Literary Men and Tobacco

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 392, 10 August 1889, Page 3

Literary Men and Tobacco

Thp, French Society Against fche Use of Tobacco lias been collecting the" opinions of distinguished literary men on smoking, and some of them have just been published in a Paris paper. M. Tame, while confessing that he smokes cigarettes, which afford a distraction in idle moments, declares smoking to be a slavery, and often a danger. Zola ceased to smoke ten or twelve years ago, on the advice of his doctor, at a time when he was threatened with heart disease. He admits, however, that he often reerrets the loss of his cigar. Frangois Coppee has smoked for nearly thirty years, and always cigarettes, which he , throws away after the first puffe. He regards tobacco as a useful stimulant to work. He ea>B his health is feeble, but that smoking has nothing to do with it. Dumas began to smoke late in life, and had to abandon the habit owing to severe attacks of vertigo, which did not finally cease till some years after he had given up smoking. This distinguished writer declares that tobacco, with alcohol, is the most formidable foe of the intellect. M. Barbier say.s that he nearly sacrificed his life owing to nersisbent smoking. M. Augier declares that, after having smoked forty years, he has been compelled to give up that 'sweet intoxication ' ' which was fast sending him to his grave,' OctaVe Feuillet says he was at one time a" heavy smoker, but the constant recurr^ice of nervous complaints, traceable to ,obacco, compelled him to throw away ins pipe. . Smoking he declares to be injurious, especially to nervous people. It produce? at first' a slight excitation, which terminates in somnolence. It may be well to quote the opinion of Victor Hugo, given some time before his death, which may be summed up in a sentence — ( Tobacco changes thinking to dreaming.'.