40 THE TOBACCO NUISANCE. 



confined to the usors it would be Lad enougli, but it is not, but 

 "..s a source of annoyanco and discomfort to others as wclb 

 Tf it is wronc: for me to smi unkind irorJs it is surelv wrona; to 

 (ft) unkind f/tiiif/s. Tlie Law of politeness is violated daily by 

 every user of the weed, and there was more truth than poetry 

 in the re[)ly of a French lady to the question, " Is it cflensivo 

 to you for gcntlenun to smoke in your presence"? " No gen- 

 thhmn ever does so."' What would be thought of a man who, 

 having ac(|uired a taste for assafi'tiilii' would claim the right to 

 oceu]\y the s;une seat with yoti in the train and i)crsist in 

 ])olluting tlio floor with tla; juice of the nauseous thing. 

 To many Tobacco is l)ut litthi less oifensixe. An atmos- 

 phere most disagreeable suriounds the user, everything about 

 him smells of it, his room, clothes and breath are cliargt>d 

 with it. At home and abroad, in company and alone, by day 

 and by night, on the road, the sidewalk, the platform and walls, 

 in the carriage, on the doorsteps, on car[)ets, hearths, stoves, on 

 the steamers' deck and the railcar iloor we lind ti'aces of the 

 fdthy habit. Doctors, ministers and others addicted to its use, 

 vvdioso duties have led them to the sick room have occasioned 

 gi'cat discomfort to those to whoiii tiiey have ministered. And 

 v\o\\ places sacre(l|y set apart for the worship of a [)ure and 

 lujly C-od, have l»een so scandalously abused by Tobacco users as 

 to render kneeling out of th(> (juestion because of the quantities 

 of sali\a }'o]hiting the lh)oi'. 



This is certainly no ti'i\ i;d mattei-. Not only is the s}tirit of 

 onr holy religion opposed to it, but the h-tter as well. Are wo 

 not \\v\iyx] to "abstain from llcshly lusts that war against the 

 sou.r'? Are \<v not commanded to "cleanse ourselves from all 

 filthiness of the (losh and spii'it'' in order to " perfect holiness 

 in the fcai' of (\od''? Ar(! we \uA ui'ged to "do U!ito others a.s 

 we would that others would do unto us"? and to avoid in any 

 way all that is annoying or iiritating. Are we not re([iiired to 

 practict^ self-denial and to avoid eve-n the lawful if others can 

 be helped to do better and be lietter by our abstinence? In 



