TOBACCO.

INTRODUCTORY LESSON.

You have been learning about the poison alcohol, and what mischief is done by it; we will now study about another poison which thousands of persons are using every day. It is rolled in cigars and cigarettes, and hidden in snuff and pieces of tobacco, and does more harm to children and young people who use these things than to grown persons.

Perhaps you know how a person feels who takes tobacco or smokes a cigar for the first time; if not, we will tell you. He begins to be dizzy, to tremble, to become faint, and to vomit; his head aches, and he is so sick for hours, often for several days, that he scarcely knows what to do. Why is he so sick? Because tobacco poison has been taken into his lungs; also, some has mixed with the saliva and gone down into his stomach; and each part it has reached is striving to drive it out, and is saying, by the pain it causes, "You have given me poison; do not give me any more." If he had taken enough it would have killed him.

He recovers from this sickness and tries chewing or smoking again and again, until he becomes accustomed to the poison and can chew or smoke and it does not hurt him; so he thinks, but he is very much mistaken.

Tobacco is a poison, and hurts everybody who uses it every time they do so, although it does its evil work very slowly, unless taken in large quantities. To understand more about this we will try to learn how tobacco is obtained, what poison is in it, and in what way it harms people.

THE STORY ABOUT TOBACCO.

How it Came to be Used.—Tobacco is the leaves of the tobacco plant, a native of America. It was used by the Indians of this country before Columbus came here in 1492. Some of the Spaniards who were with him on his second visit took some of it back with them to Portugal, and told the people they had discovered a wonderful medicine. From Spain tobacco seed was sent to France by Jean Nicot, in 1560. It is said that Sir Walter Raleigh carried it to England in 1586, when Elizabeth was queen.

In a few years many civilized people were snuffing, chewing, and smoking tobacco, like the wild Indians, although it cost them a great deal of money to do so. King James does not seem to have liked it very much, for he said, "It is a custome loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs." He called the smoke "stinking fumes."

The Tobacco Plant. This plant belongs to the same family as the deadly nightshade, henbane, belladonna, thorn-apple, Jerusalem cherry, potato, tomato, egg-plant, cayenne pepper, bitter-sweet, and petunia. Most of the plants of this Nightshade family have more or less poison in their leaves or fruit. Tobacco is supposed to have been named from the pipe used by the Indians in smoking its leaves.

The common tobacco plant grows from three to six feet high, and has large, almost lance-shaped, leaves growing down the stems; its flowers are funnel-shaped and of a purplish color. When fresh the leaves have very little odor or taste.

How Tobacco is Used.—When the plants are ripe, they are cut off above the roots and placed where they will become dry, sometimes in a building made for this purpose, called "a tobacco house." After a short time they begin to smell strong and taste bitter. They are then stripped from the stems very carefully and sorted. The leaves nearest the root are considered the poorest, those at the top generally the best.

The different sorts are packed in separate hogsheads, and sent away to be sold to manufacturers of cigars, snuff, etc.

The manufacturer has some leaves rolled into cigars, some pressed into cakes for chewing, or into little pieces to be smoked in a pipe; while some are ground for snuff. While the dried leaves are being rolled, pressed, or ground, various substances are mixed with them to give them an agreeable odor and pleasant taste.

Yet, however pleasant the manufacturer may make them as he rolls, presses, or grinds, he cannot take the poison out of them. It remains in its brown covering to do much harm to those who may smoke the cigars, use the snuff, or chew the tobacco.

BLACKBOARD OUTLINE.

THE TOBACCO PLANT.
NATIVE OF
America. 		FOUND BY
Columbus, 1492. 		TAKEN TO
Portugal, 1496.
France, 1560. 		GROWS IN THE
Torrid and temperate zones.
(About 50 species.) England, 1586.
DESCRIPTION. FAMILY
Height, 3 to 6 feet.
Leaves, lance-ovate, and running down the stem.
Stem, hairy and sticky.
Flowers, funnel-shaped and purplish. 		The same as the Jerusalem Cherry,
Petunia,
Potato,
Tomato,
Egg-plant,
Red pepper, etc.
HOW MADE READY FOR USE.
(1) (2)
Cut-off above the roots.
Dried.
Stripped; sorted.
Packed, and sold to the manufacturers. 		Flavored and scented.
Rolled for cigars.
Pressed for chewing.
Ground for snuff.

