TOBACCO. 81 



to make war upon each other for the purpose 

 of capturing children, whom they adopted into 

 their tribes in order to keep up tribal exist- 

 ence. 



In France, the first country to adopt its use, 

 nearly a century ago it began to be whispered 

 that race suicide was taking place. The whis- 

 per grew to a loud accusation. There was no 

 explanation given for the phenomenon. It is 

 also characteristic of this people at the present 

 day that they are undersized. Their soldiers 

 especially show this peculiarity. Soldiers are 

 usually the picked men of a nation in physical 

 development. 



Since then America has had the same charge 

 of race suicide placed against the wealthier 

 and older families. Here also it is noticed that 

 the men are deteriorating in height, thus throw- 

 ing into apparent prominence the perfection of 

 physical beauty of the women and the finer 

 development of certain classes of immigrants 

 and their descendants. 



Women, with few exceptions, have not taken 

 kindly to tobacco. It is probably owing to this 

 that the white race has escaped a more speedy 

 decadence. But how long may this be said? 

 They are generally the daughters of men who 

 are its slaves and will, in time, succumb to the 

 poison inherited in their blood. 



6 



