TOBACCO ON MORALITY

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 6, 1864

TOBACCO ON MORALITY

Tobacco - Using. No. 9.

TOBACCO ON MORALITY.

HABITS that tend to degrade the body degrade the soul. A man's moral tastes will keep pace with his physical appetites. By carrying natural appetites beyond their bounds, he weakens his control over those propensities of his nature which are right in themselves, but which become vicious and immoral when suffered to overreach their appropriate limits. Again, by creating and indulging unnatural appetites not furnished by the Creator, but contrary to Nature's laws, he may not only look for the various penalties connected with those laws, but will find a tendency downward in his appreciation of moral obligations.

Licentiousness in eating and drinking prepares the way for licentiousness in other things. The effects of gormandizing on the stomach and brain, call into their immediate sympathy, influences that are besotting and demoralizing on mental tastes and habits. The effects of simple narcotic excitants on the nervous system, create a demand for other excitements, which can only be satisfied at the expense of moral principle and obligations to Divine command. Those very things introduced into the stomach, which fret the nerves, corrode, by sympathy, the finer feelings of the heart. By disturbing the equilibrium of physical action, they make turbid and morbid the disposition of the mind. Thus a licentious body will beget a licentious soul.

See the insanity of mind and heart produced by alcohol, even on those who do not indulge in continued intoxication. See its morbid influences on the disposition, and on the affections. It blunts the finer feelings of the heart, and turns the affectionate husband, brother, father, into a cold, unfeeling, inattentive marble. It makes him prize his drams more than the bread that feeds the inmates of his dwelling. Not less certain is the insanity from tobacco. Nay, its sovereign sway is more unyielding. The dram-drinker possibly may be deterred, by the means of starving children and the tears of a tender wife and mother, from spending the last sixpence to quench his eager thirst; but let the man who daily lays his money on tobacco's burning altar find himself unable to furnish a sum sufficient for this, and the supply of the requisite quantity of bread for his wife and children, and the quenchless embers of that fire would say, "WE MUST BE GRATIFIED." With that monster's grasp unclenched, there are no groans or woes, no fell disease, no withering, gradual, early-coming death, nor tears of widowed wives or hungry orphans' griefs in prospect, that can avail. No present wants of those dependent on his purse; no warm appeals to parental or connubial love; have eloquence enough to quell the riotings of lust, and persuade the worshipper of this god to cease this base idolatry, and this human sacrifice.

Tobacco blunts the conscience. Appetite and conscience would be at war in this affair, but conscience has lost its power; it is now seared with this scorching, scathing poison. To this form of sin its sensibilities are dead—its perceptive faculties are destroyed. The tobacco devotee knows his course is wrong. His judgment, reason, common sense, all conjoin their testimony that this is sin. Yet he heeds it not. Conscience has lost its power of utterance. It takes no just cognizance of the wrong, and therefore has no call to speak. The deacon of the church, who sees, and rightly too, the sin of even moderate steeping of the soul with liquor from the drunkard's cup, disciplines with godly fear his brother for his unchristian walk, but heeds not the Devil's smearings on his own polluted lips. With conscience wide awake to his brother's wrongs with the weaker bane, he himself, with the stronger poison in his mouth, goes on in sin. He lifts his hand to exclude his incorrigible brother for not withholding his lips from the destroying bowl; while he himself, unconscious-smitten, champs the accursed weed between his teeth, and rolls it as a sweet morsel under his tongue.

One excitant, as before stated, creates a demand for some other excitant. This explains the origin of the fact that so many bad physical habits become associated. Tobacco prepares the way for alcohol, by creating a dry, husky, parched feeling in the mouth and throat; and by creating also a sensation of faintness, and what is often called "a goneness" at the pit of the stomach. Alcohol creates a demand for tobacco, or some other excitant, in a similar way. This mutual relationship existing between these articles, makes it extremely important, that when a reform is entertained in regard to any of these, all others of this associated family should also be abandoned.

Tobacco greatly retards the progress of temperance; and in my opinion that cause can never make much further advancement, until the men who advocate it shall put away this deadly thing out of their mouths.

