The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-01-14

smoke, but it would be good way
to keep them from growing Invent
to see some hair seals lately that
were advertised to smoke and do a
good many other things that were
not necessary for seals to do, and l
noticed that when the Snowman put
lighted pipes in their moths there
was not the least smell of tobacco.
Of course the seals did no more than
hold the pipes in their mouths, in
haiing the smoke being quite beyond
them. Not that animals cannot be
taught to use stimulants; it has been
done. Dogs and monkeys have
been taught to drink beer, and cats
to like bread that had been soaked
in it. Animals are much more human
than we are apt to suppose. But all
this proves nothing as to our point
We want to make up our minds,
just now, not as to what may be
done with stimulants, but as to the
injury that we know they infict upon
the young.
The simple fact is that young peo-
pie need no stimulants of any kind,
unless as medicines. Tea and coffee
are not good for children. and it is
mistake to give them to children.
Much more are cigarettes injurious,
because tobacco is a much stronger
stlmulant than tea or coffee. And
what to do about it?
Nothing is more surprising than
the apathy of many parents on this
question. The father who forbids
tea or coffee to his boy as absolutely
as he would forbid absinthe makes
but the mildest protest against cigar
cites, and the hopeful youngster may
be seen in the street, in all his pride,
all apuff with cheap tobacco. 1t is,
OF course, with the parent that the
cure exits and that the reform must
begin. l am quite old-fashioned
enough to believe that the rule of
obedience which my father enforced
in this matter upon his children as
we'll as on his church members is the
only way out of the trouble, unless
the young smoker be one of those
poor waits that we see in our great
cities SO frequently who have no
parents or guardians to disobey.
But where there is a home and a
parent there is no better occasion
for authority than in this matter of
smoking.
l say nothing about smoking in
maturer life. l have known cases
where the habit, if practiced in mod
Grafton, is beneficial. l myself am
no smoker, yet once in while-say
dozen times in the twe1vemonth-
comes time when a weariment or
worriment is soothed by few whifs
as by nothing else. Curiously enough
one of those moments occurred this
morning before l sat down to write,
and if this paper is either better or
worse than others of mine that the
readers of Young People may chance
to remember, they may ascribe the
difference to those unwonted whiffs.
do not mention this in egotism; or
rather perhaps l should say it is
egotism with a purpose, namely, to
show that am no extremist in this
matter, and l am not condemning
tobacco as being always or necessar-
lily an evil. My point is the very
simple one that it is bad thing for
boys to smoke. Let them put off
their cigarettes until they are older.
A story is told of an old member
of the Century Club in New York
which, as you know, is very sober
and decorous association-of man
who was one of the few non smokers
in that reputable body. He was ap-
preached one day by one of the
younger members, who was organi-
| zing an anti-tobacco movement, as
he called it. "My dear Mr.. Column
bus" he said, 81 have long remarked
your abstinence from the intoxica-
ting weed. Will you sisn this paper
that have drawn up, praying for a
prohibitive tax on cigars?"
'My young friend" said the old
gentleman, pushing up his specta-
cles, "it is true that do not smoke,
nor have | ever smoked-as vet.
But l cannot sign your paper, for l
am reserving tobacco for the delight
of my old age"
1t is of no use, of course to point
out the trials and troubles of learn
ing to smoke. No youngster but is
cheerfully willing to brave them, for
nothing gives him so much of
sense of "manliness," as he imagines
it, as the mastery of this accomplish
ment. The parent may do much by
pointing out the foollshness of this
notion, at least in the case where the
child is disposed to think for himself.
My father settled all this matter for
his children by laugh. "There
goes another chimney" was his re-
mark when smoker went by. We
were not "too good'' in Hilo, but l
do not think that any one OF our lit
tie community of playmates, some
half dozen in number, ever had the
least wish TO indulge in these for
hidden pleasures. Doubtless this
was partly due to the fact that there
were no street loafers Cat least with
white skins) from whom we could
learn bad manners. In fact there
were few naughty boys" around,
and if we ran any risk from our train
ing, it was more the danger of the
meditative Jack Horner with his pud.
ding than that of the practically dis
posed Thomas Tucker. In fact, for
a place in which to form fair views
and sound practice in this whole
matter of smoking, would recon-
mend being born in Hilo.
In conclusion: Cigarette smoking
| is one of the worst of habits. physi-