258 The Soverane Herbe 



human nature, or, rather, the good to be found in the 

 very meanest, is a delightful one to the average man. 

 The humble smoker, of unknown life and deed, likes 

 to remember that his delight was the delight, too, of 

 the world's greatest men. 



To two-thirds of mankind, whether they move in 

 the higher or lower spheres of life, whether their lots 

 are cast in the arena of politics, literature, art, or of 

 commerce and manufacture, tobacco is more than a 

 mere weed : it is a comforter, sweetener, and inspira- 

 tion of life. What civilization owes to tobacco can 

 never be known. That a plant once used by only the 

 savage aborigines of America should be now the 

 solace and inspiration of all sorts and conditions of 

 men, not only of the vast mass of humanity, but of 

 the brightest intellects and greatest men that this 

 world has had and has, declares beyond argument that 

 ' there is no herb like it under the canopy of heaven.' 