THE POISON IN TOBACCO AND THE HARM IT DOES.

The Poison.—What is the poison in fermented liquors?—"Alcohol." In distilled liquors?—"Alcohol" True; and the strongest poison in tobacco is nicotine, named from the man who first sent it to France, Jean Nicot. Beside this it contains several others, some of which we shall tell you about when we make up our blackboard outline.

Tobacco, like alcohol, is a narcotic; that is, it soothes pain and produces sleep. Alcohol acts first upon the nerves; tobacco upon the muscles, which it weakens and causes to tremble. It often causes palpitation of the heart.

If the skin is scratched or punctured, and tobacco poison put into the wound, it will do the same harm as if it were taken into the stomach. Tobacco is so dangerous that physicians do not use it much as a medicine.

Harm done in the Stomach.—You remember that after alcohol has been swallowed, the little mouths of the stomach take it up and carry it to the liver, which sends it with the blood to different parts of the body.

Tobacco, as we have already told you, poisons more slowly. People do not swallow it purposely, yet some of it goes down, accidentally, into the stomach with the saliva, and makes trouble there, causing nausea and vomiting when taken for the first time. By and by the stomach seems to take the poison without being hurt, but it really suffers from dyspepsia or other diseases, and often loses its appetite for wholesome food.

Harm done in the Mouth, Throat, and Lungs.—The mouth takes in some of the poison through the pores of the membrane, or skin, which lines it; those who smoke, sometimes have what is called "smokers' sore throat"; besides this, the senses of taste and smell arc more or less injured by nicotine and the other poisons in tobacco.

The fumes, or smoke, from the weed fills the air with poisonous

vapor which irritates the lungs, not only of the smoker, but of all who are where they must breathe the same atmosphere. Lungs thus irritated are liable to become diseased.

Cigarettes are still more injurious than cigars because of the smoke from their paper coverings; also, because from the way they are made, more of the tobacco poison goes into the lungs. The cheap cigarette which boys use is made from cast-away cigar stumps and other filthy things.

Harm done in the Brain and Nerves.—The smoker feels so rested and comfortable, after his cigar, and his brain is so rested, that he does not think about the mischief that is going on among its blood-vessels and nerves; perhaps he has never heard that tobacco, snuffed, chewed, or smoked hurts the brain, and does not learn about it until he finds he is losing his memory, that his mind is not so strong to think as it should be, and his will too weak to help him conquer his love for the snuff, tobacco, or cigar, when he wishes to stop using it. He has become the slave of tobacco, and it is not easy to get free from his cruel enemy.

The nerves also lose their power, or become more or less paralyzed by nicotine and the other tobacco poisons.

More about the Harm done by Tobacco.—Some persons who continue to use tobacco are strong enough to throw off the poison through the lungs, the skin, and in other ways; but how much better it would be if they were not obliged to employ their strength in getting rid of that which does them no good, which only gives a little pleasure to nobody but themselves, and often makes those suffer who are compelled to remain where they are having "a good smoke." Beside, their breath and clothing have the tobacco odor, which not only makes the air impure, but is disagreeable to most people.

If this be true of smoking, what shall we say about the filthy habit of chewing, and the utterly useless and disgusting practice of taking snuff, which injures the voice as well as the senses of taste and smell?

And what about spitting tobacco juice on the floors of cars, steamboats, churches,—any place where it is convenient for the man or boy who has lost his common politeness in his love for tobacco?

We must not forget that cigars, etc., cost money. No one who smokes, chews, or snuffs would throw away dollars and cents which might be put into the savings bank, or used in buying something worth having for himself or somebody else.

Lastly, we would have you know that tobacco causes thirst, and this often leads to drinking alcoholic liquors. Some one who has studied this subject, says that "nine out of ten of the boys and young men who become drunkards have first learned to smoke or chew tobacco." A New York daily paper gave a list of 294 cases of insanity caused by drinking, in 246 of which the whiskey drinking followed tobacco chewing.

Tobacco and alcohol make thousands of wretched homes, and send a great many people to prison or to the insane asylum; so we entreat you to turn from beer, wine, and all alcoholic liquors as you would from a serpent, and say No, when tempted to smoke a cigar or use tobacco in any form.

