254: A PREVENTIVE OF ANGER. 



its bloodless character not a little to the influence of snuff. 

 We read of difficulties in its course, which, fifty years previ- 

 ously, would inevitably have led to bloodshed, being easily, 

 almost humorously surmounted. The plagued nation effected 

 a revolution over its snuff-boxes in the happiest conceivable 

 manner. 



" Having ventured so far I am inclined to put forward a 

 yet higher claim which snuff has upon our gratitude, and to 

 hint that the great deeds of great men who were snuff-takers 

 may be traced by a chain of reasoning slight, yet conclusive 

 to this dearly prized luxury. The hackneyed saying that 

 time is money, or money's worth, has more truth in it than 

 most of the fallacies which are supposed to regulate our con- 

 duct. The most important events of our lives often hinge on 

 moments. A moment to stifle passion, to summon reflection, 

 to plunge into the past and bring up a buried memory, to 

 consider results, is often of the utmost consequence, and this 

 valued moment the pinch of snuff insures, when, without it, 

 delay would be simply embarrassment. The pinch of snuff, 

 taken at the right instant, secures an important reprieve, 

 during which the unpleasant question may be evaded, the 

 hasty reply reconsidered, or an angry repartee thought better 

 of, while the same time gained serves to improve the diplo- 

 matist's equivoque, to point the orator's satire, and polish the 

 wit's mot. In a word, its use on important occasions affords, 

 to every one who needs them, better means of acting upon 

 Talleyrand's mischievous yet clever aphorism that language 

 is useful rather to conceal than to express our thoughts. 

 Moreover, the action necessary in conveying the tempting 

 graces to their destination has not urif requently been found " 

 useful. It employs the hasty hand that may itch to take 

 illegal vengeance for fancied insults ; it serves to hide the 

 angry twitching mouth and passionately expanding nostrils, 

 to give a natural expression to changes of the countenance 

 which would otherwise indicate emotion, and to parry atten- 

 tion till reason has been summoned to supplant passion. 



" It is denied (in a rather irritating way sometimes) that 

 the subject of our article has any beneficial influence upon 

 the intellects of its patrons We are not about to claim for 

 it any such exalted qualities, but we may be allowed to men- 

 tion a fact or so which entitles it to some respect medicinally. 

 As we have before stated, in its early days it was considered 

 to possess powerful healing qualities, and even now is found 

 of use in cases of headache and weak sight. It was also 



