the early records of Harvard University, says Dr. Mussey, is a
regulation ordering that "no scholar shall take tobacco unless permitted
by the President, with the consent of his parents, on good reason first
given by a physician, and then only in a sober and private manner." How
different now! Probably one half, at least, of the students of our
colleges are, not in a "sober and private manner," but publicly addicted
to this slovenly and disgusting practice.
As the use of tobacco is injurious to health, it is the duty of
physicians to exert their influence against it. Their authority upon
such subjects is generally respected, and is therefore very important.
To the ladies, it would hardly seem necessary to say a word, in order to
secure their aid in a reform that so intimately concerns themselves. In
this matter, as in the vice of intemperance, woman, though comparatively
innocent, is by far the greatest sufferer. With what a melancholy
prospect does a young lady marry a man who uses the filthy plant in any
form. He may _at first_ do it in a neat, or even a genteel manner, and
neutralize the sickening odor by the most grateful perfumes; but this
trouble will soon be dispensed with, and in all probability he will, at
no distant day, become a sloven, with his garments saturated with smoke,
and himself steeped in tobacco juice. Alas, to think of being annoyed a
life-time by the nauseous odor of the vile tobacco worm, and of wasting
patience and strength in vain endeavors to preserve neatness in his
slimy trail! Little can be accomplished in this, or any other reform,
without the aid of females. Let them take hold of the subject, and exert
their legimate influence, and public opinion will soon be corrected;
young men and old too, will soon learn that by no rule in the code of
politeness and good breeding, can the use of tobacco be tolerated.
A word to dealers. How can a man who regards the morals, the happiness
and the prosperity of his neighborhood and his country, deal out so
useless, so filthy, and so injurious an article as tobacco? Many will of
course, excuse themselves by saying as the rum-sellers once did, "If I
don't sell it, others will," This plea did not justify the rum-seller,
neither will it, the dealer in tobacco. Others will say, "I _must_ sell
it, or I shall offend my patrons and lose their custom." But this is not
valid even as a selfish argument. A large and increasing portion of the
community would be glad to patronize traders who sell only the useful
and necessary articles of life. Let respectable traders cease to sell
the article, and respectable customers would soon cease to buy it.
The abominable filthiness of the practice of using tobacco, is a
sufficient argument to induce all decent people to wage war against it.
Stage coaches, rail cars, steamboats, public houses, courts of justice,
halls of legislation, and the temples of God, are all defiled by the
loathsome consumers of this dirty, Indian herb. For the sake of decency,
for the honor of humanity, let the land be purified from this worse than
beastly pollution!
Let none be discouraged from engaging in this reform, because it relates
to a wide-spread and fashionable vice. With a moderate degree of effort
in each town and village, hundreds of thousands might in one year's
time, be induced to pledge themselves against all use of tobacco.
During the last winter I drew up the following pledge, and obtained many
signatures here and in other parts of the state.
ANTI-TOBACCO PLEDGE.
_We, the subscribers, believing that the use of_ TOBACCO,
_in all its forms, is injurious to health, and knowing it to
be a slovenly, sluttish, and disgusting habit, do pledge
ourselves that we will not_ SMOKE _it_, CHEW _it, nor_ SNUFF
_it; and that we will use efforts to persuade those addicted
to the practice, to discontinue its use; and above all, that
we will not traffic in it, nor countenance those who do; and
that we will use our influence to banish the "vile stuff"
from New England, our country, and the world._
A gentleman in North Bridgewater, to whom I lent a pamphlet on this
subject, said he had not read it half through, before he emptied his
pockets of tobacco, and resolved to use no more. He also took a pledge
to circulate among his neighbors.
Another man who had chewed tobacco thirty-three years, abandoned the
habit and remarked that he would not return to it for fifty dollars.
Two benevolent individuals, in Providence, had two or three hundred
copies of the above pledge printed to circulate in the State of Rhode
Island. One of the principal clergymen in P. said, a member of his
church, a trader, told him that the money paid for tobacco in the city
was sufficient to support the public preaching. A gentleman there, who
has recently given up tobacco, said he would not go back to its use for
a thousand dollars, although it cost him a great effort to refrain from
it. A young man, after receiving a private lecture from an anti-tobacco
friend, committed to the flames half a dozen cigars he had by him, and
signed the pledge.
I have conversed with very many addicted to the use of tobacco, and
nearly all express regret at having formed the habit.
A few days since in a town not far from Providence, as I was sitting in
the stage about starting for the city, up came a reverend gentleman, a
very fine man by the way, with a big cigar about half burned. He had too
much good breeding to get into the stage with it, and to all appearance,
disliked to part with so good a friend; he accordingly stood outside
and puffed away like a steamer, at the same time keeping an eye on the
driver; when all was ready, he scrambled in, and we drove off. What an
example, for a clergyman to stand in a public street and puff a cigar
like a loafer or a blackguard!
