The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-26

power Of an example Of this sort. He
urged that the high-school man should
he an example Of the same high stand
ard that is urged on the high-school
boy. ,,a,
Of The problem nder discussion,
McBroom offered several suggestions
sfor. treating with the superintendent
and principals who use tobacco. "We
might send them to the legislature, -
sad he, where the atmosphere seems
to be smoky in the extreme, and where
they would be away from the pupil
We might send them to some chair in
some college or university, which would
remove them from the high school stu
reform school, but that would hardly
do as such institutions are for the
young, and their bad example would
do harm, .
In the grades and the high schools
we teach students that tobacco is harm
full, that it prevents the exercise Of the
best in the user and that it is bad for
the mind and body. What then is the
effect on the boy W no comes to school,
s the superintendent, who is in most
cases and who should be an example of
scholarship and manhood, is a tobacco
user the students at once think they
detect flaw in our logic. They come
to discount our work or if they do not
do that. they discount the shperintend-
ent himself. Teaching is matter Of
intangible atmosphere, Of control and
association and clean personality. If
Is universally bad he fails in these.
he may still be a strong man in many
ways, bue he is weak as an educator
and maker of character
MI. McBroom attacked the spirit that
favors forgiveness because mortals are
prone to mistakes and that to err is
human, saying, '.The school is no place
lowering of the highest level Of life,
This is no excuse for the principal or
superintendent. This passive letting
down on this one thing is a lifelong
loss OF power to the schoolboy or man
who is or becomes user of tobacco.
They say there are other worse
habits, that some are inclined to mag
nifty evil, that many excellent men use
tobacco, that its use might be in pri-
vate and that superintendent are not
hurt because Of their greater maturity.
I have even seen these excuses printed
in school magazine, but only once.
In reply, say that these so-called ex-
cuses are all weak. The fact that many
able men use tobacco only makes their
example on the young the more potent
for evil and the more dangerous. We
are constantly fighting the insidious
and sneaking manner in which the
habit is started under cover and on the
quiet by boys and therefore cannot
Justify secret use if there be such
thing. possible in the superintendent and
principal. Then the fact that the su.
perintendent does not appear harmed
by tobacco on account Of his greater
age the excuse becomes more dangerous
because deceptive.'
The tobacco atmosphere of stale
smoke deliberately decorated spittoons
and other things were dealt with in a
sarcastic yet humorous manner that
still had well developed facts behind
it. Speaking Of his personal investiga-
tion as to the attitude Of school boards
thru the state, Mr.. McBroom said:
After correspondence with all the
high school towns of the state I find
that but one out Of three will consider
a man who uses tobacco at all. But one
out of seven will put him on an equal
footing with others who do not.''
In conclusion he took a fall out Of
the college professor who smokes and
whom he blamed for the smoky atmos-
phere of colleges. ''Would it not be in
order to take a sharp stick or a pitch !
fork and 90 after the college professors
who use tobacco9" he asked. elf we
get the boys safely thru the high school
the college -