Henry Baird Favill, AB, MD, LL.D., 1860-1916, a ... - University Library

MISCELLANEOUS
557
From a Personal Letter, Written March 28, 1905.
IT
SMOKING
naturally occurs to a boy as a question, Why do our
elders who have habits decry them to their youngers as
pernicious ?
Therein is the epitome of all human frailty.
Ever>^ man sees himself the victim of more or less
dominating
habits which he would give the world to be rid of
and which he can be rid of only by great struggle. The
difference between getting rid of a habit and never having
had it is world wide. Of course, this applies not only
to tobacco, it applies to all extravagant and deteriorating
habits.
If one could only realize in youth the great power of
habit, and this applies just as much to good habits as to
bad ones, he would invoke his intelligence on this subject
much more deeply.
The man who grows old wisely puts in a large part of
his time in undoing the habits of his youth or building up
habits which he should have built up in his youth.
So far as this tobacco question is concerned, I am unequivocal
in the following opinion:
The individuals who are distinctly benefited physically,
morally, or mentally are so few as to be practically none.
The individuals who are seriously damaged physically,
morally, and mentally thereby are myriads. Between
these two extremes, is the great army of tobacco users,
none of whom are benefited and all of whom are verging
more or less closely upon injury.
The basis of the habit is essentially social. The superstructure
is a craving of the nervous system for a narcotic.
A boy begins to smoke for imitative reasons. He lets
the habit grow upon him for social reasons. He becomes
dominated by it for narcotic reasons. Tobacco is a strong