Rev. Mr. C., in a village adjoining Providence relates, that a brother
clergyman called to preach for him. He was in the habit of chewing
tobacco, and Mr. C. took the opportunity to speak to him on the subject.
At first the brother remarked that there was nothing wrong or injurious
in it; but on Mr. C's pressing the matter and asking how he could preach
"righteousness, temperance" and good habits in all things, when he was
himself addicted to such a practice, the brother frankly acknowledged
that he knew he was setting a bad example, and that tobacco was
poisonous, injurious to health and shortened life, but he excused
himself by saying he _could not_ give it up, for he found it
_impossible_ to write a sermon or preach it with any success, without
taking tobacco. Sermons and preaching inspired by tobacco! What better
is this, than the inspiration of brandy?
Rev. Mr.----, now of Boston, formerly of a neighboring city, is a most
excessive smoker and chewer, so much so that it was a matter of
notoriety and remark among his congregation and acquaintances of his
former residence. He was a very agreeable man in other respects, but his
study, his library, and every thing about him were so completely
saturated with tobacco smoke, that the ladies of his church rarely made
him a call, and more rarely borrowed a book from his extensive and
excellent library.--Is it not time for clergymen to reform themselves in
this particular, and then consistently to set about reforming others.
I have recently learned that many _ladies_ are in the habit of _chewing
snuff!_ Some of them become so addicted to it as to use enormous
quantities in this way. "One of these snuff eaters," I was told, "was
accustomed to take herself by the under lip with one hand, and with the
thumb and four fingers of the other to fill in an embankment between her
lips and teeth." Shocking! Yet, what young lady who carries a concealed
snuff-box, can be sure of not coming to this?
I saw a woman who commenced with chewing snuff, and is now a regular
tobacco chewer. She said however, that she intended to give up the habit
and refrain from tobacco in all its forms.
Unless something is done to check the evil, who can say that we shall
not become as bad as the inhabitants of Cuba, where, according to Rev.
Mr. Ingersoll, "not only men, but _women_ and _children_ smoke, and some
at a large expense." And according to Rev. Dr. Abbot, "it was the common
estimate that in Havana, there was an average consumption of _ten
thousand dollars worth of cigars in a day_."
BOSTON, July, 1842.
RECOMMENDATIONS.
_From the Rochester Observer._
"Fowler on the Evils of using Tobacco.--'A disquisition on the evils of
using tobacco, and the necessity of an immediate and entire reform,' by
Rev. Orin Fowler, of Fall River, Mass. This is a very valuable and
instructive discourse. We have for two years or more been fully
convinced that the use of tobacco, in its three common forms, ought
immediately to be abandoned; but never were we so fully sensible of the
alarming extent and tremendous ravages of this evil, as when we had read
this production. We think no _christian_, who is willing to know and do
his duty, can read this pamphlet, without saying on the spot, if he uses
tobacco, (except it be judiciously prescribed by a physician.) the use
of this poisonous, deleterious weed is a _grievous sin_, and I will
abandon it _immediately and forever_.
Mr. F. lays down the position that it is the duty of every man and woman
to abstain immediately, entirely and forever, from all use of tobacco,
whether by chewing, smoking or snuffing, except it be as a medicine.
In favor of this point he offers the following arguments, which we think
he has fully sustained, by well attested facts, quotations from approved
authors, and the deductions of sound reasoning.
1. The history of this loathsome weed. It has ever since its discovery
been considered exceedingly injurious, and its general use opposed by
judicious men.
2. Its ruinous effect upon the health and constitution of men.
3. Its ruinous effects upon the intellect.
4. Its ruinous effects upon public and private morals.
5. The amazing waste of property which its use involves.
6. The mortality which its use occasions.
7. The apologies made by the lovers of tobacco.
8. The eternal ruin which tobacco occasions.
We intend in our next to give extracts from this discourse. We hope it
will have a wide circulation, and would commend it to the careful
perusal of all christians, especially to ministers, who use this vile
and ruinous plant."
* * * * *
Edward C. Delevan, Secretary of the New York State Temperance Society,
says, in a letter just received--"The subject of your Essay is one of
immense importance to the world and to the temperance cause. The use of
this vile weed has been the medium of forming the appetite for strong
drink, and ultimately destroying thousands of the most promising youth
of our country. You will hardly ever meet with an intemperate person
without finding him addicted to the use of tobacco. The public only want
light on this important subject, to act. Your able and convincing
Disquisition will be the means of doing much good. I hope funds will be
provided to furnish a copy to each clergyman in the United States. Send
me one thousand copies of the second edition, as soon as it is from the
press."