Men who quit their cups, and still hold on upon their chewing and smoking, are only about half reformed. They give up their drams, but take the more tobacco. What stimulus they deny themselves in one form, they supply in another. What is lost in alcohol, is gained fully in tobacco. And there is a close resemblance, in some points, between the two. Delirium tremens has been known to result from the use of tobacco. And while this excitant is continued, there is less certainty of the steadfastness of the reformed inebriate. There is great danger that the parched and hankering thirst produced by it, will draw him back to the intoxicating bowl.

Wrong physical and bad moral habits cluster together. They bear a kindred relation to each other, and generally appear in family groups. Rum and Tobacco long have been associated. They may certainly be called twin-brothers,—nay, more appropriately, twin-devils. And not these two evils only, join their hands: too often are there three that go together in triplet union, especially in the West and South. The three are Rum, Tobacco, and Profanity; indeed, another might be added, which is gambling. Not all who use the one indulge in the others; but generally the foulest words come from the foulest mouths. And from extensive observation through these United States, my settled conviction is, that RARELY CAN A PROFANE OATH BE FOUND ISSUING FROM A CLEAN MOUTH AND A PURE BREATH. As a general rule,—a rule with too few exceptions—the more reckless the bodily habits, and the larger the quantities of unnatural stimulants, the more reckless and profane the words that give utterance to the soul.

One bad habit makes a pathway for another. And after a second, there follows a third, a fourth, and onward, till a chain is formed, whose clanking sounds make known the residence of a spirit blackened with the stains of varied sins. The general standard of virtue will rise or fall with the comparative elevation or degradation of physical habits. The physical habits of individuals and of nations will grade the general level of their virtues. Intelligence and civilization have important bearings on the morals of any people; but by no means govern them. A people may be, and have been, very intelligent, and at the same time very wicked. But any people who will discipline their physical habits into obedience to natural laws, and practise self-denial on unlawful appetites, will be found to practise discipline and self-denial in other things. While those who know not self-denial, in their bodily habits, and let the reins of government fall into the hands of unrestrained indulgences of the mouth, are apt to know no self-denial, and no self-control in other matters. When animal appetites sway the sceptre in one case, the way is preparing for this sway to be carried in another, and another, till their government becomes universal. Hence, when we see individuals who do not practically recognize the duty of self-denial in their physical appetites, we may safely conclude that the standard of moral integrity is in a state of declension—that they do not practise self-denial upon habits which relate to moral character.

If parents, especially mothers, to whom is committed, in a large degree, the physical, intellectual, and moral growth and soundness of the rising generation,

would secure in their children right moral habits, let them watch diligently over their physical habits. If they would have them become more eminently moral, they must see that they are accustomed to obedience to their physical laws—that they use themselves to right physical habits. The more they are taught to regard the laws which the Creator has given to their bodies, the more they will be likely to regard his moral laws. They will also avoid those habits of body which draw after them practices that degrade moral character.

Let the mother remember, that while she neglects proper physical education of her children, she is neglecting her main foundation on which she may expect to edify them by intellectual and moral training; while she even indulges their right appetites and digestive organs with unnatural things, or with good things in an unnatural way or degree, she is paralyzing their susceptibilities to moral culture. An irritated stomach will beget an irritable disposition, and blunt the finer sensibilities of the soul. While children are allowed by their parents, or in after life allow themselves, to treat their own health and life in a reckless manner, they prepare the way for being reckless toward their fellow-men.

This accounts, in a fearful degree, for the apparently low and declining standard of virtue among us. Who can look upon the present standard of morality and integrity among the people of our own country, in comparison with what it was half a century or more since, without feeling convinced that it has not risen, but much declined? Did not the early history of our country give far greater signs of a healthful and vigorous state of moral feeling and sentiment, than can be found now? Where are the men who are ready to endure self-sacrificing toils and hardships for the salvation of their country? Where those ready to dedicate to its welfare "their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor?" Where are the men—where their rising race? and echo answers—where? But few and far between are they who seek not more the promotion of self than their country's good. If we look for moral honesty and political integrity among the ranks of politicians, we search for commodities of rare value, because of their great scarcity. Look at the rapid increase of thefts and robberies committed on the treasury of the country, by men holding offices of state. Look at the bickerings of party factions, growing hotter and hotter with human wrath.

