The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-11-15

Cigarettes and InfDe1za--The peo- n1a of this country are certainly 2 "haopv-go-l4cly" lot of individuals. We have for 90 long put into practice the plan of not crossing bridges until we get to them that there comes not only a time but several times, all at onca. when we need bridge and have none.
 For the last twenty-five years we have had the idea that such thing as war would be so utterly foolish and crirninally wasteful that there never would be another great war and that we of all nations could not possibly be driven into such a strug- gle. We axe not only in the biggest and most destructive war ever waged in. the history of the world, but one, the startinR point of which was the most criminally insane act of all his tory.
 We are fin 1t also with the most frearty approval and active co-opera- ton of every loyal citizen. We were not prepared, were not looking for 1t, did not want 1t, but did you ever hear tell of any people on earth that got "all dressed up and ready for the big show in a shorter time? We are perfectly willing to pat ourselves or the back. we never have logt war and we have been called lucky" but I say there is no luck about it. Thrice armed is he whose cause Is just" We have never gone into war for an un- just cause. We have fought only for the right.
 Now we are in another fight,-La- Grippe. Most people were not ready for 1t. In fact, they had done many thinss Chat would make them es pecially susceptir!a to 1t and this in the face of the fact that fully one third of the physicians of the country are in the service of the army.
 Those of you that remember the epidemic of 1891 will readily recall that the deaths were nearly all con- fined to the aged and infrm but al the present time a great majority ot the deaths are of men between the ages of twenty and fifty years.
 One active physician with whom recently talked and who Is himself ' smoker says, that in every case, com ing under his observation, of tht death of men, the victim was an ex cessive user of cigarettes. He alst says thas cigarette smoking has been so greatly encouraged among th' young soldiers that they have beer rendered especially susceptible to tn attacks of influenza. In treating hi cases he has at once stopped the us of cigarettes, but has permitted tn smoking of pipe.
 The smoking of tobacco in a pip does not, as a general rule, injure tn smoker, but the inhalation of the sec ond-hand smoke by others and espec ially the members of the smokers owl family is frequently very injurious. il many cases amounting to serious dan ger and even death, Tobacco hear is more likely to attack the smoker wife or child than himself. Smokin on trains and street cars has bee prohibited during the present epidem io and the order should be made per manent. No men should be allowe to smoke indoors if non-smokers ar compelled to be in the same room.
 It is not the tobacco in the cigar cite that damages the cigarette fient but the other ingredients with whic the tobacco Is treated and the pape combined with the inhalation of tn smoke. I believe that if cigarett is smoked straight, like a pipe, an the smoke puffed out from tn mouth without being inhaled, 1t wi do little if any damage to a fully ms tured man, but smoking of any kin by boys, youths and sickly or immi ture persons of any age is bound to l injurious.
 Those of you who have sent bo. Anto the army should not worry