* * * * *
"Fowler on the Evils of using Tobacco.--We are anxious to see this work
extensively circulated, for we are confident that it will do good. The
pamphlet contains much valuable information, and will be found well
worth an attentive and frequent perusal."
_The Unionist_, Brooklyn, Conn.
* * * * *
"Fowler on the Evils of using Tobacco.--The subject of which this
pamphlet treats is one which, we are persuaded, has received too small a
share of attention from those who are laboring to free our land, utterly
and forever, from the thraldom of intemperance. From our own
observation, limited as it has been, we are persuaded that the victims
of intemperance in the use of this poisonous weed are by no means
inconsiderable in number. Probably Mr. Fowler is correct when he
estimates the mortality occasioned by the use of tobacco in its various
forms, at five thousand annually. For ourself we are convinced that the
suppression of intemperance in spirituous liquors will never be effected
while the agents and advocates of our Temperance Societies, lecture with
a pinch of snuff in their fingers and a huge tobacco quid in their
mouths. Tobacco slays its thousands, and doubtless one tenth of the
drunkards in our land have become so by first indulging in the use of
the dirty plant, and thus creating an unnatural thirst that called for
liquid fire to quench it.
Did our limits permit, we should be glad to give copious extracts from
Mr. Fowler's discourse." _Batharia Palladium._
* * * * *
_Lisbon, Feb. 3d, 1841._
Mr Fowler--
_Dear Sir_--We have in this county a monthly ministers' meeting.
At the last the use of tobacco was discussed. I was appointed to write
on the subject, and derived important aid from your Disquisition on
tobacco. I feel that it is a very happy effort, and calculated to do
much good, and that it is desirable that it should have a much wider
circulation.
The thought occurred to me whether it might not be published by the
Tract Society.
This would give it the widest circulation it could have.
I doubt not but you are desirous of having the greatest amount of good
accomplished by this effort, and will be ready to extend its circulation
if possible.
Should it become a Tract, be so good as to inform me--for I should be
glad to place it in every family in my parish.
Fraternally yours, JOSEPH AYER, Jr.
* * * * *
Notice by Dr. Alcott, Editor of the Library of Health.
"A disquisition on the evils of using Tobacco. By Orin Fowler, A. M.
Second Edition. This pamphlet finds favor, * * * *. While we have the
kindliest feelings towards those who chew this disgusting substance, we
hold its use, in every form, in the most unqualified contempt. We care
not to whom the remark may apply, whether he be farmer, mechanic,
lawyer, doctor, minister, judge or president; but if in the light which
Mr. Fowler has shed on the subject, any man should continue to smoke or
chew tobacco, or take snuff, public opinion ought to frown him out of
the pale of all civilized society. He that will contribute in any way to
a tax upon this nation of $25,000,000 a year for such stuff, may well be
set down as a bad citizen, unless he does it in ignorance."
DISQUISITION.
In this age of benevolent action, when much is being done to drive away
the darkness and delusions of many generations, and to diffuse light and
truth through the earth; it excites the liveliest joy in every
philanthropic bosom to witness the triumphant results already achieved.
Recent efforts to banish the use of intoxicating drinks, have brought
well nigh half the civilized world to a solemn pause: and the work of
reformation in this matter of spirit-drinking has gone so far, and is
yet making such sure progress, that many are rejoicing in the lively
hope that the day is nigh, even at the doors, when drunkenness, with her
burning legion of evils, will cease from the earth; and the gospel of
the grace of God will have free course and be glorified, and the whole
family of man become temperate, holy and happy. The God of our salvation
hasten that day apace; that our eyes may see it, and rejoice and be glad
in it, before we go to the grave.
But ere that day shall fully come, there is much land to be possessed.
Many a battle must yet be fought,--many a victory must yet be won. Much
light must yet be poured forth,--much darkness must yet be driven away.
The world is not yet half reformed. The majority in the best portions of
the earth--in this country even--are on the side of free indulgence in
every thing that pleases the appetite.
Intemperance in the use of intoxicating drinks,--and intemperance in the
use of _tobacco_, in the several forms of _smoking_, _snuffing_ and
_chewing_; together with several other evils, which I need not here
specify, are even now predominant.
By intemperance in the use of tobacco, I mean all use of this drug
except that which is under the direction of enlightened, judicious
medical advice. With this exception, _entire abstinence_ from this
narcotic substance constitutes the only safe and genuine
temperance.--This principle has been adopted extensively, in its
application to intoxicating drinks; but before it shall be universally
adopted in that application, it must be applied, and applied
universally, to the _quid_, and the _pipe_, and the _snuff-box_.
