Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-19
TOBACCO AND BOYS.
A Sermonette to Lads on the Evils of
Smoking and Chewing.
GRAVE DANGER OF CIGARETTES.
Retarding the Physical and Mental Growth
Of Young Men.
TOPICS DISCUSSED BY CITY PASTORS

At the Butler Street Methodist Episcopal
Church Yesterday morning Rev. W. f. Old.
ham delivered a sermonette to boys on
''What Our Doctors Say About Bows Using
Tobacco" In putting his views before the
congregation DR.. Oldham used the opinions
of q number of local physicians on the re.
eclt of the habit
Quoting DR.. P. A. Bier, he said: "Apro-
pos to the use of tobacco on the healthy and
those unaccustomed to its use, it acts as a
powerful depressent, causing nausea and
vomiting, feeble heart and pulse, low tenn
perature, vertigo, delirium and collapse 1t
also produces violent gastro-entritis, and In
some cases conEulsions of spinal origin, as
well as tetanic rigidity. Its continual use
iavors degeneration of nerve tissue as wit
messed in strophy of the optic nerve and
general muscular paralysis Palpitation is
3 frequent and persistent symptom.
Pernicious Effect on Growing Youths.
"a thoughtful mind can easily perceive
what pernicious effect the cultivation of
the tobacco habit would have upon q grow
ing lad The early evil effects depend a
great deal upon the constitutional condi-
tion. Some are more susceptible to its in
fuence than others 1t affects the nerves of
taste, thereby causing a desire for highly
seasoned food, which is injurious to the
stomach or nervous system, e1-
cites the undeveloped organs, stim-
ulating into early activity and
consequently into premature decay.
1t creates a desire for alcoholic beverages,
interferes with development of the body,
mind and spirit Its use has profound eff
feet upon the will of lad Just at a time of
lite when the proper exercise of will would
make true and noble man. Cigarettes are
more harmful, the tobacco used in their
manufacture being often drugged to make it
pleasant smoking. The smoke being pleas
ant, it is often inhaled through the nostrils,
creating dryness ana subsequent catarrh. "
DR.. J. B. McClelland in his opinion rem
dered, said: Tobacco is a narcotic. All
narcotics are poisons. Tobacco differs only
from the others in degree. Smoking cigars
or chewing tobacco by the young is perni-
ciOUs because it interiors with the growth,
blunts the intellect, dulls the mind. dis
turbs digestion, Injuries the health gener-
ally and units the growing boy for the re-
Eponsibilities and trials of manhood.
Cigarette Smoking the Worst.
Cigarette smoking is most pernicious,
because II tends TO lung disease and also to
q most grave affection of the heart"
DR.. f. b. Boland sent his ideas to DR..
Oldham and said 1.-The use of tobacco arrests
mental and physical development in the
Young. l have never known lad under IS
wears OF age, who has used tobacco habit
ually 10 excel in either physical strength
or mental yigOr. Cigarettes are more per-
nicious than all other forms of tobacco"
DR.. VI. c. Cameron's views were: ''It
impairs digestion. 1t retards physical de-
velopment. A series of experiments con-
Quoted upon class of young students for a
period OF four years gave the following re-
suit: The average increase in lung capacity
was 66 degrees greater in non-users. The
average increase in chest measurements was
- degrees greater in non-users. The aver
age increase in height was % per cent
greater, and in weight % per cent in non
users"
Dr. McCann thinks tobacco is a powerful
nervous sedative and its effects upon an i'm
mature nervous system cannot fail to be
disastrous
Dr.. T. j. Patterson says: "The effects of
tobacco in any form, when used habituallv,
cause a profound depression of all the
nervous centers, and eventual destruction
or degeneration OF the brain and other nerve
tissues. Add TO these as both direct and in
direct results, impaired digestion, impover-
ished blood, weakened heart, and a torpid
condition of all the secretive and excretive
organs, and the sum total hardly equals halt
E healthy man, when the boy reaches his
majority, dwarfed and stinted"