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Page 31 text:
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A Tragedy in One Act Played with sickening success every season since Bull Durham was a calf. The Time— Session of 1916-191 7. The Place — Southern University or any other college. Persons — A young man, from noble ancestry, rather pleasing personality, attire not surpassing that of a Jim Ham or a J. Thomas, but neat and careful. An Old Croaker whom the young man regards with a sort of condescending tolerance. Young Man — You talk about unwarranted abridgment of liberty, such as the fanatical prohibition statutes, or John Wallace ' s game laws, but I ' ll tell you, the very apex of narrow-minded intolerance is reached by the old Croakers who advocate the total abolition of the manufacture and sale of cigarettes. If there is anything which I consider to be a greater reflection upon a man ' s intelligence than an Anti-Tobacco League, it is an Anti-Saloon League. Why, what is the harm in smoking a cigar- ette? It is really funny to hear the old Croakers talk about the ill effects of that which they know nothing about. They throw a horrible fit when they observe the color of a fellow ' s fingers. They seem to arbitrarily assume that the thing is hurt- ful to the human body and then proceed to search for a theory to sustain the assump- tion. At one time they tried to frighten us by telling us that our lungs contained little sacks of nicotine accumulated by successive inhalations of tobacco smoke ; at another time they thought they ' d make us believe that there was serious damage resulting from some kind of dope in the paper. They simply don ' t know what they are talking about, that is all there is to it; and ' tis amusing to me, though some times annoying, to hear them talk. Did you ever notice that they always preface their remarks by flinging out this hot one: Now, you all know, I ' m no crank on the subject of tobacco. I like a good cigar just about as well as the next one; when, as a matter of fact, the old hyp has a quid in his jaw right then, and if you will keep close watch you will see him duck his head and squirt a flash of brown liquid into the spittoon which you had not noticed before. Old Croaker — You say that the cranks on the subject of cigarettes have made them- selves ridiculous because they have abandoned certain theories as to the ill effects of smoking and adopted others. Did you ever stop to think that is precisely the way along which progress is made? History shows that generally the first theory advanced in explanation of any phenomena was wrong. Medical science groped its way from theory to theory in accounting for malarial fever. In the meantime his majesty. Anopheles Mosquito, the purveyor of malaria, sang his way through the world unmolested. George Ade told the truth when he said that during this time chills and fever entered into the program of every life, while those who chat- tered thought they were being jounced by the hand of Providence. But when science evolved a theory supported by a series of experimental facts, what did we do? As intelligent beings we could do but one thing; that is, we began to act according to the facts as we were made to know them. We invaded the domain of Anopheles and caused quinine to ' cease to be a staple. Young Man — But, my friend, because malaria is bad proves nothing as to smoking. That reminds me of the old chestnut: If there are ten million germs on a dollar bill, how many on a ten-dollar bill? I do not mean to be personal, but must say that the mental processes of some people are like a certain game I ' ve heard of — you never know what is going to turn up. You are assuming that smoking is harm- 23
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Page 32 text:
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V. ful. Suppose I do not accept that as true? I see no ill effects in myself; I know men who lived long and efficient lives, smoking to the last. Old Croaker — I wish it were possible for me to make you see that the habit of smok- ing is at least open to question. If I could make you see that, I ' d thunder it at you that WHAT IS OPEN TO DISPUTE IS NOT OPEN TO INDULGENCE. It would be impossible for me to mention all the evidences of the ill effects of smoking. Perhaps no one knows all of them. Could it be possible that smoking caused that bad throat? Why does that boy ' s chest look like an elephant had stepped on it? Look at his pale face. Did you hear him cough? Do you remem- ber having heard anybody say that the college honor rolls are made up from the list of those who do not smoke cigarettes? The mind of the cigarette fiend has a wonderful capacity to resist the acquisition of knowledge. The poisonous effect of cigarette smoking seems to have been demonstrated experimentally by the late Dr. W. L. Dudley of Vanderbilt University. He showed this to be due to the presence of carbon monoxide in the smoke. His biographer. Dr. J. T. McGill, describes the process in the following paragraph: Carbon monoxide forms a compound with the haemoglobin of the blood. This change in the blood is readily detected by means of the spectroscope. If a cigarette inserted in the end of a glass tube be lighted and air drawn through it by means of an aspirator, the cigarette will be consumed as in smoking. If a mouse under a bell jar placed between the aspirator and the burning cigarette breathes the products of the combustion, freed from other products than carbon monoxide by wash- ing through suitable solvents, the mouse will die without finishing the second cigarette. Examination of the blood of the mouse with the spectroscope then shows the presence of carbon monoxide haemoglobin. The smoke from a cigarette, cigar, or pipe contains carbon monoxide; and if the smoke be inhaled and taken through the lungs into the blood, the result of carbon monoxide poison- ing by the conversion of the haemoglobin of the blood into carbon monoxide haemoglobin. A boy can smoke a larger number of cigarettes because he has a larger amount of blood than the mouse and also dilutes the carbon monoxide with air inhaled through the nose. According to this point of view, then, all forms of smoking, cigarette, pipe, are hurtful, provided the smoker inhales the smoke. (The young man is seen to put his hand into his pocket, draw out a little white thing, roll it between his hands, play with the end of it for a second, and place it tenderly in his mouth, while he smiles and repeats an old jingle he had heard some- where:) Young Man — What have the old croakers said of you, sweet. Sweet cigarette? What can rival your solace in house or street? Can ' t leave you yet. My pet. Humph! In my coffin ihey call you a nail, Sweet cigarette. Pun on my coughin ' — but that won ' t avail. Can ' t quit yet, My pet. They say that you will come with my bier some day Sweet cigarette. And they are right. You do come with my bier, and stay. Quit? Nothing doin — yet. My pet. (Exeunt Old Croaker, head down and muttering a quotation from an old book about somebody who, having eyes, sees not.) ?4
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