Rum-drinking will not cease, till tobacco-chewing, and tobacco-smoking,
and snuff-taking, shall cease. Though all who are attached to the quid,
the pipe, or the snuff-box, are not attached to the bottle; yet a vast
multitude become attached to the bottle, and this attachment is
continued and increased, through the poisonous, bewitching, and debasing
influence of tobacco.
Moreover, the use of tobacco involves a train of evils, superadded to
its influence in perpetuating drunkenness, which cries aloud for
immediate and universal reformation. It is my present purpose to
consider these evils. And I wish to premise that, in this consideration,
I shall urge; that it is the duty of every friend of humanity--of every
lover of his country--of every Christian--and of every minister of
Christ, to _abstain_, himself, _immediately_, and _forever_, from _all_
use of tobacco, whether by _chewing_, _smoking_, or _snuffing_, except
it be _medicinally_; and to use the whole weight of his influence and
example to persuade others--and especially the young men and maidens of
this nation--to practice entire abstinence.
I am fully aware that the topic which I have selected, the position
which I lay down, and the purpose at which I aim, are not popular. But
what then? Did Clarkson and Wilberforce abandon the cause of the
enslaved African, when they found that abolition was unpopular in the
British Senate? Did Columbus abandon his purpose of attempting to
discover a new world, when he perceived that the noble project of his
noble soul was unpopular, with princes and people, learned and ignorant?
Did Jesus Christ abandon his purpose to redeem a world lying in
wickedness, when it became manifest that his doctrines, and the pure
benevolence of his holy soul, were unpopular. And has it ever been
_seemly_ for one of his true and faithful disciples to abandon the cause
of human happiness, and the soul's everlasting salvation, because the
work of saving mercy is unpopular?
The theme of our present consideration, is doubtless unpopular.--But we
_should_ not, we _will_ not, therefore abandon the purpose of exposing
the evils of smoking, and chewing, and snuffing, that dirty weed, which
is so hostile to animal life, and so offensive to every creature on
earth, that no living being but man--and a loathsome worm, called the
tobacco-worm--will taste, or touch, or handle it.[A]
[A] It has recently been affirmed that there is a dirty goat in South
America which will eat this dirty plant.
Though it be unpopular to expose the evils of using tobacco; these evils
are so appalling, it will not do to slumber over them longer.--We must
look at them; we must lay them open--we must raise our voice against
them; (we would gladly raise it so high that it should reach every
family in the nation.) Yes, we must cry aloud and spare not; or give up
our claim to patriotism, and benevolence.
In approaching this subject, I am not unmindful of the pertinacity with
which men adhere to old habits. Dr. Rush speaks of a venerable clergyman
who closed a long sermon, in which he had controverted what he supposed
an heretical opinion, with these words: "I tell you--I tell you, my
brethren, I tell you again, that an _old error_ is better than a _new
truth_." There are few who will assent to this proposition in plain
terms; but there are thousands upon thousands, who act up to the very
letter of it, constantly.--The history of man is extensively a history
of folly, delusion, and sin.
No error has been so absurd as not to find advocates--no habit has been
so foolish, or so deadly, as not to find martyrs. But of all the
delusions, which have prevailed among civilized men, there have been
few--perhaps none, but that of intoxication--so disgusting, so
inexcusable, so destructive to health, and wealth, and life, as the
habit which we now ask you to consider.
It will be borne in mind that my position is this; it is the bounden
duty of every man and every woman to _abstain_, _immediately_, and
_forever_, from _all use_ of tobacco, whether by _chewing_, _smoking_,
or _snuffing_ except it be as a medicine. This position I maintain,
I. From a consideration of the _history_ of this loathsome weed.--The
tobacco plant is a native of America. It was unknown in Europe until
some time after the discovery of America, by Columbus. It was first
carried to Europe by Sir Francis Drake, about the year 1560, less than
three hundred years ago. The natives of this continent called it
_petun_; the natives of the islands called it _yoli_. The Spaniards gave
it the name of _tobacco_, from _Tobaco_, a province of Yucatan in
Mexico, where they first found it, and first learned its use. Its
botanic name is _Nicotiana_, which it received from John Nicot, then
Ambassador from Francis II. to Portugal, who brought it from Lisbon, and
presented some of it to the Queen Catharine de Medicis, and to the Grand
Prior of the house of Lorraine; whence it was sometimes called the
Queen's herb, and the Grand Prior's herb.
The practice of smoking it in England, was introduced by Sir Walter
Raleigh, about the year 1584.
The cultivation of it is not uncommon in various parts of the globe; but
the seat of its most extensive culture is Virginia and Maryland, in this
country. In England its cultivation was forbidden--and we believe is
still forbidden--on penalty of forfeiting forty shillings for every rod
of ground planted with it.
