Vanity, All Is Vanity A Lecture on Tobacco and its effects

Excerpt

"Strive; for the grasp of the destroyer is upon you, and if you be not wrenched away, it will palsy you and crush you. Strive for the foe has seized upon your vitals: he holds possession of your Fort and renders your will a thing to be controled instead of a controling power. It chains the intellect and bids defiance to your better judgment. Strive like one who knows he has grappled with Death and the victory must be won or self be lost!"

TOBACCO should never be mentioned except as a poison, one of the most active and fatal of poisons; it is the only herb known to possess two active deadly poisons, Nicotina and Nicotianin: It is really so fatal that doctors seldom administer it, and never internally. For an over dose of Opium, Arsenic, or Strychnine, when taken in time, there is a cure, but for an over dose of tobacco there is none; its effect on the system is Paleness, Nausea, Giddiness, Lessening of the heart's action, Vomiting, Purging, Cold-sweating, and utter Prostration, such as no other poison can induce, then death! Its evils are numerous we will notice a few as follows.

1. It impregnates the whole system with two of the most fatal poisons, Nicotina, and Nicotianin.

2. With either of which the system is subjected to continuous repair, therefore Doctors seldom advise one to quit it. It is too much like taking bread and butter from their babe's mouths.

3. It enslaves a man so that it requires a powerful exertion to break its chains and fetters to regain their freedom.

4. It causes dyspepsia by spitting off the saliva that ought to go to digest the food, aid the digestive system, and to regulate and heal the bowels.

5. When you breathe the smoke it produces asthma and lays the foundation for a train of other fatal diseases.

6. In breathing the two poisons into the lungs, often produces paralysis of the lungs and consumption.

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7. It gradually weakens and destroys the whole nervous system and is the cause of a large majority of cases of Insanity, which can readily be found in all stages, among those who use tobacco.

8. It makes one appear to be ill-bred and extremely distasteful in society.

9. It is said by critics to entirely destroy a certain faculty of the mind.

10. It renders one's breath very repugnant to a companion.

11. It is continually drawing on the pocket for the small change that might be laid up.

12. When taken as snuff it wonderfully impairs and often paralyzing and destroys the Olfactory nerves and deprives one of the sense of smell.

13. It creates a craving for Alcoholic drinks, it prostrates the system to such an extent that nature calls for aid by stimulants, hence the craving for drinks, peppers, mustards, &c., &c.

14. It creates an inordinate desire for excitement such as Noose and Novel reading, and a loathing of Science and Philosophy.

15. The smoke has a wonderful tendency to weaken and impair the eye-sight.

16. Its use is an evil example to the young who look to us for advice and protection from evil.

17. It decomposes and devitalizes the electrovita fluid in the human system.

18. The system of the tobacco users is always in a morbid condition, as proof when you are sick you can't use it; for be it known that two morbid conditions can not exist in the system at the same time; one will drive out the other.

19. The poison is transmitted to the unborn infant, many times impairing its vital organs and causing a pre-mature death: and I once heard a Physician of much learning and practic, Dr....