Do this all the more decidedly because, as we have told you before, alcohol and tobacco hurt children and young persons in every way more than they injure any one else. If you have begun to use these poisons, give them up this very day, before the habit of using them becomes too strong for you to break.

QUESTIONS ON THE USE OF TOBACCO.

Of what poison beside alcohol have you been studying?—"Tobacco."

How is tobacco used?—"Some take it in snuff; some chew it; some smoke it in a pipe; some smoke it in cigars or cigarettes."

What is the name of the strongest poison in tobacco?—"Nicotine."

What harm does tobacco poison do to the body?—See Blackboard Outline.

What harm does it do to the mind?—See Blackboard Outline.

Whom does it harm most?—"Those who begin to use it when they are children or very young."

What happens to children or young people if they use tobacco in any way?—"They are not healthy; they are not strong; they do not grow fast; they look pale and sickly."

How does the tobacco poison hurt their minds?—"They cannot learn fast; they often forget what they have learned."

What often makes tobacco-chewers, snuffers, and smokers disagreeable to clean people?—"Their breath smells of tobacco; their clothes smell of tobacco; they poison the air with tobacco-fumes; some have the filthy habit of spitting tobacco-juice wherever they happen to be."

What other harm does the use of tobacco do to people?—"It makes them waste time and money; it leads some to drink alcoholic liquors and to go with bad company."

If you are wise how will you treat tobacco?—"I will let it alone."

If you have begun to use it what had you better do?—"Give it up to-day."

Why to-day?—"Because the longer I use it the harder it will be for me to give it up."

If you keep on using it what will you be?—"A tobacco slave."

BLACKBOARD OUTLINE.

TOBACCO.
POISONS IN TOBACCO SMOKE. EFFECTS OF THE POISONS.
Carbonic acid Causes sleepiness and headache.
Carbonic oxide Causes trembling of the muscles and heart.
Ammonia Bites the tongue; makes too much work for the salivary glands.
Nicotine See below.
NICOTINE
IS
Odorous,
Pungent,
Emetic,
Poisonous,
Pain-soothing,
Sleep-producing, i.e. Narcotic. 		CAUSES
Weakness,
Nervousness,
Dizziness,
Nausea,
Faintness,
Loss of strength,
Stupor,
If taken in large quantities Convulsions and Death.
SOME OF THE HARM DONE BY TOBACCO
TO THE BODY. TO THE MIND, ETC.
Poisons the saliva.
Injures the sense of smell, taste, sight, and hearing.
Causes "smokers' sore-throat."
Injures the stomach, causing dyspepsia, etc.
Often takes away the appetite for wholesome food.
Irritates the air-cells of the lungs.
Causes palpitation of the heart.
Weakens the muscles, causing trembling.
Injures the eyes.
Excites, then stupefies and paralyzes the brain and the nerves. 		Makes the memory poor.
Lessens the power to think.
Weakens the will.
Makes people grow in selfishness and impoliteness.
Makes people waste time and money.
Often leads to drunkenness and bad company.
Sometimes causes insanity.

OPIUM AND OTHER NARCOTICS.

Opium.—Opium is the juice obtained from the seed-vessels of the white poppy before they are ripe; this is dried, and smoked in a pipe or chewed. It makes a person feel very pleasant and happy for a little while, then so horribly wretched that he takes more of the poison to forget his misery. So he keeps on until mind and body are a complete wreck. Now and then an opium slave gets free from the dreadful habit which has mastered him, but usually the slavery ends only in death.

Laudanum and Morphine.—These soothe pain and cause sleep; but beware of them; they are made from opium, and like it, though more slowly, hurt mind and body.

Beware also of chloral hydrate and chloroform, which physicians give to ease suffering and produce sleep. Endure pain rather than form the habit of using these narcotics.

Hashish, etc.—This is prepared from the hemp plant growing in hot countries, and is a terribly exciting poison.

The areca nut, the seed from a kind of palm, pear-shaped, and resembling a nutmeg, is mixed with quick-lime and wrapped in a betel-leaf, which grows on a vine belonging to the pepper family. This mixture reddens the saliva and lips, and blackens the teeth. It is chewed by millions of people in India.

The leaves of the coca, also of the thorn apple, are smoked or chewed by the South American Indian.

All these poisons mean the same thing,—

A little pleasure, DISEASE, and DEATH.