Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-11-17
Whisky and Tobacco.
(coSMNUap 7ao& FACE i.

OF lie 1aCG Ol tue uedoShihS
tobacco that there can be no shadow
of doubt in my mind as to its harm
full effects.
The uncleanliness of smoking
ought to be stressed. 1t a he
easily made plain to a boy that If
his fingers become stained with to-
b.cco tar-miscalled nicotine-the
staining and defling of his lungs
which receive the full volume of
the smoke is proportionately great
Ell. All of us need our lungs at all
times full of clean pure air. The
tar from tobacco smoke can not
possibly be anything less than dan
gerous. :,
And as for chewing tobacco, well
/ have no words! The most hui
initiating thought that comes to me,
a thought that makes me shrink and
er;nge and cover, is thatJI once de-
filed my mouth with such hides
cribably filthy stuff. l would blame
no woman for making freedom at
least from chewing,an absolute con-
dition of marriage. Iii unthinka BILE
that a man or boy can be guilty of
such ~uncleanly habits and still keep
all sensibilities unblunted. In the
very nature of things the user must
he forced to apologize for what he
recognizes as a. most disreputable
practice. No man can condone an
evil or apologize for uncleanliness
and ugliness without experiencing
the retroactive effects OF his conduct.
Neither can he confess TO the I'M
cleanliness of his habits without
making himself liable to the charge
of such little wiIl-power as not to
throw off the hal l.. Either alterna-
tive leads to qualification. THE use
of tobacco is admittedly unclean, is
Il deGlement Of the body. | believe
firmly that there can be no puritica-
ton Of the soul without publication
Of the b dy. The body is the soul'>
environment and must inevitably
affect the soul for good or i'll ac-,
cording as it is kept clean or allow
cd to be defled. 1t is really serious
thought that boys and men should
befouT the Temple. And on the 9th
CIR hand there is tremendous salts
faction in making every day the
constant endeavor to cleanse the
body and the life.
What are the best means of teach
Jig pupils the evils of alcoholics
Z and narcotics? This is rather a
difficult question that often causes
no little worry and racking of
brain. OF course. experiment is the
best method. Children have I'M
bounded curiosity and an expert
ment no matter how simple appeals
powerfully to their love for concrete
ideas. They can think but it is better
and far more interesting for them
to see. Just at present however it is
unfortunately true that teachers find
even the simplest apparatus lacking.
Very few of our schools are equip
ped for giving practical demonstra-
ton of the power of alcoholics, but
it is to be hoped that our law-mak-
ers, who at last granted the conces-
sion-wholly at the urging of the
Woman's Christian Temperance
Union-of requiring one-twentieth
of our physiolog ies to be devoted
to temperance discussion, will come
to the point of requiring all school
boards to provide for some practical
work.
But at present failing in that OFF
instruction must be line upnr line,
precept upon precept.Lsremains that
we endeavor tn-pfesent the facts in
such light~as to carry conviction
andtiat we give such inspiration
to turn conviction of the evil into
..ctive determination to keep free
from the taint.n
But the burden of educating your
children is not solely on us teachers,
though l have knownpeople to think
so or act as if they thought SO. l
want to be perfectly candid with
you and present our side of the mat
ter to you. Just as children. ought
to get their good manners at home
so ought they to get their temper
ance sentiments. Most boys smoke
at some time in their early life.
Very, very few of them take it up
after they are older. Actually cigar
cites are smoked by some of the
smallest boys in this town as in 9th
err towns. The boys don't smoke on
the school ground to any great ex-
tent. We manage them pretty we'll
so long as they are directly under
our supervision. 1t is when they
leave the school house and getin
town, supposedlyllnder your care.
I'll admit that very likely you don't
know that your boy uses tobacco
but / do say that you could find out
what a large part of the town
knows. You count too much on
--o of oftar bod