The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-06
nRrAxrno ur A pAn HApIT.

Of all youthful habits of the mae pop ulation of this country. habits which are set down as injurious. that of cigarette smoking Is apparently hardest to control or regulate. The thunders of the minis ter, the threats or arguments of parents and teachers. and the efforts of the law makers are all In vain. The custom may be in some cases restrained or broken up. but in the main it goes on and its vic tins may be found in every cemstery. To stop it by law seems impossible. for s4ere are too many methods of evasion. The Indianapolis Sentinel. commenting on 1t. argues that thousands of boys in Indiana should be allowed to sacrifice their phys icaI well-being as well as mental abilities through a habit that can under no possi- ble circumstances produce anything but premature decay. is miserable commen' tary on the pubnc's interest in public welfare"
 What is true of Indiana Is true of any other section of the country, Boys hard- ly old enough to find a place in the public school rooms may be seen sucking the r lives and intellects away through these inventions of the evil one. Unfortunately they have the example of grown men be- fore them to encourage them and to set examples for them. That moderate use of them may not be injurious to man whose mind and body have reached full maturity may be possible. but that the child and the boy are harmed is not to be denied. There are too many evidences of their pernicious influence for any one to doubt who wants to get at the facts. What is the remedy? The Sentinel makes this suggestion:
 It should be made penitentiary offense for any individual or firm to offer for sale h ing S of them. at least so SO far ' as s cigarette papers are concerned. Furtharmore. the giving away of cigarette papers with smoking tobacco by tobarco raanufactur- CTS should also be prohibited. E That is only a partial remedy. and a very partial one. One might almost as well try to break up the use of wheat flour by prohibiting the sale of baker bread. It Is true that the sale of manu- factured cigarettes might be practica ly prevented by law but that would only touch the evil As long as smoking to- bacco can be procured. and tissue or oth- CT thin paper can be found at any sta. tioner's a boy with any ingenuity car make his own conn nails" as some call them. As Is well known, many of the most inveterate smokers always roll theii own cigarettes. and If they cannot gel the ready cut papers 1t Is little trouble tc prepare the wrappers for themselves. The law cannot prevent cigarette smoking by prohibiting the sale of them. or the sale
 or giving away of the prepared wrappers
 Some other method must be found to sup press the evil or 1t will not be suppressed
 The Sentinel proposes that parents lool
 after the boys ''and break the habit fol
 them even if 1t requires the adoption o
 heroic measures but that is another par
 tial remedy. Boys cannot at all time,
 be kept under the eyes of parents o
 guardians, and if they will smoke, know
 ing that it is prohibited. they will pre-
 varicate out of 1t. if poAsible. In short
 If there is way to break up the evil VI
 must confess that we have not heard 0 lit