Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!tekecs!orca!andrew From: andrew@orca.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: smoking in public: an historical perspective Message-ID: <1317@orca.UUCP> Date: Wed, 15-Jun-83 19:14:04 EDT Article-I.D.: orca.1317 Posted: Wed Jun 15 19:14:04 1983 Date-Received: Fri, 17-Jun-83 06:22:52 EDT Lines: 19 At about the turn of the century, there was a much greater per capita consumption of chewing tobacco than now, and it was considered socially acceptable to spit tobacco juice in public. Most public places provided spittoons, but many tobacco users had faulty aim. It was not uncommon to walk into, say, the post office, and have to tread very carefully upon the marble floors slippery with spit. At the time, the militant anti-chewers railed and rallied in an effort to get public tobacco chewing banned. Of course, the tobacco users whined about their "freedom" to spit wherever and whenever they pleased. Of course, as time passed, society matured and tobacco chewing faded as a popular vice. One can only hope that, in another half-century, ashtrays will be displayed only in historical museums for children to wonder at. -- Andrew Klossner (decvax!teklabs!tekecs!andrew) [UUCP] (andrew.tektronix@rand-relay) [ARPA]