James I. wrote a treatise against the use of it, which he called his
"Counterblast to Tobacco." Pope Urban VIII. issued a Bull, to
excommunicate all who used tobacco in the churches. The civil power in
Russia, Turkey, and Persia, was early arrayed against it. The King of
Denmark, who wrote a treatise against tobacco, observes that "merchants
often lay it in bog-houses, that, becoming impregnated with the volatile
salts of the excrements, it may be rendered brisker, stronger, and more
f[oe]tid." It is said to be a fact, that in manufacturing tobacco, it is
frequently sprinkled with stale urine.
The use of tobacco never was general in Europe; and within the last
fifty or one hundred years, it has been banished from all the polite
circles of that part of the world. John Adams, the former President of
the United States, speaking of his own use of tobacco, and referring to
his residence in Europe, says: "Twice I gave up the use of it; once when
Minister at the Court of Hague; and afterwards when Minister at the
Court of London; for _no such offensive practice is seen there_."
But although the cultivation of tobacco has been forbidden in many
countries of Europe; and though the manufacture of it is frequently
attended with circumstances so disgusting and offensive, that the
modesty of this paper will not permit me to detail them,--and though the
use of it is abandoned by all the respectable and polished circles of
Europe; yet in this nation, and among the lower orders abroad, tobacco
has triumphed: and the only hope of expelling it from our land, lies in
enlisting against it the power of enlightened public opinion--a mightier
power than any eastern despot wields.
Now from this brief sketch of the history of tobacco, it appears that it
was unknown to all the civilized world, till within three hundred years;
and that even now, all the polished and enlightened portion of community
abroad--and we add, a very respectable portion at home--have no
fellowship with the filthy weed. And can any man justify himself in the
daily use of a disgusting plant, against the practice, opinion, and
remonstrances of so large a portion of the civilized world? Can he be
discharging the obligations of his duty, and enjoying the full amount of
his privilege, while he suffers himself to be a bond-slave to his quid,
his pipe, or his snuff-box? Either an important article of the vegetable
kingdom, lay hid from the civilized world nearly six thousand years; or
since its discovery, the lovers of tobacco have formed an entirely
erroneous opinion of its properties. In the sequel, I trust it will
appear, that so far from possessing _valuable_ properties, it is one of
the most _noxious_ weeds that grows; that, as an article of medicine, it
possesses scarcely a redeeming quality; and that, though it was not made
in vain, if the world had remained ignorant of it six thousand years
longer, no cause of regret would have been occasioned.
I maintain the position I have laid down,
II. From a consideration of the ruinous effects of tobacco upon the
_health_ and _constitution_ of men.
In considering this point, let us examine the _properties_ of this
weed,--the prominent diseases which the use of it induces,--and the
_experiences_ of unprejudiced observers. The properties of tobacco are
decidedly _poisonous_. In proof of this assertion, I appeal to ample and
unquestionable authority.
Professor Hitchcock says, "I group _alcohol_, _opium_ and _tobacco_
together, as alike to be rejected; because they agree in being
_poisonous_ in their natures." "In popular language," says he, "alcohol
is classed among the stimulants, and opium and tobacco among the
narcotics, whose ultimate effect upon the animal system is to produce
stupor and insensibility." He says, "Most of the powerful vegetable
poisons, such as hen-bane, hemlock, thorn-apple, prussic acid, deadly
night-shade, fox-glove and poison sumach, have an effect on the animal
system scarcely to be distinguished from that of opium and _tobacco_.
They impair the organs of digestion, and may bring on fatuity, palsy,
delirium, or apoplexy," He says, "In those not accustomed to it,
_tobacco_ excites nausea, vomiting, dizziness, indigestion, mental
dejection, and in short, the whole train of _nervous_ complaints."
Dr. Rees, in his Cyclopedia, says; "A drop or two of the chemical oil of
tobacco, being put upon the tongue of a cat, produces violent
convulsions, and death itself in the space of a minute."
Dr. Hossack classes _tobacco_ with opium, ether, mercury, and other
articles of the materia medica. He calls tobacco a "_fashionable
poison_," in the various forms in which that narcotic is employed.--He
says, "The great increase of dyspepsia; the late alarming frequency of
apoplexy, palsy, epilepsy, and other diseases of the nervous system; is
attributable, in part, to the use of tobacco."
