To Smoke or Not to Smoke? 315 



principle of the measure was agreed to, but the 

 practical difficulties of its enforcement led to its 

 rejection. The Government agreed, however, to the 

 appointment of a Commission to inquire ' Whether 

 the noxious action of tobacco is sufficiently proved 

 to become a subject of consideration as a matter 

 affecting the public health.' The verdict was in the 

 affirmative, but with the very qualifying rider that 

 except in cases of excessive smoking the injury is 

 infinitesimal. This, it should be noted, applied to 

 French tobacco. 



Excess, of course, is inevitably injurious. A 

 Government inquiry is not needed to discover that. 

 It is noteworthy, however, that the crusade in 

 France is headed by ' The Society against the Abuse 

 of Tobacco.' English anti-smokers protest against 

 its use, even when it may be, and is, beneficial. 



During this French inquiry an interesting fact was 

 brought to light. One of the subjects of investigation 

 was whether crimes of violence were instigated by the 

 use of tobacco. Not a single case was found where 

 crime had been committed when smoking, the nearest 

 instance being that of a criminal who admitted that 

 he always smoked a cigar when forging a signature, 

 as he found it calmed his nerves and steadied his 

 hand. Similar investigations in Germany had the 

 same result, as had an unofficial inquiry in England. 

 In the words of the report, ' A man who is smoking 

 is not likely to commit a bad act. Tobacco seems to 

 make him better natured and more resigned.' 



Yet Tolstoi declares that man smokes, not from 

 inclination, nor for pleasure, distraction, or amuse- 



