The morning call., 1894-01-19

irons which must gladden. the hearts of all
VINO are interested in the welfare of our
future citizens.
Not only are THE CALL pledges being
signed by nearly all of the boy pupils IN
our public schools. but pupils in private
schools who have not been as yet directly
appealed TO are coming forward and ask
Ing permission to add their names to that
which they rightly consider the ''roll of
honor" which THE CALL is daily pub
fishing.
Moreover the movement is spreading
outside of the city limits. and intelligent
people all over the coast are realizing now
that their attention has been directed TO
the matter how widespread is the evil
against which THE CALL is waging war
and just how urgent is the need of that
war.
Already the mails are bringing requests
from teachers and prominent persons in
other places for a supply of THE CALL
pledges, and although it was at first in
tended TO distribute them only in this city
the demand for them is so great and the
good which they will do Is so certain that
an additional supply has been ordered for
the purpose of extending THE CALLS
good work.
~ The following letter which has been re-
cel7ed from Right Rev. Bishop Nichols in
response TO q request for an expression of
his oplDlOO on the movement inaugurated
By THE CALL Is we'll worth reading and
remembering:
2521 BROADWAY,
SAN FRANCISCO. January II, 1894
To the Editor OF the Morning Call-DEAR
SIR: In reply to your communication received
! believe there is ripe occasion for THE CALL
10 use some scare heads" in the matter of
ciSarette-smoking. boys, lots of them, will see
that an early grave is no more of a "good
scheme" for a cigarette-smoker than it is for a
prig in Sunday school book. The teachers In
our schools will be the better able to cope with
an evil which gives many of them concern.
: And they can take hope from a statement made
In an excellent editorial in a recent num-
ber Of Harper's Weekly on Cigarettes
In Public Schools" In the city of New
York Principal Elgas of Grammar School
%. who has fought the cigarette in his
schoel ever since the school was organized sev-
ehteen years ago. Is able to say that he
does not believe there are more than a half a
dozen cigarette e-smokers among all his 400
boys.'
. But there are good many others than the
boys and the teachers who should be ready TO
take some pledges with themselves at your
suggestion. The home has the best chance
al tie BOY. But IL is as pathetic as it is patent
that many Whlte-souled boy is debauched by
cigareIte-smokin2. as well as by dozens OF
other things because he has practically no
chance at The home. He doesn't find The
SMOKE that ought 10 be wreathlng up from
glowing, welcome, sympathetic, character
:: shaping home hearthstOne, and b goes out ID
the street o find the smoke of a cigarette If
. you can succeed in soaring parents a little and
: III soaring US OF the clergy little about the
whereabouts Of boys That ought 10 be in our
: congregations, and in starting philanthroplc
e+ilzeGs about multiplying boys clubs and
other wholesome agencies 10 give boys who
practically have DO homes all possible shaping
and saving influences for good, the movement
VIII certainly make things move. Yours very
Truly. WILLIAM s. NICHOLS.
Considerable interest is being taken by
the boys in the proposal to organize the
league permanently. 1t is felt that each
school could form branch of the league
and might elect delegates to a central
council
According to principals the boys in the
highest grades might easily organize the
league. They could call a meeting of the
members IN their school who have signed
the pledges and elect president, a secre-
tary, and, say, three other officers. These
FIVE would constitute the school anti-cigar-
cite club.
The next step would be to hold grand
council at some central point at which each
school could be represented by its five club
NfTcers. The grand council could organ
fZe. adopt a simple constitution and by
Jaws. providing for the regulation and ex-
ansiOn. the nomenclature, entertainment
Instruction and permanence of the school
clubs and the league as whole. Meetings
might be held periodically, when news of
the movement elsewhere, essays, debates.
Chatty addresses by prominent orators on
health and subjects connected with physi-
cal culture, ETC., stereoptlcon views, con-
:certS and many other club purposes could
be carried out.
:. Miss NJ. N. Murphy, principal of the JEFF
*ferson school, has kiedly consented to act
as: grand secretary in such movement.
Pf!nc pals desiring to Cooperate and boys
IN. the highest grades might communicate
!: with Miss Murphy. who will be glad to
finnish any assistance in organization.
:. II By these means the Anti-Cigarette
League could be made permanent 1t might
spread over the entire State, taking in in
:numerable school clubs and perhaps giving
San Francisco the final triumph of having
started an important national organlZa-
fion.
What school will be the first to organize
"a school Anti-Cigarette Club with five OF
:ficGrs and commuD cate their names TO
Miss M. NJ. Murphy, 937 Guerrero street?
= Principal Elgas of New York City, to
whom Bishop Nichols refers in his letter.
declares that 1t Is practically useless to
try to do anything for the boy who is
shown to be an incorrigible smoker of
:these small but powerful for evil abomna-
tions. Such a boys intellect becomes so
weakened that he cannot study. Morally
he deteriorates into liar and a thief,
since he generally denies that he smokes
; snd generally will steal money to crafty
!. his perverted taste if he cannot obtain 1t
honestly.
No other form OF tobacco eats into the
!: moral nature as do cigarettes, and phys-
cally they work a special destruction to
NERVES and tissues which is as insidious as
tits certain.
=: The following letter is full of encourage
nneni, and is one of many of like tenor
:: received at this flee daily:
:: SAN FRANCISCO. Jan. IT, 1894.
:. The Morning CGll-DEAR FRIEND: 1 write
:. to-. ask you for one OF your pledges, for read
: so much In your paper about the smoking of
,:clGarettes. / am working boy and L am 15
years of age. / WORK in mill, and wish TO
give up the cigarette habit and be strong and
useful man.
:. viii Try to induce some of my workmates to
ioilr also JOSEPH GAGER,
"a Franklin street, city.
TIE CALL's Boys Anti-Cigarette
League" has received the following addi-
irons TO its list of members:
:: Holm SWIFT GRAMMAR.