Dr. Waterhouse says that Linnæus, in his natural arrangement, has placed
tobacco in the class _Luridæ_--which signifies, pale, ghastly, livid,
dismal and fatal. "To the same ominous class," he adds, "belong
fox-glove, hen-bane, deadly night-shade, lobelia, and another poisonous
plant, bearing the tremendous name Atropa, one of the furies." He says,
"When tobacco is taken into the stomach for the first time, it creates
nausea and extreme disgust. If swallowed, it excites violent convulsions
of the stomach and of the bowels to eject the poison either upward or
downward. If it be not very speedily and entirety ejected, it produces
great anxiety, vertigo, faintness, and prostration of all the senses;
and, in some instances, death has followed." The oil of this plant, he
adds, is one of the strongest vegetable poisons, insomuch that we know
of no animal that can resist its mortal effects. Moreover, says Dr.
Waterhouse, after a long and honorable course of practice, "I never
observed so many pallid faces, and so many marks of declining health;
nor ever knew so many hectical habits, and consumptive affections, as of
late years; and I trace this alarming inroad on young constitutions,
_principally_ to the pernicious custom of smoking cigars."
Professor Graham says "Tobacco is one of the most _powerful_ and _deadly
poisons_ in the vegetable kingdom." "Its effects on the living tissues
of the animal system," he adds, "are always to destroy life; as the
experiments made on pigeons, cats, and other animals abundantly prove."
The Editors of the Journal of Health say, "Tobacco is in fact an
absolute poison. A very moderate quantity introduced into the system,
even applying the moistened leaves to the stomach, has been known very
suddenly to extinguish life. In whatever form it may be employed, a
portion of the active principles of tobacco, mixed with the saliva,
invariably finds its way to the stomach, and disturbs or impairs the
functions of that organ. Hence most, if not all, who are accustomed to
the use of tobacco, labor under dyspeptic symptoms. Our advice is to
desist immediately and entirely from the use of tobacco in every form,
and in any quantity, however small. A reform, to be efficacious, must be
entire and complete."
Dr. Warren says, "The common belief that tobacco is beneficial to the
teeth, is entirely erroneous; on the contrary, by its poisonous and
relaxing qualities, it is positively injurious." Says another physician,
"Though snuff has been prescribed for the head-ache, catarrh, and some
species of opthalmia, and sometimes with good effect; yet in all cases
where its use is _continued_, it not only fails of its medical effect,
but commits great ravages on the whole nervous system, superinducing
hypochondria, tremors, a thickening of the voice, and premature decay of
all the intellectual powers."
As a diuretic, Dr. Fowler, and others, have found it in some cases to be
valuable. Its narcotic properties have sometimes assuaged the
tooth-ache; but it always hastens the destruction of the teeth. But of
all substances in pharmacy, there seems to be a general agreement among
medical writers, that tobacco, though occasionally beneficial, is the
most unmanageable, and used with the least confidence.
A multitude of cases, confirming these views, have actually occurred;
two or three of which I will cite. A clergyman, who commenced the use of
tobacco in youth, says, "that no very injurious consequences were
experienced till he entered the ministry, when his system began to feel
its dreadful effects. His voice, his appetite, and his strength failed;
and he was sorely afflicted with sickness at the stomach, indigestion,
emaciation, melancholy, and a prostration of the whole nervous system.
All this," says he, "I attribute to the pernicious habit of smoking and
chewing tobacco." At length he abandoned the quid and the pipe. His
voice, appetite, and strength were soon restored; all aches subsided,
and in a little time general health was enjoyed.
Another clergyman writes, "I thank God, and I thank you, for your advice
to abandon smoking; my strength has doubled since I relinquished this
abominable practice."
A respectable gentleman in middle life, who commenced chewing tobacco at
the age of eighteen, was long afflicted with depression of spirits,
great emaciation, and the usual dyspeptic symptoms.--All attempts to
relieve him were fruitless, till he was persuaded to dispense with his
quid. Immediately his spirits revived, and he soon regained his
health.[A]
[A] Extracts in point might here be given from numerous letters received
by the Author, since the publication of the first edition; but it is
unnecessary.
Cases of reform and cure are occurring by thousands, every year, all
over the land. Let every lover of tobacco, who is afflicted with
_dyspepsia_, and nervous maladies, _reform_, immediately and entirely;
and let him adopt a simple and rational system of diet, regimen, and
employment; and in nine cases out of ten, he may hope to enjoy good
health, and live long to bless the world.
The conclusion from all this evidence is established, that tobacco _is_
an _active poison_; that its constant use induces the most distressing
and fatal diseases; and that, as a medicine, it is rarely needful, and
never used, even _medicinally_, with entire confidence. This loathsome
weed, then, should not be used, even _medicinally_, except in extreme
cases, and then in the hands of a skillful physician. For every man--and
especially for every boy, who has hardly entered his teens--to take this
poison into his own hands, and determine for himself how much he will
use, is as preposterous, as if he were to take upon himself to deal out
arsenic, corrosive sublimate, or calomel.
