Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-09-10
w. C. r. u
WHY PROHIBIT THE SALE OF GIG
ARETTES TO MINORS?


In 1888 a law was passed by the
| legislature of Vermont, prohibiting the
sale of cigars, cigarettes, snuff, or
tobacco in any of its forms, to any
minor under 16 years of age, except
upon the written order or written
permission of the minors parents, or
guardian. Section second of this law
prohibited the giving away of tobacco
| in any form to minors under l6 years
of age The fine for violation not to
exceed $1,000.
| In 1900 a law was passed prohibit
| ing the selling, giving away, or fur
nishing to persons under Fl years OF
age, cigarettes, cigarette paper, Or
cigarette wrappers under penalty of
fine of not more than $4,000 or imprls-
onment in the House of Correction
not more than two months or shall
suffer both penalties at the discretion
of the court for each offense.
This law was approved Nov. 9th
1900 and took effect Jan. LIST, 1901.
In 1910, still another law was passed
Sec. l of which reads as follows: "No
bill, poster or advertisement Of intOX-
icating liquors, cigarettes, cigars or
tobacco shall be posted or displayed on
any fence, building. structure or object
within 200 feet of any church, chapel
or school building, except by written
permission of the selectmen Of town
or city council of city. This act
shall not be construed to apply to a
building in which the business of sell
ing such articles is legally conducted.
A person who violates the provisions
of this act shall be fined not more
than S25 nor less than S.. Justices
and municipal courts shall have con-
current jurisdiction with the county
court of offenses arising under this act.
This act shall take effect from its
passage. Approved Jan. II, 1911"
So much for the law. but why the
necessity of these laws?
Is it possible that men, the natural
protectors of the weak, men who walk
the streets of our beautiful little towns
to and from their places of business,
and look every day in the faces of the
children, (their neighbors' children)
is it possible, [ say, that they are
deliberately selling for love of gain, to
those same children that which they
know will handicap them in life's great
battle?
[ knew in town not so many miles
from here, where cigarettes were be-
ing sold to children, before there was
as much law to prevent it as now, a
band of great-hearted women who
went to nearly all the people in town,
women as we'll as men, asking them
to petition the dealers in cigarettes
not to sell to minors. Scarcely one
refused to sign but one business man
said, I'm glad to sign your petition,
: but it won't do any good because the
dealers make too much money on
them.'
But lest some dealer should with
reason say, Il did not know that cigar
cites were Injurious, let US see
, what prominent educators say about it.
! Prof. H. H. Seerley, man whose
name is a household word among
, western teachers, president of the
state normal school at Cedar Falls,
Iowa, says:
after making a personal study OF
several hundred boys addicted to to-
bacco using while in school and after
going to work, [ make the following
congratulations.
"1st. Boys who begin the habit al
an early age are stunted physically
and never arrive at normal bodily
development.
= ''2nd. l have also noticed that this
narcotics use is accompanied with
$ certain dlsordered physical functions
such as Indigestion, defective eyesight
dull hearing, nervous reflections anC
disease of the heart"
Tobacco used in any form destroys {
boys ability to apply himself to study
d and prevents his comprehending Of
remembering his lessons.
The mental faculties seem to be in {
stupor; and since the will power is
/ IL.
: seek to awaken the dormant energies
or arouse the tagged desire.
Teachers, parents and philanthro
pists have not yet been sufficiently
aroused regarding the magnitude OF
this evil
elm the crusade against alcohol
! many forget that there are other evils
j. which are just as seriously, if more
% quietly, sapping the strength of this
: generation
Of all forms of tobacco, the cigar
cite is conceded to be the most harm
full The cigarette smoker almost inva
riably inhales the smoke. and there is
Q therefore, absorption not only from
+ the mucous membrane Of the mouth
but also from that of the nose, throa
and larger bronchial tubes.
This large area absorption makes
sIdirect channel to the blood which i
charged thereby with narcotic poison
and the sensitive nerve cells either il
the brain or in the spinal cord, instea,
of being fed as in health. with bloo
- containing the elements for prope
"a nutrition, are fed by blood which ais
IL contains narcotic poison.
The constant irritation of the mem
branes by the inhaled smoke cause
= various catarrhal troubles. and tn
y vitiated blood brings about grea
irritability of the nerve cells an
NAL nutrition.
1t is this irritable condition of tn
nervous system that causes the rest