Editors' Table: Regarding the Tobacco Trade

Concerning the Tobacco Trade

A leading educator in a Utah state educational institution, a friend" of the Era and a man in daily contact with boys and young men, writes to the -editor, under date of January 4: Editor Improvement Era: Now that we are to have state-wide prohibition of the liquor traffic, may we not also have other measures for the better protection of minors? While we have a law prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors, this law is enforced under difficulties, or not at all. This results largely from the fact that almost any business concern may sell tobacco; but should not these sales now be placed under restrictions similar to those heretofore applied to the sale of liquor? Perhaps it would be well, also, to prohibit altogether the sale of cigarettes. These destroyers of boys are not usually wanted by mature men, who could, in any case, easily substitute a less injurious form of indulgence.

We agree fully with our friend. Next to the state-wide prohibition of the liquor traffic, no legislation relating to moral affairs could come into the lives of the young people that would be of more value to them, and a greater moral safeguard than legislation regulating the sale of tobacco and prohibiting the sale of cigarettes. The cigarette habit is very general, and we regret that in the smaller country villages and settlements, as well as in the large cities, smoking is becoming very common. Young boys from eight years and upwards are indulging clandestinely at first, then openly in the habit; and it is safe to say that few practices could be engaged in more detrimental to the physical, intellectual and moral well-being of the boys than this same practice of tobacco using and cigarette-smoking. It tends to make liars, sneaks and moral degenerates of them. It stunts their physical growth, interferes with their intellectual development, and makes them indifferent and careless in their work. The young man who engages in it gradually goes from bad to worse until his word cannot be relied upon, and his ambition withers. It takes a good boy and makes a bad one of him, and that almost against his will; because it destroys his will, and leaves him incapable of doing as he would like. It destroys his , desire for saving, and narrows his capacity for work. It disables his ambition and makes him useless as a man of character. If anything could be done in the state to limit the number of sales places, and even to relegate the corner tobacco store to back streets and to abolish the contemptible "go-betweens"

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which it seems to have at its doors to induce unthinking boys and young men to purchase and use its life- and character-destroying products, it would certainly be a condition devoutly to be wished. The idea of placing a high license upon every dealer is a good one it would prevent every corner grocery, and every ;

little shop in country and city, from trading in this death-dealing stuff. Is there anything more contemptible than the sight of a big man holding a ticky cigarette in his mouth, puffing away at it as if his life depended upon the thing? Then watch him get nervous and ill-at-ease, if tobacco cannot be had at call! It is sad to see how many unthinking boys, forming the habit now, — will become that class of men, men controlled by tobacco. A law against advertising cigarettes and tobacco on bill boards, street cars and other public places, would be a moral step in advance. The man who smokes should get off in some private corner to hide his folly and example, which should not be displayed before the public to tempt the inexperienced and unthinking youth to adopt the filthy habit. All tobacco advertisements should be so relegated.

Lesson to Parents

The watchcare of parents over children is frequently let go loose ends, and the results are not altogether encouraging, nor at.

do they tend to the welfare and good character of the young people. A lesson to parents may well be taken from the following incident related in a recent issue of the Youth's Companion, concerning a father who admitted in a court of justice that he did not know how his son, who was then under arrest before the court, spent his evenings, or what he had been doing. The judge then put some questions that other fathers might well ask themselves :

"Do you keep a horse?" "Yes, your honor." "Where is it now?" "In the barn." "You know where it is every night, don't you? You lock the barn to keep the horse safe, and you feed it and care for it, don't you?" "Yes sir." "Which do you think the most of, the horse or the boy?" "The boy, of course." "Then see that you treat him as well as you treat the horse."