No man can devote himself to the pipe, the quid, or the snuff-box,
without certain injury to his health and constitution. He may not
perceive the injury at once, on account of immediate exhilaration; but
complicated chronic complaints will creep upon him apace, making life a
burden, and issuing in premature dissolution. And just so certain as it
is our duty to do no murder,--to use all lawful means to preserve our
lives, and the lives of others; as certain is it our duty and our
privilege to practice _entire abstinence_ from the use of tobacco.
I maintain the position I have laid down,
III. From the consideration of the ruinous effects of tobacco upon the
_intellect_.
Here, again, let Professor Hitchcock speak. Says he, "Intoxicating
drinks, opium and tobacco, exert a pernicious influence upon the
intellect. They tend directly to debilitate the organs; and we cannot
take a more effectual course to cloud the understanding, weaken the
memory, unfix the attention, and confuse all the mental operations, than
by thus entailing upon ourselves the whole hateful train of nervous
maladies. These can bow down to the earth an intellect of giant
strength, and make it grind in bondage, like Sampson shorn of his locks
and deprived of his vision. The use of tobacco may seem to soothe the
feelings, and quicken the operations of the mind; but to what purpose is
it that the machine is furiously running and buzzing after the balance
wheel is taken off?"
The late Gov. Sullivan, speaking of the use of tobacco, says, "It has
never failed to render me dull and heavy, to interrupt my usual
alertness of thought, and to weaken the powers of my mind in analyzing
subjects and defining ideas."
The actual loss of _intellectual_ power, which tobacco has hitherto
occasioned, and is still causing, in this Christian nation, is immense.
How immense, it is impossible accurately to calculate. Many a man who
might have been a giant, has not risen above mediocrity; and many a man
who might have been respectable and useful, has sunk into obscurity, and
buried his talents in the earth. This is a consideration of deepest
interest to every philanthropist, patriot, and Christian in the land,
and especially to all our youth. We live at a time, and under
circumstances, which call for the exertion of all our intellectual
strength, cultivated, improved and sanctified, to the highest measure of
possibility. Error, ignorance, and sin, must be met and vanquished; they
must be met and vanquished by light and love. The eye of angels is upon
us,--the eye of God is upon us,--and shall we fetter, and palsy, and
ruin our intellectual capabilities, for the paltry pleasure of using one
of the most poisonous, loathsome, and destructive weeds found in the
whole vegetable kingdom? Let us rather shake off this abominable
practice, and rise, as individuals and as a nation, in all our
intellectual potency,--and let us go forth from day to day, to the noble
purposes of our destiny, untrammelled by the quid, or the pipe, or the
snuff-box; and before another generation shall lie down in the grave,
our efforts and our example may cause the light of human science, and
the light of civil and religious liberty, and the light of Bible truth,
to blaze through all our valleys, and over all our hills, from
Greenland to Cape Horn,--and with a lustre that shall illumine the
world.
I maintain my position,
IV. From a consideration of the ruinous effects of tobacco upon public
and private _morals_.
The ruinous effects of tobacco upon public and private morals, are seen
in the idle, sauntering habits, which the use of it engenders,--in the
benumbing, grovelling, stupid sensations which it induces,--but
especially in perpetuating and extending the practice of using
intoxicating drinks.
Governor Sullivan has truly said, "that the tobacco pipe excites a
demand for an extraordinary quantity of some beverage to supply the
waste of glandular secretion, in proportion to the expense of saliva;
and ardent spirits are the common substitutes; and the smoker is often
reduced to a state of dram drinking, and finishes his life as a sot."
Dr. Agnew has truly said, that "the use of the pipe leads to the
immoderate use of ardent spirits."
Dr. Rush has truly said, "that smoking and chewing tobacco, by rendering
water and other simple liquors insipid to the taste, dispose very much
to the stronger stimulus of ardent spirits; hence [says he] the practice
of smoking cigars, has been followed by the use of brandy and water as
common drink."
A writer in the Genius of Temperance, says that his practice of smoking
and chewing the filthy weed, "produced a continual thirst for
stimulating drinks; and this tormenting thirst [says he] led me into the
habit of drinking ale, porter, brandy, and other kinds of spirit, even
to the extent, at times, of partial intoxication." He adds, "I reformed;
and after I had subdued this appetite for tobacco, I lost all desire for
stimulating drinks."
