The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-31
THE L OF FOOLS.
New Phase of Anti-CiGarette Crusnde
Verses on the BurIesque.
Denver Times.

Denver Times.
The annual camp for the boys Of the
Anti Cigarette League, which will open
next Monday on Bear creek and continue
eight days, is expected to be one of the
most interesting functions recently held
around Denver. NJ. Lilburn Merrill, super
intendent of the Denver League, will have
charge and he has fixed up a programme
that is unique.
The league is composed of two classes.
bad boys who have been reformed of the
terrible cigarette habit and good boys who
have never formed the habit and who never
will. These latter will be examined every
morning for the signs of s%prouting evil ten
denotes, and the most careful attention will
be given if the camp physician detects any
signs of such a budding.
1t is understood evening mass meetings
will be held. vhich all the camp will be in
vited to attend. At these services the re-
formed cigarette smokers will make adj
dresses, giving an account of their terrible
career until brought up by the rescuing
hand of the cigarette league. A feature of
these meetings will be also an exhibition
of a few terrible examples of the cigarette
habit-boys who have not yet quit, but who
are in the clutch of a power they cannot
resist. These boys will be carefully select
ed from the large number in Denver who
are eligible, a competitive examination be-
ing the means of singing out the palest
boys and the boys with the yellOwest
fingers. At the camp the terrible examples
will be carefully guarded by the good boys
and fed at regular intervals with rabbit
tobacco, which grows on Bear creek and
which must answer for a substitute while
the terrible examples are away from the
SATISFYING cigar stores OF the city.
The terrible examples will be labeled as
they appear on the platform, cheerful and
appropriate notices being selected, as fol-
lows:
Il take my coffin tacks regular"
Every cigarette is a stitch in my
Each cigarette stump is a clod on my
grave"
That brown tint on my fingers is painted
Bearing these and other inscriptions, the
terrible m will line up at the popu-
their function to speak. They will be SIM
ply exhibits to which the good little boys
can point and say, Amt we glad we never
did," and 10 which the reformed bad boys
1t is said that the speeches of the boys
promise to be wonderful. There is one
good boy who will tell a startling story of
temptation manfully met and resisted. 1t
is said he was going home from Sunday
school one day when he was met by one
of the bad boys, who said:
See what / have got. Let us go down
to the creek and smoke it,"
The good little boy will tell with tears
of remorse that he accompanied the bad
little boy to the creek; that the bad little
boy smoked up, that the effects of the
cigarette made the bad little boy so sick
he thought the world was coming TO an
end; that the good little boy took warning
and never touched the cigarette. being thus
saved from any chance of becoming one of
those terrible examples whose presence
here tonight gives us all so much pleas
ure."
Another little boy will tell how his good
mother saved him from following in that
awful pathway. She discovered a slip Of
rice paper in his pants one day-the little
boy calls them pants-and in explanation
he said he had been down eating rice with
the Chinese. laundryman. His mother.
however, had been acquainted with his pa
in the latter's youth, and was strictly on.
So she took a barrel stave and lambasted
the good little boy until he was nearly as
fond mamma desisted he was inalienably
in the ranks of the "anti-cigarette push"
The stories told by the good little boys
will. however. not hold a candle to the
tales Of the reformed cigarette smokers.
These heroes will appear as brands
snatched from the burning cigarette, and
will tell their terrible consequences. while
the anti-cigarette boys listen with bated
breath. one reformed boy will tell the
following story. probably:
"Wunst l smoked cigarettes. You mightn'
believe it, but | have me two Drowned
fingers to show for it,. l was led into
the terrible habit by being invited. r. s.
v. p, to attend a cigarette party back of
my fathers barn. To make a long story
short, / fell. There was sons straw ont
there. and l didn't hurt myself. I i'm
mediatelv began my terrible career of
crime. l began TO be late at supper. Wunst
/ did not get up when my poor old father
called me. l would have cigarettes. When
l could not get them l would go out and
steal rabbit tobacco from the helpless crea-
lures Of the plains and smoke that. was
so calloUsed that did not appreciate the
awful depravity of my curse.
"Wunst ! saw Il cigarette on the nave
ment. l stole forward TO snatch it. An
other boy got ahead Of me. He took II
An awful tit of temper seized me. A MIR
deroUs mania that | could not resist nos
| looked aroun the corner. There was no
one IN sight. The cold moon alone saw
my crime 1 grasped my rival with the
fury OF 10000 freDzied fends. His end had
come. His cigarette end, kmean. had come
into my possession. 1 wresteG X from him
and skulked away with only the silent
stars and the lamenting winds knowing
the deed had done.
Il tried TO smoke it. but itw as wet and
ne. / joined the An~ti-cigerette League
and stand before you a reformed boy to-
night"
1t is expected that a whirlwind OF ap-
plause will sweep up silent Bear Creek
valley at the conclusion OF this account OF
a life almost wrecked and barely reclaimed.
Free invitations Will be extended 10 a
! large number OF pale young clerks TO be
guests OF the league az its Bear creek meet
ing and il IS expected they will be much
profited by the sessions.
Bugs Bite Causes Death.