Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1893-02-16
Use Of Tobacco Among School Boys.
Read Before the Maine Pedagogical Socie-
ty, at Lewiston. December 81, 1892, by T..
NJ. Smith, President Maine Wesleyan Sem
mary and Female College, kent's Hill.

mary and Female College, kent's Hill.
The limits of this paper are too narrow
| to admit of an exhaustive discussion Of
| the subject assigned The object in plac-
| ing the topic upon the program was doubt
| less to bring before this body of teachers
| some practical suggestions that might and
| us In dealing with widespread evil. To
| such suggestions shall chiefly devote my
self after briefly stating such approximate
| conclusions as seem to be fairly well es-
| tablshed | am not called upon to discuss
| the tobacco question la It's entire length
and breadth, but only to consider its use
among school boys. 1t is estimated that
seven boys out Of every ten form the to-
| bacco habit before reaching manhood, For
| the class Of boys usually found In our col
| ieges and secondary schools, this estimate
| is probably too high, but am of the opn-
ion that fully one-half Of this class have
some practical knowledge of tobacco be
fore reaching maturity. Not few boys
| form the habit very early, as early as the
sixth, fifth or even fourth years, while
| very many of them form 1t by the time they
| are ten or twelve In most cases the habit
| Is formed without the knowledge Of par
| ents and against their wishes and Is for a
long time successfully concealed from
| them. The number OF cigars and cigar
| cites used varies from one or two
week to as many per day, and is then in
creased sometimes 10 Hiteen TO twenty or
| even more IMAM that per DAY chewing Is
| oiten iouho more convenient than smok.
| ing, as u Is more easily concealed and
| therefore taxes ~ place or supplements IT,
ihe motive winch ieaus s"uhS ooys 70
use tooacCo ! nearly Always the desire 70
initiate their elders. No temptation is
| quite 40 Oyerw hriminp To the ayerage
small ooy A. % see nag rev years MS
Sehlor stahdlnS on tne corners oi the
streets dalnti'y h"lolhsa cigar or cigar
et'e between ny huIeFS ana, Win an alF 81
Conscious superiority thiltlhe wreath 81
s"iuhe il"'i ~ iiou1h- ~ = Ihe siha!i
wy inquest a'ho'tipu MS iital oi great
heSs-.o w that Netg 'h'"S ahu III oruer
70 rea'iAe tnat iueai ut WI d'Sooey par
enl1' u" t"o i'SN - ,cleo W. par WIN
ny iast penhy any eHuute .he hott!d uau-
80 "hleu ioiio"S thc NJ inau'Sehee' As
=" we eHectS q Copacco haplt upon gre"
ihI o"yS we na't ihe hnahllhouS testimony
"l teacHrrs %! a'l Graue~' from 'he college
:" primary ~ iH's' ~ = "HStu upon
N'"ot o'''' a'''u' au" s'pie "' II upon
iu''S S".let"u "a.
W. t'n' '''A' ~ 4 ~ tneHe
aH'untc" gown 'laPa'itu muscular Po"
'u tne power - endurance oF ~ alhrt'c
Sports "eah tsesi P'of "lSe-ti"h' ue-
iauIcihthl oi 'h' nervous system "ittn
'eSutl' lh INSANITY aui =" "leSu'a' att'oh ~
the ieatN' sotht'iiieS eh'lihS III instant
ueath'
ne lhchta1 eHectS are as i'to"s adai-
ing Or the peFctptl'e powers Weakening
or me memory confusion oi tht reason
lns faculty, ana sometimes utter imntclll-
lY. STATISTICS Connected lL laf1e number
OF institutions "l learning ~ ~" oId " or!d
ana IN this country -h"" lhat among the
otSl scholars the percentage ol tpoatc"
users Is tht smstlfst tha' a. we 20 down
the grade stie percentage increases, until,
among the poorest Scholars thc haol. i
almost universal but thtre Is one ehect
that i worse than any OF these The BOY
soon learns that ne has 70 contend with
a terrible haolt, which ne cannot easily
break. ne worst or u Is that ne often
believes himself Totally unahIe Up pFeaS II. |
ne realiles that " Is Going MN untold
horror, hnt ne believes himself 70 %
slave l ne sense of personal degradation,
the loss Of self respect which follows such
belief i thoroughly demora!lzing aud
rata TO all hopes OF reform tntll he
thinks ne can ne cannot; anu reason does
hot ruie out appetite add !" tuls that
the haott laclhiates associations not tht
most desirable, that coucea!mcnt from par
ents y usually pracnced, and that each IN
duIgence involves measure of laIsehood,
deception and ~ honor and ne case j.
sutncientIy serious. These effects are not
occasional out some Or All OF them ihVa-
rlahlE loIIn" tne use ot TOBACCO among !
hoys No" 20 thty depend upon the (
amount used although thcy are proportions |
al % ~ ihey follow IN some measure
whenever y Is used.
what can ot done TO check thls evlL:
ffst. ~ Is evident, "hen we consider the |
prevalence OF tht habit among school boys
anu its ehetts aS apoFt enumerated that
t'ie Importance ~ lhe supJfct Ju,.ih's ~
appearance upon thlS program W naI can
oe uohet
~ tisA oi ny iuee''HS tht aPPF"NA' "i /
All must piace nrst Whal seems 70 me |
primary ",sc1a'nii'is az tLlthtlonS % oe
Pefsoha1' teSaiu II u luhiaiiehtai i'h-
poftahce may 'ne example q lhe ttschtr
oc one "nlcn " = tht're'y sale iof the Pu-
pli 70 iolio"' Ano" thaL Parehl or
'eaenei iias eat :" 10y ou a'' 10y
anu AN niau' Npat luJuleo you may
uot hafin ms lou ulust ny "o 'n's
thousn ! ~ ~ anu .las " ao.t - eh'
iorce his Go'ii.iiahu' put SIfe1s' ~ VIZ ne
uu'n eaHiei ~ Mn ~ e"i olto IT, II ny
weighs ~ WIN the power % PERSONA eA
ahpie' ~" oau he n't' io' t"V sAhe ~
ti'e ooy, iofeso ,e''.'ess 'uu1i' Sthte eEtu
thou9h ~ oe haFn'.eSS' All tneh mas Jug
l'as uei ~ Pai ent .uousht Ju>1 ~" He ah
lhahe - Cieal W o'lsn 10y thal "nat y
" Viie 1au oAe ~ ~ hioSt ueau.s polH"us
Is = 70 ttle i,lah liaiili'ess. ohe ~ 'I,e ilios'
u'ileult 'hiiuehees W 'oun'eia ~ ~ HE"tI'S
tie Iooacco naplt Is liie eAa'ilplc % Pa'
ehts' teachels any slsI''h2 on'eiaIs "no
arg auuioteu " T. rAaiip'e = 'iie on's
eulcieht teaener VI con"uCt'
second ! an ol the oplnion that
much h'ght pe uous oy the puonCat,oh
oi some sclehtlhc leaflets Tor genera diS
lrloutloh among teachers parents ana
scholars. lhese leaflets shouln explain
simply ana orleny the rear nature or
tobacco, that nicotine lts chlei eie-
ment, Is one OF the most deadly polsons
known TO man, that poison Is poison III
whatever doses or form taken, and mas no
place In the physical economy OF man, that
poison should be taken only TO counteract
the virus OF disease, aud then as pre-
scribed by physicians They should con
tain some Information as to how chewing
tobacco, cigars and cigarettes are prepared
| the indescribabe filth of many of the pro-