Now the fact that some chew, and smoke, and snuff without becoming sots,
proves nothing against the general principle, that it is the natural
tendency of using tobacco to promote intoxication. Probably _one tenth_,
at least, of all the drunkards annually made in the nation, and
throughout the world, are made drunkards through the use of tobacco. If
thirty thousand drunkards are made annually in the United States, three
thousand must be charged to the use of tobacco. If thirty thousand
drunkards die annually, in the United States, three thousand of these
deaths must be charged to the use of tobacco. If twenty thousand
criminals are sentenced to our penitentiaries in twenty years, through
the influence of strong drink, two thousand must be charged to the use
of tobacco. If fifty-six millions of gallons of ardent spirits have been
annually consumed in this country, five and a half millions must be
charged to the use of tobacco. And of all the Sabbath-breaking,
profanity, quarrelling, and crime of every description, caused by the
use of intoxicating drink; a tithe must be charged to the use of
tobacco. And what friend of good morals,--what friend of man,--what
friend of his country,--what friend of Christ and true religion,--and
especially, what friend of the temperance cause,--can look at these
results with the eye of candor and compassion for his fellow-men, and
then not deliberately resolve that he will never chew another quid, nor
smoke another whiff, nor snuff another pinch of the dirty weed?
I maintain my position,
V. From a consideration of the amazing _waste of property_, which the
use of tobacco involves. On this point I have been unable to obtain the
means for making out a perfectly accurate statistical result. I can only
approximate a definite calculation. This approximation, however, will
serve all the purposes of this argument.
We will examine _three items_: the _cost_ of the article,--the _time_
wasted by the use of it,--and the _pauperism_ it occasions. From a
statement lately furnished me from the Treasury department of our
National Government, exhibiting the quantity and value of cigars and
snuff, exported from and imported into the United States, annually, from
1st October, 1820 to 30th September, 1832, it appears that the value of
cigars imported into the United States in 1821, was $113,601. In 1827 it
was $174,931. In 1832 it was $473,134; while from the same document it
appears that the value of cigars exported, in each of those years, was
about one quarter the value of imports.
Hence it appears that, in 1832, about half a million of dollars were
paid for imported cigars; while in 1821, only $113,601 were paid; being
more than a four-fold increase in eleven years. Whether there has been a
corresponding increase in the value of domestic cigars consumed, I have
no means of determining. From the fact of so prodigious an increase of
imported cigars, I am led to fear that the evil of cigar smoking has
increased in this country within ten years, far more rapidly than the
increase of population. From this treasury document, it appears also,
that in 1824, the value of unmanufactured tobacco exported from the
United States, was
$4,855,566
Of manufactured tobacco, the value was 2,477,990
Of snuff, 203,789
----------
Making a total of $7,537,345
In 1832, the value of unmanufactured tobacco exported,
was $5,999,769
Of manufactured tobacco, 3,456,071
Of snuff, 295,771
----------
Making a total of $9,751,611
for 1832, and an increase from the year 1824, of $2,214,266
Whether the quantity consumed in this country equals the quantity
exported, or exceeds that quantity, I have no data enabling me to give a
definite answer. But from the fact that large quantities of tobacco are
raised in various other parts of the world, for foreign consumption; and
from the fact that the people of this country are, above all other
people under the sun, a chewing, smoking, snuffing people; I have very
little doubt that the amount used in this country is double that
exported. If so, the sum total paid annually, for this vile weed, in
this christian country, is $19,503,222. But as I wish in this
examination, to put the estimate _below_ rather than _above_ the truth,
I will set down the value of tobacco, cigars, and snuff, consumed
annually in this nation, as equal to the amount exported; that is, in
round numbers, $10,000,000.
That this is a very _low_ estimate, will appear by another conclusive
calculation.
According to the census of 1830, the population of the U. States, over
twenty years of age, is about six millions. Suppose one in four of our
adult population, use tobacco in some form; (and this is a very moderate
supposition,) it gives one million, five hundred thousand: and suppose
one in twelve of those who have not reached the age of twenty, use it;
it gives five hundred thousand more: making a total of two millions--or
one sixth of our population--who use tobacco in some form.
Now suppose the expense to the consumers of this noxious drug, varies
according to the quantity, and mode of using it. The expense to some is
two dollars a year, to some it is five, and to others ten, twenty, and
even fifty dollars a year. A laboring man, of my acquaintance, who did
not use tobacco extravagantly, and only by chewing, told me that it cost
him five dollars a year. A young lady of my acquaintance, says her snuff
costs eight dollars a year. If a man pay three cents a day for cigars,
it amounts to ten dollars, ninety-five cents a year. If he pay six
cents, it amounts to twenty-one dollars, ninety cents a year. If he pay
twelve and a half cents, it amounts to forty-four dollars, sixty-two
cents a year.
It is the opinion of good judges, that very many, who smoke freely and
use Spanish cigars, pay more than fifty dollars a year for this foolish
gratification.
King James, in his "Counterblast," says, "Some of the gentry of this
land, bestow three, some four hundred pounds a year, upon this precious
stink."