If our country's rights were invaded—if her civil rights and religious freedom were threatened with ruin by an inimical nation—it is to be feared that few would be found, among the statesmen of this day, who would as devoutly lay themselves upon their country's altar, from motives of pure patriotism, as did the pioneers of the Revolution. There are men enough who would go to the battle-field,—men enough to perpetrate the horrors of war, whether that war were right or wrong, offensive or defensive, avoidable or unavoidable,—men enough ready to fight; for their habits of life have been such as have promoted the warring propensities of their natures. Their habits have been adapted to give an over balance of action to the combative and destructive organs of the brain.

But the momentous inquiry returns; where are the men like our country's fathers, who purchased our freedom with their blood? where the men who would come to rescue; not because they love the fight, but because they love their country's rights? Where are the men of high moral worth—men with large souls—men in whom the animal instincts are held in subjection, and sanctified by the higher powers of human nature? These are few, very few, compared with the men who lived half a century ago. And where need we look for the cause? Where, but to the physical depravity of the age? Here lies the great, if not the sole cause, of this moral declension. By degrading the physical, they have degraded their moral nature.

This physical cause does not consist alone in tobacco-using, but in various other unnatural indulgences. The Teas and the Coffees resemble in their nature and effects the articles Alcohol and Tobacco. They are as truly harmful, but are not so powerful. Tea intoxicates the nerves, but not to the same degree as spirituous liquors. Coffee possesses a large amount of sedative poison, but not the potency of tobacco. There is no habit of the age, there is no unnatural luxury attached to this generation, that is so deadly—so at war with human vitality—as depreciating to the physical, intellectual, and moral soundness of men, as that now under consideration. It is the major-general, leading the great army of invaders which array themselves against human life and human virtue.

Our country is increasing in Intelligence, but not in Virtue. These two form the basis of any successful republican government. These are the two great pillars on which such an organization must be founded in order to endure. One of those is increasing in strength; but, with all due charity, and due allowance for difference of circumstances, are we not compelled to think the other is too fast losing its power? Look not only at men in political life, but men in business life. In these days, where shall we find an honest man? We are almost hourly shocked with the most unlooked for developments of wickedness lurking where we least expected it. We meet with sudden wrecks of honor here, and of virtue there, which shake the foundations of all human confidence.

If there is a decline in the moral standard, the question comes, and should be well considered, what are the causes? To show one cause, and a certain one, must now suffice. It is the disregard which the American people pay to the laws of physical life. Their recklessness of the laws of their own animal life leads to recklessness of social and moral obligations, while they trample fearlessly upon their own vitality, they grow heartless and improvident of the vital interests of all others. There probably is no nation, considering the light they have, where the standard of moral honesty is so low; and there certainly is no nation, civilized or uncivilized, that is living in so extensive violation of natural law as the Americans. When our fathers made bean-porridge their luxury, they enjoyed not only the fruit of that simplicity in their bodily soundness and longevity, but maintained sound and healthful morals. So, if we would bring back to us the sunny days of that favored period, we must bring back its simplicity of living. Parents must accustom their sons and daughters to such physical habits as will, under Providence, give them sound bodies, and they will have comparatively sound minds and sound morals. Men and women must put away their artificial excitants, that embarrass the healthful functions of nature, and mar their bodily, mental, and moral soundness.

Tobacco is a prominent member of the family of excitants. It may be said that our fathers used it, and lived a moral life, and to old age. So they did use it to some extent; but their other habits were far better than ours; and they used less in quantity, and fewer in number were devoted to it, in proportion to the population. One bad habit may not at once destroy body or soul. But now, this deadly article stands at the head of an army of unhallowed agencies. It enslaves with a more inveterate grasp, and binds with more enduring bands, than any other; and draws into its wake many coadjutors in its work of physical, mental, and moral degradation. To reform these, we must first slay the tyrant that heads the army of our physical foes.