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begin inhaling the smoke of your own pipe or cigar
as a cigarette smoker does the smoke of his cigar
ette, and you know what will be the result.
But what of this inhaled smoke? Does it do any
harm? Let us see: The most delicate tissues in
the body are those of the air cells in the lungs. So
delicate are they that the poisonous contents of
the blood oozes through them by what the doctors
call “osmosis.”
Now, inhaling this smoke, what follows? In the
first place, there is abnormal heat taken into the
lungs, which, persistently being kept up, leads to
thickening and congestion of these tissues, thus
permitting easy transmission of the impurities of
the blood and also the impurities of the atmos
phere for blood building.
This, you will easily see, will account, in part,
for the peculiar, sallow look that the habitual cig
arette smoker has.
But not only is this true, the hot smoke, poison
ed by arsenic and opium, with the oxygen of the air,
oozes through those delicate membranes, and comes
in contact with the blood. Not that portion that
goes simply to the extremities, but that which also
goes to the brain. The result is, that the man, who
habitually smokes cigarettes, in post-mortem, shows
brain tissue saturated with this damnable stuff.
Character Destruction.
Now, any man who knows anything about the
science of which I am speaking, knows that the
first effect of chronic arsenic and opium poisoning
is the destruction of moral character. This is why
every opium eater is known to be a liar. There
is not a court of justice in the world that would
take his testimony. There isn’t a doctor, who
knows how to give bread 'pills, that does not
know that this is true.
The use, then, of these drugs in the way describ
ed, accounts for the break-down of the moral cen
ters of those who habitually use them. I maintain
that the man is a simple idiot who cannot see
through this entire process when he has been prop
erly informed. It is not a criticism against tobac
co; that might be entirely legitimate, but in this
sense that is not the one to make; it is a criticism
against a poison in the nature of the cigarette,
brought about both in its contents and the method
of its use, the latter being equally as important as
the former.
The Opinion of Experts.
But let us see something of how the thinking part
of the world is regarding this evil today. I refer
to the evil of the cigarette. In the catalogue of
one of the greatest business institutions of the day,
a business college system that embraces more than
twenty branch colleges throughout this country,
there recently appeared this communication:
“Os the many, many thousand students who have
attended our colleges, we have never had one who
proved to be an excessive cigarette smoker to make
a success of his work. Even the progress of the
mild cigarette smoker is retarded in proportion to
the extent of its use. It seems it is impossible for
them to retain, even while students, the knowledge
they are supposed to acquire while in school. Those
who smoke cigarettes and complete the course, sim
ply drag through in a half asleep way. Another
great disadvantage is, that many firms, under no
consideration, employ a young man who smokes
cigarettes to any extent.”
Are not these words entitled to some weight?
Should not the man who is at the head of a great
institution like this, with thousands of students
under him, know something about this matter?
Could he have any earthly reason for mistaking
facts?
But he is not alone. I have talked with scores of
college presidents and superintendents, and have
not yet found one that did not say that he could
spot every cigarette smoker in the college or
school by the way he made his classes. The presi
dent of one of the leading institutions in this state,
said to me not long ago: “I have never known a
habitual cigarette smoker make his degree in my
school.”
Everywhere today the brand is being put on the
cigarette smoker. Great railroads all over this
The Golden Age for October 11, 1906.
right to smoke them during the hours of work, but
when they are on the streets.
Likewise, great business houses are taking the
same stand. Why? Because they have seen that
character is dethroned, and a man without charac
ter is not wanted in any place but the brothel and
hell.
The Mathematics of the Cigarette.
Listen, will you, to this closing word:
I have recently been in conference with this cig
arette demon. I have heard his pretense, and •
his deception. Boldly he makes his brags that
though I am not a mathematician, I can add to a
man’s nervous troubles. I can’t work subtraction,
yet I can subtract from a man’s physical, mental
and moral energy. I can not multiply; I know not
the multiplication table, yet I can multiply a
man’s aches and pains. I can not work division.
I know neither long nor short, but I can divide a
man’s mental powers. Interest I know nothing
about, but I can take a man’s interest from his
work, from his home, from bis church. I know
nothing of discount, how to bring it about, how to
get at it I do not know, but I can discount a man’s
chances for success in all the departments of his
life.
Unconscious Beauty.
By Margaret A. Richard.
Dimpled cheeks and wavy hair,
Eyes that like twin-stars appear,
Queen of beauties everywhere—
Does she know' how fair she is?
♦
Lips that match the crimson rose
Ere a flower full it blows;
Skin that like the sea-shell glows—
Does she know how fair she is?
“Does she know?” Ah, I who dare
Love her with a love as rare
As her peerless self, declare
She knows not how fair she is!
’Tis her sweet, unconscious grace
Makes unique her winsomeness;
She would have a rare charm less—
Did she know how fair she is!
Traveling Through the Storm.
