TOBACCO AND MEN OF LETTERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 67, 12 December 1907, Page 5

TOBACCO AND MEN OF LETTERS.

"DIVINE, RARE, SUPER-EXCELLENT."

Hobbes, of Malmesbury, the famous philosopher, held that tobacco was of "rare and singular virtue," and proved it by living to the age of' 92. Burton praised tobacco as a "sovsreign remedy for all diseases!' when rightly used, and as severely denounced its' common .abuse, holding it to bo too "divine, rare, super-excellent",for frequent use. Locke implied that tobacco is as great a necessity as bread—"Bread or tobacco may be neglected, but reason at first recommends them, trial and custom.make them pleasant." it was in contemplative smoking that Sir Isaac Newton, comprehended the law of gravitation, and ovor countless pipes, elaborated his great discovery.

Dr. Parr and his pipo will go down to posterity together. He smoked incessantly, in season and out of season; wherever he was he must, have a smoke, for "no pipo, no Parr" was'his motto.

Pope and Swift both took snuff and tobacco. Addison and Steele smoked'many a pipo with Sir Roger do Covorlcy. Bolingbroke, Prior, Phillips, and Sterne were all smokors. Dr. Johnson smoked liko a furnace, and took . snnlf like the Scotsmen lie so hated. He kept his snuff in his' waistcoat pockot, and with characteristic slovenliness his dress was .always smeared with it. All his frienJa—Goldsmith, Reynolds, Garrick—were his companions in tobacco-worship. • Equally devout Nicotians were ..Fielding, Hogarth, and Jenner.—"Tribune.".