Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-23
PRISON DOORS AJAR.
Prominent Citizens Indorse the Plan
to Kill Cigarette Smoking by
PUTTING THE BOYS BEHIND BARS.
Terrible Consumption Of the Deadly Weed
Among Persons Under 16.
HEALTH OF TIE PEOPLE THREATENED


full sentiment manifested by prominent
people interviewed yesterday in regard to
prohibiting boys under age from smoking
cigarettes by putting them under arrest,
points to dav, not far distant, when the
tolls of the law will be xtended to take in
the youthful victims of the weed.
The cigarette is not alone under the ban
OF public opinion, but cigars and the use of
tobacco in any form, by those who have not
yet seen 16, are severely oensured by all
thinking men, and they heartily indorse the
proposition to pass law making any boy
caught smoking or chewing liable to arrest
and imprisonment for certain time.
Lately the tobacco habit has grown to a
fearful extent among boys, and one can
hardly traverse a block in the city without
being brought face to face with a smoker,
often not yet out OF knickerbockers, putting
industriously away at pale, languid cigar
ette, or regular Reno del Sewer, that is
strong enough to knock over a lamp post.
DANGERS OF DISEASE.
The practice is fraught with terrible con-
sequences. Not only are the users of vii
lainous weeds in danger of contracting fatal
diseases, but the lives of the people are in
peril Deadly maladies lurk in the sickly
fumes of the poisoned weed. Stumps
thrown away by men afflicted with
erysipelas and nauseating skin diseases are
picked up by street gamins, who absorb the
germs OF disease deposited in the halt-smoked
cigars, and are themselves attacked with
contagious ailments that spread like wild
fire among all with whom they may come in
contact.
War has been waged against the cigarette
for years, and legal steps taken to abolish its
use among the rising generation. The SELL
ing of rolls of paper, tobacco and weeds to
boys was declared a misdemeanor in the
State Legislature of Pennsylvania at its last
session, and penalty attached. but the law
is failure, never being enforced. The
legislation in question was enacted May. 2,
1889, and reeds as follows:
Section L Be it enacted, etc. That if any
person or persons shall sell cigarettes to any
person or persons under the age of 16. years, he
or she SO offending shall be guilty of misde-
neanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be
sentenced to pay fine Of not more than $500.
DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT.
Since this law went into effect, over year
ago, the matter has apparently dropped out
of the minds of all, and little. if anything,
has been done in regard to stopping the
work of the cigarette. Thousands of the
rice-paper tips are daily smoked by persons
under 16 years of age.
sit was doubtless the intention to strike
at the fountain-head of the evil" said
Major Montooth yesterday afternoon,
'when the law of 1889 was passed, making
the dealers liable to punishment. It is q
good law if only enforced. but SO long as the
evil is not crushed out in that way think
io oh hot of
were adopted. I see New York City has
passed law, empowering the police to ar
rest boys under 16 found using tobacco in
any form, and it would be good scheme to
introduce the same law in Pittsburg. If sns.
pected places were watched, where cigar
cites are sold, and spoilers put on to
catch the dealer in the act of
selling to those under 16, the present
law would 60 great way toward stopping
the nuisance. Make two or three cigar
dealers pay $500 fine and cigarettes would
not go oyer the counter to many minors.
Personally. am not on speaking terms with
cigarettes. They are a short cut to perdi-
tion. Economic spirits have discovered the
baneful taste of the rank weeds andnow in
troduce them at banquets. The audible
smell gets in its work, and soon those not
acquainted with it are no longer blithe and
merry, but lose all further interest in the
banquet and the speculative host is ahead to
the extent of several courses"
MAYOR GoURLEY's VIEWS.
Mayor Gourley was seen, and his views
are emphatlcalIv in favor of arresting boys
caught in the act of smoking. Said he:
"The law should not stop at youths under
16, but complete the good work, and take in
the boys who have seen twice 16. The Gig
arctic is next door to suicide. 1 would
gladly work for the passage of any law that
would put speedy stop to the disgusting
habit, especially among growing boys"
= DR.. Frederick Gaertner commented as
follows: Nothing could be better to kill
cigarette smoking among minors than to
put the boys behind prison bars. A law of
this kind is in vogue in Europe. and all
young persons seen using tobacco are ar
rested. Great danger lies in the practice
that street boys have OF smoking the filthy
stumps of cigars discarded by others. have
analyzed cigar stumps, and actually found
the grains of consumption in them, besides
other deadly diseases. The maladies are
infectious, and the health OF the community
is threatened by the vileness of the habit
One OF the worst features connected with to-
bacco using by young persons is the fact
that the nicotine acid absorbed by the
smoker goes directly to the blood and
polsons the whole system.
PRooF,IN TEST.
''This is proved by very common test.
The blood OF smoker is injected into the
body of a lady or any non-smoker and in
brief space OF time the non-smoker will have
the taste of nicontine on the tongue. This
shows that the injected blood of the smoker
has tainted all the vital fluid of the other
One can easily see from this how injurious it
is to the blood of young people for them to
smoke. The consequences are to well known
to need repition by me. We see the evil
dences about us every day, in the sallow,
sickly faces of the boys who are running
themselves by using tobacco. Above the
age of 18 or so the constitution is able to
stand it, and tobacco is then really stimu-
liant to those of mature age.
"Let me warn all against the frightful
trick of blowing the smoke through the
nose. Inflammation of the membrane is
sure to set in, and the extremely. dangerous
practice will soon develop from the stupefy-
ing feeling felt at first to fatal conse-
quences."
Superintendent Luckey, OF the Pittsburg
schools, remarked: 81 am glad to say that
we have had little trouble with the school
bows In relation to cigarette using, but the
street boys addicted to the abominable prac-
tice should be taught lesson. Imprison-
ment would have a wholesome effect on
them"
Inspector McAleese said: SIT would be
an excellent plan to arrest the boy smokers,
but the dealers who sell the stuff to them
should also be punished. The boys could
be dealt with lightly, but the dealers should
receive heavy sentences