The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-02-14

OF the CiiizeEs OF Indiana and Weslmoreland
praying for The passage Of a law 10 prevent
the sale of Tobacco 10 Miners:
To he Honorable Senate and House of Rep.
Tsssntdf,Ues Of The Commonwealth of Penn,yl-
vania, in General assembly met The under.
signed, c'lizens Of portions of Indiana anG
Wes,moreland counties, respectfully pray
your honorable bodies 10 pass law prvhib-
iIing, under sufficen, penalties, the selling
or giving away Of Tobacco, in any of its
forms, 10 minors or persons under 2i ears
Of age, except on the written order of The
parents or guardians of such minors.
In coming before you with this request,
your petitioners are fully aware Of the inn
porlance and magnitude Of The evil for which
they seek preventive at your hands. We
are not professional agaors, nor caplious
fauiinders against The usages and practices
oi the lines in which We live but we look
with anxiety and alarm upon the wide spread
and rapidly increasing progress OF habit,
which TOO many of US know oI our own ex-
perience to be an unmiligaled evil. II the
strong man, by healthy and invigoraing ex.
ercise, is scarcely and bu, seldom able to
ward off The injurious effects of the use Of
Tobacco, wha, must be lhe extent OF lis del
eteTious results, in The case of the unmatured
and undeveIoped youihs With anxiety az.
preaching 10 disniay, we look upon The pale
and wasted forms of our children, uuder the
influence of habit, ofieniimes ciandestineIy "
formed, from whose powerful and baneful
fascination, We know that no parental vig.
lance can save them. How practice lha.
is so utterly and entirely bad, aud uppos.
sessed of single redeeming good, could
have so long unnoticed held its perniciou,
sway over an enlightened and Chrisianized
people, we are at loss to know. We be-
lievs that all The enlightened medical testi-
mony iu The world will bear US Out in saying
that its most common result is 10 debililate
and impair every vital furction OF The hum an
frame. Whilst ii directly produces some Of
our bodily diseases, and indirectly predispo-
ses TO many others, il is fact established by
abundant testimony, that upon The mind inn
beciliiy and insanity are in mauy cases ow-
ing to it's work 1t is most potent poison,
and as medicine, in subjects unused 10 its
influence, has 10 be administered with more
than common care aud though death may
not be often Immediately produced by il,
how 10 it possible lha, we can look npon the
early use OF such an article by our ch ilJron
with .complacency and conlenii Nor will it
do 10 allese that the better judgment OF man.
hood will correct a habit thus indiscreetly
formed in youth. II grows with the growth
OF its victim, aud so strong and abiding are
the sympathies which j, creates with every
fibre Of his frame, and SO seductive are its
influences over the mind, that comparatively
but very few are ever able entirely TO break
away from the lhradom which It's long n.
diligence has induced. AS parents we be.
1ieve that scarcely any gIeater injury could
be done our children, than that OF bringing
them ints bondage 10 this most vile and hurt.
ful habit. .tt.. -.
Bu, We have no dispute with those who
may differ from Us in opinion on this sub
jec,. Nor 60 we wish in any way 10 assail
their privileges or their rights all that we
ask is that yonr honorable bodies will, by
granting onr requesi, enab's us aud those
who think with us, 10 guard The moral and
physical we'll teGg of those whom God has
committed 10 our care. sea