--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Bennett, Fred L. W. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 23 number: 4 published: 1920-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Bennett, Fred L. W., "The No-Tobacco Movement," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 4 (February 1920): 351–354.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2304unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2304unse start_page: 351 end_page: 354 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1920-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2304unse publication_year: 1920 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1920, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The No-Tobacco Movement The No-Tobacco Movement By Fred L. W. Bennett, President of The No-Tobacco League of Utah Stinkingest of the stinking kind! Filth of the mouth and fog of the mind! Africa that brags her foison, Breeds no such prodigious poison! From Charles Lambs' Farewell to Tobacco. An anonymous correspondent grows very indignant over the No-Tobacco movement and tells me we have no right to impose these new schemes upon the public. Now, I would like to say at once that the war against tobacco is not a "new" scheme, it is an old one, hundreds of years old. The Europeans who discovered America had found the natives addicted to, what seemed at that time, the strange habit of burning dried leaves from a weed known as the tobacco plant and sucking the smoke into their mouths, and some of them tried it, possibly to gain the good-will and friendship of the hostile savages. Be that as it may, the narcotic qualities of the plant made smoking, as it became known, popular amongst certain of the white men and made the habit, once started, difficult to overcome. It was only natural that this peculiar custom should be introduced to the old world by returning colonists, and amongst those who introduced it are two men famous in history, Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake. But the civilized world regarded tobacco with much disfavor, amounting to alarm in some quarters, and efforts were made to stamp it out. Queen Elizabeth of England declared its use would reduce her people "to the level of the savages from whom it was copied." King James I., famed as the translator of the English Bible, was an implacable opponent of tobacco. This monarch appears to have made things rather lively for the early English smokers. He issued "counterblasts," edicts, and all the rest, against the habit, and in very picturesque language he said of tobacco on one occasion: It is a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harm- ful to the brain, dangerou' to the lungs, and the black, stinking fumes thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless. The Puritans, the anti-state church party, and the party who — 352 IMPROVEMENT ERA gave the Colonies the sturdy Pilgrim Fathers, would have nothing to do with tobacco, and also gave it as their opinion that smoking "savored of the devil and hell." Most of the early opponents of tobacco seem to have connected the practice of smoking with the infernal regions! It was believed that heavy taxes upon the supplies received from the Colonies would discourage the use of tobacco and be the means of putting an end to the traffic. The effect was the very opposite. When the state tries to overcome an evil by taxation it becomes a partner in the crime. There is little wonder that the increasing revenues received from the tobacco business caused the purpose of the taxes to be entirely lost sight of in time. Another effort to discredit tobacco was not made for many years, it appears. It was not destined, however, to escape further attack. The first no-tobacco workers could only say its use would result in physical injury and that it was a social vice good and sufficient reasons for thinking people, it would seem. But now a mighty prophet, raised up by the Lord to lead the children of men from error into everlasting truth, put an end to any possible doubt about the matter by declaring that the use of tobacco by man was not good. What a wonderful message! It was the first revelation concerning man's physical well-being to be received in this dispensation. For eighty-six years the Latter-day Saints have carried on a great educational campaign against tobacco. Their missionaries have spoken against it in every quarter of the globe, whilst the elders at home have warned against it in Sunday School and meeting. The church, colleges, and press, too, have been called to aid in the work and their efforts have been most effective. To the Latter-day Saints falls the honor, as in the case of liquor and other things, of being the first to point out the evils of tobacco. Today there are several Christian churches opposed to it: it is spoken against in the schools and colleges of the country; by leading members of the medical profession, by large employers of labor, by juvenile judges and officers, by physical experts, by newspapers, and by prominent individuals in almost every line of endeavor. — Practically every one smokers as well as non- — smokers is agreed that tobacco is harmful to boys and should be kept from them. In referring to the character of a youth the remark, "He has no bad habits, he does not drink nor smoke," is frequently made. Thus tobacco smoking has come to be regarded as one of the standard bad habits, and a natural enemy of the race. And this is as it should be, for it is without doubt responsible for untold evil and wretchedness. It is often called a sin and so it is, THE NO-TOBACCO MOVEMENT 353 as is any habit that is indulged in contrary to the laws of nature and the public weal. It should be especially obnoxious to the Latter-day Saint who has been taught to believe in the Word of Wisdom. For years we have had anti-tobacco organizations in this country, but chiefly of a local character and often confined to the members of a given profession or restricted to discouraging the use of cigarettes, whilst certain uplifting agencies have had anti-tobacco departments as a side-line. It was not, however, until March, 1915, that an organization for the sole purpose of waging a war of extermination against tobacco, in any and every form, and appealing to every one for support, regardless of occupation, place of residence or creed, was established. This organization is known as the No-Tobacco League of America. It was at first thought a branch would be organized here, but owing to the distance from headquarters and other things it was decided to form a separate organization for Utah that could work in close touch with the National League. A Utah man is said to have been discussing the state with a large eastern tobacco manufacturer a few years ago, when the Utah man remarked that tobacco was not used in this state to the extent that it is in others. "No," said the tobacco man, "but we shall get them!" When one looks around today and sees the number of smokers in our midst, he cannot but have an uneasy feeling that the tobacco manufacturer's prophecy is being fulfilled. Of one thing we may be certain, the tobacco in- terests are not spending thousands and thousands of dollars here on newspaper space and other expensive forms of adver- tising for nothing. I cannot recall at the moment any other business that is spending money so lavishly on advertising here as this business. To supply a demand? No, to create one! The mission of the No-Tobacco League of Utah is to see that the tobacco interests do not "get" any more of our people. One or two friends of the movement have suggested that the promoters of the League made a mistake by disclosing the ob- ject of the organization so fully in its title. Why dissemble? An organization that has to disguise its real object has no place in Utah. The article in the constitution setting forth the mission of the League reads: "To enlighten the people concern- ing the evil effects of tobacco, and by every legitimate means, to bring about the abolition of its use." We stand or fall by that program. But we do not expect the League will accomplish its object at once: liquor was not annihilated in a day, nor was slavery. The business of the League is to arouse the people to the dangers which confront them from the tobacco traffic until they demand legislation, as they did a few years ago 354 IMPROVEMENT ERA when they demanded prohibition. No reform can be accomplished in this country until the people are behind it, and that is as it should be. The organizers of the No-Tobacco League of Utah have no desire to force something upon the people that they do not want. Nor have they any ugly names for the tobacco manufacturer, or dealer, or the smoker. The tobacco man has a business to preserve, as the brewer and saloon keeper, and the slave owner had, whilst the smoker in many, perhaps most, cases has allowed the habit to get so much power over him that he finds it hard to give it up. Being convinced that tobacco is an evil and that its overthrow would be a boon to the state and the country, the organizers of the No-Tobacco League regard the movement as a patriotic effort. According to press dispatches smoking amongst women is becoming quite common in England, and that means that in a very short time children of both sexes will soon be using tobacco. Now, with the present activities of the tobacco interests, what is to prevent the same thing from occurring here in America if we do not organize against it? "No-Tobacco" is without doubt the next great moral issue before the country, and Utah can easily lead the states, if all her citizens who are opposed to tobacco will help to organize against it. The Passing of Richard W. Young Gone, a companion, a father, a friend, Gone is a lover of good: Gone is a patriot, a leader of men, Gone is a servant of God. scythe of time! hand of fate! The blow so hard, the wound so deep, Why strike so soon, wherefore not wait? So much we miss, so many weep! We mourn him without murmur; It comforts us to know Time's breeze shall float his banner And make his campfire glow. The memory of a hero Is more to earth, for aye, Than presence of a million Who pass great struggles by. The thoughts of him shall lift us A rising sun to face. Thank God we knew and loved him Near model of the race. George H. Brimhall