(A graphic account of a trip from Atlanta to
New Orleans through the recent storm; from a per
sonal letter by a lady passenger.)
“New Orleans, Sunday, Sept. 30, 1906.—When
we left Atlanta Wednesday afternoon how
confident we felt that our arrival here would be
prompt, and what a contrast to this idea was the
real trip! We got on splendidly, it is true, until
we reached Mobile during the night, or rather the
early morning of Thursday, and we were quite “on
time” at that city, but there the storm began and
it was merciful that the train succeeded in gaining
many miles from there as the worst of the storm
was felt at Mobile. We got as far as Scranton,
Miss., but could go no further as the track was
washed away for miles. We had to remain there
until Friday afternoon and all kinds of rumors
were afloat. At one time we heard it would take
a month to repair the damage both before and be
hind us, and in the meantime, of course, we would
have to reside in Scranton! But we were fortunate
to be there and to thus avoid the starvation that
w’as feared, as we could and did get something to
eat at Scranton. The hotel, however, was too far
from the train for many to walk, so some meals
'were brought on board. The situation was most
trying, but I can only thank God it was no worse.
The principal thing that worried me was the knowl
edge that I could get no message of my safety to
my dear ones either in Atlanta or New Orleans;
this was far worse than my own discomfort. Well,
to make a very long story short, the railroad peo
ple succeeded in getting us transportation to Biloxi
and to that place we went on a barge drawn by
two tugs. The trip lasted four and a half hours
and L. declared he really enjoyed the sea trip!
It was a most ludicrous sight to see all the passen
gers from the crowded cars—79 in all—sitting
among the baggage and taking just whatever places
they could get; mine was on top of the immense
mail bags with my back against a suit case. We
reached Biloxi at 8:30 and after spending the night
there left at 6:19 for New Orleans. I didn’t be
lieve that we could make the trip, but I was agree
ably surprised, for at the appointed time we were
again “all aboard,” bound for the dear Crescent
City. I cannot say I enjoyed a feeling of perfect
security, for I trembled in every limb as the
weighty train crossed the long bridge that had been
nearly washed away by the storm. We seemed to
creep along and I was so glad at this evidence of
carefulness. All along the route the scenes of
devastation were appalling—not a town escaped the
ravages of the storm—one of the most terrible in
the history of this locality. The accounts from
Mobile are perfectly heart-rending and they in
clude great loss of life. How lucky we were not
to have been there! My heart is full of most
grateful thinks to the Almighty for our safety,
for we did reach New Orleans about 10:30 Satur
day morning, just 52 hours after leaving Atlanta!
Our reception there was a dramatic scene, as the
anxiety for our safety had been very great. What
an experience it all was, but I kept well and have
not suffered at all from the long, dangerous jour
ney.”
The Beauty and Duty of Organized
Charity.
(Continued from page 2.)
Often many cases of destitution were reported
by school teachers, and these cases have been proven
to be among the most deserving which the Associa
tion reaches. Often little girls, not more than ten
or twelve years old were kept at home in order to
maintain entire families, and many sad facts are
revealed through the agency of the school teacher
who at once refers the cases to the Association
for alleviation and investigation. The cause of
practical education has no more useful agent than
this great body of men and women who are work
ing together for the common good.
Judicious Charity.
Just as civilizing as is the effect of judicious char
ity, so degrading is the result from heedless giving,
and most persons are in actual need of instruction
on this point, ft is a temptation to relieve seem
ing distress by carelessly dropping a coin into a
street-beggar’s outstretched hand, but it is to avoid
just such heedlessness that the N. Y. A. I. C. P.
is constantly striving. The public is urged to give
alms, it is true, but to do so through well directed
mediums, and in thus giving, to be assured of act
ual aid reaching truly needy cases—each case tnat
can be mentioned on request, and the entire history
of the use to which any individual offering is put,
may be had on request.
Charity in the South.
Almost every Southern state has some such or
ganized body for dispensing charity as the one
mentioned which is doing this noble work in New
York, but in many instances our methods are as
primitive as our means are limited. In Georgia,
however, the children of the poor have found a
faithful friend in the person of the Rev. J. R.
Gunn, General Manager of the Georgia Industrial
Home, at Macon, Ga. For years Dr. Gunn has labor
ed for the betterment of the people, and, especially,
for the small children of today, who form the per
sonnel of the great commonwealth of tomorrow.
A similar philanthropist is Judge John C. Feris,
of Tennessee, who has placed thousands of homeless
little ones in good homes, and who has done much
toward the founding, support ami improvement of
the Tennessee Industrial Home, at Nashville, Tenn.
Industrial education is the most advanced form
of philanthropy which we know, and the South is
rich in such evidences of her people’s 'efforts to
give needed aid.
We welcome all such signs of an advanced Chris
tian spirit, and we give it support, encouragement
and commendation now and for all time.
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