The evening times., 1896-04-11
FIGHTING The CIGARETTE
Pupils Of the Public Schao!s
Organizing Leagues.
OPPOSITION Is DETERMINE ED
UEccasiny Warfare VIII Be waged
Against This Deadly Form of To'
bucco-Thc Movement Is Regarded
With Favor by Supt. .POwell-School
Board VIII Soon Take Action.

The deadly cigarette must go. So say
the boys of the Filth division Of the public
schools OF this city. As an evidence al their
determination to carry out That schti-
ment they have formed an organization
called the "Anti-Cigarctte League" which
Is daily growing in numbers.
The league was started about four years
ago at the time of the Inauguration of
similar movement in New York city by Mr.
Hubbell, superintendent of pubic IN
struction Of the metropolis. SoeffectiVehas
1t become that the matter has attracted the
attention OF the entire school board anu
there is now much talk OF organizing sim
liar leagues in the other schools throughout
the District.
The credit for making the start here he
longs to Prof. 7. b. Janncy, supervising
PRINCIPAL of the fjhsdlvls:oa, and he has
had the supreme satisfaction OF seeing nun
dreds of his boys in Georgetown and The
schools of the extreme northwest section
enlist under its banner. The enlistment
has been purcIy voluntary upon the part of
the boys, no effort beng mlde 10 compel
them to abstain from the poisonous weed.
Their teachers have, however almost with
out eXceptio point. d out TO them The evil
effects OF cigarettes.
To encourage the lads i'll their determine
ton Mr.. Jauncy has, at considerable cN :
pense to himself, furnished each member
with a neat little silver badge. This EN-
Dlem of the league, which is a diamond :
shaped stick pin, consists Of 4 Ironogram
of the letters "A. C. l., AMI the words,
"The Cigarette Must Co. with the in
print of Il cigarette.
BOYS DO GOOD WORK.
The little fellows themselves act as So
licitors and agents for the league and ln-
duce their comrades either To abandon
the habit of smoking or 10 pledge them
selves against the use of this most danger
Gus form of tobacco. Those who have
watched the progress of the boys IN this
line declare that much better results are
accomplished 10y allowing the boys to work
among their fellows and encourage them IN
doing so, than To make membership compul-
sorry and oblige the taking Of u pledge
which would be much more liable To he
broken.
Bows of all grades are members, ana the
various tea cheers endeavOr 10 give the mat
ter special attention in the department
OF physical culture. The regular FORM or
pledge only provides that the member shall
abstain from smoking cigarettes until he Is
twenty-one years of age: II being assumed
that by the time the boy reaches his ma
iority he will have good sense enough 10
maintain the pledge for the rest of his
life.
But the principal idea Is that the effect
of the cigarette is most injurious 10 Tho
Young, in that il stunts both the Srowtl
Of the body and development of the intel
Iect. Those who are mostly Interested il
the work, and have noted the injuries
resulting from the use of tobacco, especially
in this form, say that the boys of the see
ond and third grades are the ones who art
liable to become tempted, and to those NOR
than any other, il is most damaging. II
consequence the league has been made
stronger in these younger grades than else
where.
Prof. Powell, the general superintendent
of public schools, is heartily in favor o
the Inauguration of a universal movement
in all the city schools, similar TO that which
Prof. Janncy has inaugurated in the Fif'i
division. He believes that the boys should
be allowed to exercise their own free vii
in the matter, and from his long experience
with schoo:-children, is confident that they
will gladly support an anti-cigarette league
and that its results can DE nothing but highly
gratifying.
The school board is much interested il
The matter, and will shortly take 1t under
advisement as a body aud start the ball
rolling All the individual members strong
iy favor 1t, and will give ii their earnest
support.