"It was not till my Uncle Toby
had knocked the ashes out of his third pipe," etc. Now these times have
luckily gone by, and the custom of smoking amongst genteel Englishmen has
nearly died away with them. It is a foul custom; it makes a foul mouth, and
a foul place where the smoker stands. However, every nation has its whims.
John Bull relishes stinking venison; a Frenchman depopulates whole swamps
in quest of frogs; a Dutchman's pipe is never out of his mouth; a Russian
will eat tallow-candles; and the American indulges in the cigar. "De
gustibus non est disputandum."
Our Western brother is in possession of a country replete with everything
that can contribute to the happiness and comfort of mankind. His code of
laws, purified by experience and common-sense, has fully answered the
expectations of the public. By acting up to the true spirit of this code he
has reaped immense advantages from it. His advancement as a nation has been
rapid beyond all calculation, and, young as he is, it may be remarked
without any impropriety that he is now actually reading a salutary lesson
to the rest of the civilised world.
Pages:
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356