The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-02-15

~ NJ a 81 "a
Aprcpps 81 tie resolution adopted
III Tie Mcnongahela Valley Round Ia
he III recent meeting IN hisgcity
coaee rning the cigarette habit we give
the following commune ation 70 the eur:
rent Issue o. the West Virginia School
Journal by Professor John g. Knutu,
principal Of the shephe rdstown State
Normal School and q former teacher
IA the T'airmont State Normal School.
iIthas come very timely suggestion
tits not my purpose to answer Print
oipal Haught's question about the Gig
arctic. / shall leave that for . man
quailaedto do SO. only wish TO give
my experience With the cigarette and
the cigarette smoker. This is in all
respects similar to that Of Mr.. Taught.
Whether or not tie cigarette contains
an Unusual amount Of nicotine and
opium, the fact remains that its In
diligence BY q student 10 IN nearly ey-
cry instance prima facle evidence Of
that students entrance on the down
ward course, in scholarship, manliness,
health and morals. Whether the Gig
arctic Is responsible either wholly or
in part for this decadence is not for
me to say. My study of causes for
such effects has, however, always led
me to the cigarette as Of least the chief
visible cause. So confirmed have I
been in this opinion and conclusion,
though unscIentiacally reached, that
I have determined not to countenance
cigarette smoking among the boys Of
my school. Accordingly, last year, the
faculty Of this school passed the fol-
lowing resolution: Resolved, that it
is our purpose to stamp out the smok-
ing habit among our students; and to
accomplish this, we henchforth pro.
hibit all smoking under penalty, when
students are properly tried and convict
ed. Of public reprlmand in chapel for
the first ofense, and Of suspension or
for all subsequent ottenses."
This resolution was drafted on octo-
Der 10, 1904, and was kept alive and in
eject during the whole Of last year.
It did not, indeed, prevent all smoking,
as we well knew, but it did prevent
ali smoking in public, which in itself
made It worth while; for the example
iof smoking was thereby not set be-
fore any student who had a tendency
to adopt the habit or who might adopt
1t simply because the other boys did
it. AT the beginning Of this school year.
however, another plan suggested itself
to me. The aim Of our resolution Of
the year before was to stamp out the
cigarette habit, though in trying to do
so. we found It necessary to fire a
broadslde into the whole tobacco bust
ness, which we did, and, as | believe,
with telling effect, But We often
questioned in our minds whether we
had not slightly exceeded our author
ity. At any rate, this year was deter
mined to get directly at the cigarette,
and the cigarette only. Accordingly
one morning in chapel, after enumerat-
ing some Of the evils resulting from
the cigarette habit, passed sheets Of
paper among the boys Of the school,
containing the following pledge: 81
hereby pledge my word of honor as a
gentleman that I will not smoke any
cigarettes whatsoever during the re-
mainder Of this scholastic year" Ev-
cry boy in the school signed that
pledge, and as a consequence cigarette
smoking, whether 1t be responsible
or not for all the evils attributed to 1t,
Is, for at least this year, a thing lin.
known in Shepherd College Normal"