Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-11-17
IF all kinds). But when you con-

|of all kinds). But when you con-
slider our position, can you con-
scientiously refute our contentious?
Is it fair to expect US to take an
EIGHTEEN year old boy and break
him of u habit that he has practiced
at home for ten years. Parents
sometimes write us: You must do
something to break my boy of
smoking, I have tried but it seems
to do no good. Honestly, is it fair
or lust to demand that We do some,
thing that you could have done had
YOU begun early enough? How in
name of peace and commons sense
can we be held accountable for the
formation of habits practically In
the home? If parents would be a
little less fondly blind, a little
more reasonable and watchful the
teachers work would be appreciably
lightened.
After all, smoking or the use of
tobacco in any of its forms is one OF
the signs of a very natural and
very admirable aspiration. 1t is
simply a case of following the
wrong ideal. / confess to you that
boys begin the bad habit because
thew think it is big. J. X. Jerome
in his inimitable way says All Is
vanity and everybody's vain. Wo-
men are terribly vain. So are men
more so, if possible. So are children,
particularly children" Your boy is
striving to show himself a mana
big man what smokes and shows
and chews." l know of hardly any
thing comparable to the swelling
pride of a boy with his first elemen-
taly steps in the $ of tobacco.
Oh, my, he has laid in the shade
entirely little Jack Horner's what
a good boy am L." 1t is what a big
man am L?
That boy merely needs to be set
after a different ideal, to be shown.
that it is far manlier to keep his
body clean than it is to deiilc the
Temple by inhaline such poisonous
and dirty fumes. He only needs to
know that in reality smoking and
chewing are not the tests of man
hood. Any euttcr-snife can use to-
bacco. 1t takes the real manly boy
to refrain. He is struggling in his
misguided way to meet the tests OF
manhood. Show him what the real
tests are. And show him now. For
after the habit becomes fixed he
will find so much pleasure in tohac-
co that it will be hard to make him
give it up. And right here a word:
I've heard many women say i
see what pleasure there is IL:
using tobacco can easily believe
them. You don't know what pleas
ure there is. Why a ttimes I've been
tempted to say since quit the hab-
it that the loss6n physical pleasure
was fifteen dollars a day! There is
no denying the fact that the habit
ual user finds in his pipe or cigar
cite a great, a very great pleasure.
But this is true as I have been en-
abled to experience that such pleas
IRE sinks into paltry insignifcance
beside the satisfaction and pride of
shaking off a bad habit and of pre-
senting ones self daily a clean man
brain is fit for the thinking
of good thoughts and whose soul is
fit for the indwelling of beautiful
dreams and ideals.
| am convinced that the appeal to
pride is one of the most powerful
incentives>tha can be brought to
bear on the growing boy and turn.
ing man. We who teach are az all
times striving to lend our aid and
support and influence to you pa
rents. Ind we wish to raise a glass
Of pure water and with YOU give a
toast to the education of boys and
girls who will go forward in the
glorious pride that comes from
freedom from shackles and whose
daily business will be under our
Joint direction the thinking of high
the achieving of great
deeds, the living of good lives: