Cut out tobacco, therefore. For a young fellow in college it is a
ridiculous affectation--nothing more. Why? Because you do not need
tobacco; that is why. At least you do not need it yet. The time may
come when you will find tobacco helpful, but it will not be until you
have been a long while out of college. As to whether tobacco is good
for a man at any stage of life the doctors disagree, and "where
doctors disagree, who shall decide?"
Ruskin says that no really immortal work has been done in the world
since tobacco was introduced; but we know that this is not true. I
would not be understood as having a prejudice for or against the weed.
Whether a full-grown man shall use it or not is something for himself
to decide. Personally I liked it so well that I made up my mind a long
time ago to give it up altogether.
But there is absolutely no excuse for a man young enough to still be
in college to use it at all. And it does not look right. For a boy to
use tobacco has something contemptible about it. I will not argue
whether this is justified or not. That is the way most people feel
about it. Whether their feeling is a prejudice or not, there is no use
of your needlessly offending their prejudice.
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