Show opposition WHICH DOES NOT OPPOSE an eltern eastern paper recently undertook to ashow show up the cigarette evil and also that the passage of prohibitory enactments act ments in different states and territories had bad had the effect of restricting the market for those combinations of cigar stumps and partially masticated chews of tobacco to this exposition of the subject the san ban francisco chronicle chronick enters a demurrer it claims that the charge that cigarettes are made of such materials is as silly as the stock joke about cigars being made of cabbage leaves and brown paper the better cigarette of today it proceeds to show is just as much made of tobacco as an is the finest cigar ever made in havana the only difference being that the wrapper of the cigarette is of paper instead of a particular kind of tobacco the paper in the best cigar ettes is in especially prepared for the pur pose of wrapping the tobacco inq it b basis asia being in almost every case a cotton fiber and it would puzzle hygienists as well as chemists to say why if at alls all the smoke of burning cotton fiber especially in ID small quantities should be any more injurious than the smoke of that other vegetable product tobacco it is sincerely to be hoped that no one claims that the smoke of prepared paper to is more harmful than that of tobacco for it certainly is in not both are however harmful and that is 0 enough and combined they are certainly not low less so furthermore it is idle in any newspaper or any man to ay any that cigarettes are not made of refuse materials and to judge to the contrary because of their appearance is but to exhibit a painful ignorance of what science can accomplish also it 16 is a fact which no amount of dental denial can overcome that materials other than tobacco enter into the composition corn position of cigars not to their 1111 injure ury perhaps because in such a case the injury by association would be to such other ingredients and the Chron chronicle tots simply dodges the question altogether when it insists that some people think a cigarette more harmful than a cigar and are mistaken about it surely that is no argument going to show that either is lot cot bad an evil is not lessened because it exists in degrees deg reee the fact that one degree is much less than some other does not at all change the beatus of the case because murder to is a higher offense than burglary the lattaris lat latter teris is not justified thereby it is a crime by itself and comparison with a greater one does not lesson lessen or weaken it nor will it do to accede to the Chron chronicles toWs statement that it suspects 1 tile majority of people think one cigarette worse than a whole box of cigars because it if it did think so it would show itself as being in a condition of prof profound ignorance regarding the bulk of humanity who are mainly sensible and do not believe such foolish things thing we must admit as a fact that a majority of them do not look upon tobacco in 9 any ny form as especially harmful morels dorels the pity our temporary oo continues the real truth is that the crusade against cigarettes has been brought about by the tact fact that children smoke them their cheapness putting them within the reach of the average small boy and because they injure boys as tobacco in any form would be more than likely to do it ft to is the cigarette is harmful per se and that the interests of society id and civilization demand its suppression and annihilation the most active crusaders against the cigarette it is to be observed are those who have no practical knowledge of it unless it be of its effects on growing boys and who are so well content with their ignorance as to decline to make inquiry or investigation suppose the cause of the crusade to is as stated is not that sufficient justification pray surely it is in bad enough for men to engage in a practice which gradually gradual lv weakens every nerve in the body without having its baleful work beia begia when the flesh and all the functions are tender and thereby more susceptible we say all honor to those legislatures which have gone so far la in the direction of stumping stamping out such an iniquity as an they could would that t their h e I 1 r e efforts ft or is were oftener turned in such a channel and less in those which excite political strife and social discontent tl the chronicle concludes with a disclaimer of any intention to defend the use of tobacco but it shows a peculiar conception of how real missionary work against an evil should be carried on or else it is poorly skilled in the use of the weapons employed |