Tobacco Must Go!

Observer, Volume XI, Issue 753, 3 June 1893, Page 3

Tobacco Must Go!

Under this heading, an esteemed correspondent sends me an amusing letter concerning the decision of the Auckland Band of Hope Union to provide for an optional pledge against the use of tobacco amongst its members. But I cannot agree with my correspondent. I must confess that I do not regard the use of tobacco with very much favour, and I consider it almost a crime to place it in the hands of boys. Of course, it cannot do much harm to men, and unquestionably it exercises the soothing influences claimed for it, but oh, what a dirty, foulsmelling habit it is. My sympathies are with the Auckland Band of Hope Union, and I hope the pledge which it intends to place before its members will do much to lessen the pernicious habit of smoking amongst boys. At the same time, it is only right that we should hear every side of a question, and with this introduction, I give the remarks of my correspondent. He speaks : —

' Tobacco mußt go. Auckland Band of Hope Union has said it, and there is an end of it. The soothing pipe, the comforting oigar, the seductive cigarette, the pungent pinch and the palatable ping are all doomed. They may linger for a while indeed, but it cannot be for long. At the last meeting of the A.B.d.U. a Mr B. Moody read a paper advocating the addition of an anti-smoking pledge to the constitution. Ruinous to the constitution of the individual, urged the mild Moody, tobacco would materially

strengthen the constitution of the Union. That is the anti-smoking pledge would materially strengthen it. You follow me, no doubt ?

' I hope so. This is a serious matter.. Tobacco has been put upon its trial by Moody and found guilty, without a recommendation to mercy. In terse and vigorous language Moody read the indictment and addressed the meeting. In terse and vigorous language he summed up with the advice : "If you are in the habit of smoking — give it up. If you have never acquired the habit of smoking — don't learn." Then he proceeded to move that the Band of Hope pledge should be extended to include " abstinence from tobacco in any form." '

Then up jumped Mrs Collins with : ' See what trouble and pain we women have to straggle with, and yet we do without the pipe.' Machiavellian Mis Collins ! Not a word about cigarettes ? But many women do not do without the pipe, Mrs Collins. The Irish and the Welsh women, of the humbler class, smoke as freely as their male kind, and many a London charwoman oan colour a clay as artistically as any masculine devotee of the weed.

' And how about the Maori women, Mrs Collins? Oh, no, that argument won't hold water. Brother Brame thought the necessity for an anti-tobacco crusade should be brought under the notice of the Auckland Ministers' Association. But the success of that move, supposing it is made, is, I should say, likely to be doubtful. For this reason : let me whisper : a good many of the Auckland ministers, like the late C. H. Spurgeon, are believerß in and, users of the weed. Finally an amendment to Mr Moody's motion favouring an optional pledge, was carried. So tobacco is reprieved— for the time. The A.B.H.U. will allow anyone to smoke who wants to but had much rather they would not.

• If ever these would-be social reformers are allowed to work their own sweet will— which certainly seems rather problematical—the world will be a queer kind of place. No theatres, no dances, no smoking, no drinking, no novels, no society papers (ahem !), no cards, or other " sinful games." Why, the Inverness parsons —or some of them— have even just denounced Sunday evening walks as " sinful 1 " Oh, how good we shall all be ! But — it will be rather monotonous, won't it? 1