CHAPTER XVIII 



TO SMOKE OR NOT TO SMOKE? 



Charles Lamb's noonday opinion of smoking — Medical opinion 

 of smoking — Drs. Pereira, Christison, Brodie, B. W. Richard- 

 son, Lankester, Andrew Wilson — French Government in- 

 quiry into smoking — Not immoral — Tolstoi on smoking — 

 Smoking not inducive to drinking — The contemplative 

 man's recreation — Its opposition to chatter and talkation — 

 ' Divine, rare, super-excellent tobacco.' 



This question is really synonymous with Hamlet's 

 famous soliloquy, for smoke is life to many. There 

 are few people, however, bold and independent, un- 

 prejudiced and open-minded enough to discuss this 

 question in a fair spirit. Mankind is naturally divided 

 into two classes — those who smoke and those who 

 do not. The former answer the question by lighting 

 a pipe, and the latter by distributing anti-smoking 

 pamphlets. In neither case is the question fairly 

 argued without prejudice. 



' What do you think about smoking ?' asked Charles 

 Lamb of Coleridge. ' I want your sober average 

 noon opinion of it ; generally I am eating my dinner 

 about the time I should determine it. . . . Morning 

 is a girl and can't smoke — she's no evidence one 

 way or another ; and Night is so evidently bought over 



