Gum chewing can, has and will be ignored by
Comstocks and Emily Posts everywhere, but it does exist, on a grand scale,
and has proved that it won"t go away by being ignored; all the teeth of
time have been unable to crush what is now a universal habit. The
Japanese, who manufacture hundreds of gum flavors, including pickled plum,
probably best established the greatness of gamu, as they call it, in 1962,
when the Let's Chew More Gum Association opened offices in Tokyo. The gala
opening, attended by show people, politicians and baseball stars, amounted
to a kind of religious ceremony during which a special prayer was intoned
by a Shinto priest standing before an elaborate altar to gamui:
O
Great Spirit of the Chewing Gum, gum of diverse kinds, we offer this
prayer to thee. There is grandeur in chewing gum. It is our marvelous pet,
an important accessory of mankind in this modern age. Chewing gum sweetens
the breath, imparts a pleasant feeling, strengthens the stomach and calms
anger . . . It invites happiness. It attracts smiles. An enjoyable and
intellectual life is made possible because of gum chewing . . . O Great
Spirit of the Chewing Gum, rest in peace . . .