Arizona republican., 1920-11-19

of the situation lies in the fact that the use of tobacco at such an early age retards development, both mental and physical and degenerates the morals orrespondingly.
 But regardless of the fact that father smokes, that our returned heroes from overseas smoke and that we live in community which touches shoulders with an alien land that has made the smoking of cigarets an art, as it were, since time began, yet we must be re- sourceful enough to meet and solve the problem before us.
 Suppose the boy returns from school to a silent house. Off he goes to choose his own companions. Evening shad- ows and hunger turn his thoughts homeward. By that time mother has | returned. Where were you this after noon, mother?" the boy inQuires. Down at the foreign missionary meet
 ing" she informs him, adding. Our lesson was about India and the condi-
 tions there certainly call for some def | mite actioni" Answer me. friends,
 which is the bigger problem and the
 one demanding the greater study right
 here in Phoenix now. the heather in
 a far-off land or our own boys and i girls and our own firesides?
 Perhaps on the other hand the after HUH HI QucSIlOn WAS ClQQ OdJ. d1lI the praiSeworthy work of sewing and
 distributing garments for the orphan poor was the reason for mother beinG
 absent when the children returned tt
 the silent house, the house whose owI
 sewing room was piled high with un
 finished and unmended garments Le
 US ask ourselves where our duty lie
 under these circumstances.
 Please do not mistake my meaning
 I'm not advocating the household
 drudge mother, nor the one who is un lettered, behind the times and out 0 date and she of whom the child 1 somewhat ashamed, but rather am advising that we strive toward com
 panionship with the boy or girl and . realization that the home fires consti ute the divinest altar on earth. Now, once more aiming directly a f the cigaret and tobacco evil. I won ! der if too much spending money for tn boy is not>responsible for much of tn , trouble. This makes it so easy for hir x with the means to do so to get int
 possession of these harmful material g and to treat other boys who have httl g or no money to spend.
 ol I think I hear the mother of mean r say she doesn't want her child to b
 stinted just for the sake of another t But let me ask, should not ever Q mother feel she is in some measur l responsible for the happiness of som : other mother and of the welfare ( e some other mothers boy? Can she nc
 impress upon her boy that if he find
 himself in the company of one whol |. he can influence he then and ther ] has found a charge to keep and ths Q an opportunity to do something bi e has come to him7
 f There js another phase of this oues l tion which always reminds me of th s puzzle pictures wherein we are aske t to find the secret or hidden head of t lady or a man. Whenever our boy get r into trouble it has almost invariabl e all happened because of some oths
 boy or boys. And just as invariabl e when we investigate the mystery ir q creases until we find ourselves in a : uncharted land whose sole inhabitar e seems to be the ''unfindable boy.' s But truly. this is the root from whic