Folklore? My grandfather and several uncles chewed tobacco most of their lives. I asked my grandfather how come ?? He said men who worked in lumber mills chewed tobacco to keep the sawdust from going into their lungs. Since tobacco juice is not swallowed but spit out. Any truth to this?? Must have worked for them - they all lived past 90 years of age. Any comments are welcome. Arline

In the Nineteenth Century, it took too much time to roll a cigarette. Most men didn't take the time. Easier to chew tobacco than to smoke it. Many men smoked a pipe or an occasional cigar, but cigars were too expensive for daily use, and the pipe was usually relagated to the evening relaxing moments, which were few. Factory cigarettes are a 20th Century thing. ----- Original Message ----- From: <surchr@att.net> To: <PACENTRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 10:16 AM Subject: [PACENTRE] tobacco > Folklore? > > My grandfather and several uncles chewed tobacco most of their lives. I > asked my grandfather how come ?? > He said men who worked in lumber mills chewed tobacco to keep the > sawdust from going into their lungs. Since tobacco juice is not > swallowed but spit out. Any truth to this?? > Must have worked for them - they all lived past 90 years of age. > > Any comments are welcome. > Arline >