A Plea for the Prohibition of Cigarettes

A Plea for the Prohibition of Cigarettes By Wesley Ward Peoples of all nations at all times have had their standards and ideals. Sometimes these have been beauty, physical strength, business efficiency, or morality. At the time when Greece was in the height of her glory, the ideal of every Greek was to keep his body and mind in a condition that would be for the uplift of his race. Through lowering this standard the Greeks met ruina- tion, as did also the followers of Epicurus in their belief of "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." Today, while we are professing the highest standards of morals and ethics, we are in many respects following in the very footsteps of Epicurus. A flagrant example of this is found in cigarette smoking. We Americans hold forth an ideal of physical and mental perfection, yet, either through lack of will power or understand- ing, we are indulging not only in the use of liquor but also in that body- and soul-destroying agent, the cigarette. When tobacco was first introduced into Europe by Sir Walter Raleigh, its use spread throughout Christendom far more rapidly than did any of the teachings of Christ; and, although its use is not as old as that of liquor, it is now recognized as a social evil. Men have long agreed that liquor is a social evil and yet their high ideals of society have not given them the power to abandon its use. Today we are confronted by a similar prob- lem in the form of the cigarette. At one time four hundred twelve American boys wished to enter the naval school at Annapolis. They were examined by an officer at Peoria, Illinois, and out of the number who applied for admittance, only fourteen were accepted. The question will naturally arise, "Why were so many of these boys turned away?" and an answer is readily found in the fact that a large majority of them possessed what is commonly known as "tobacco heart." From one of our noted authors I take the following: " 'I am not much of a mathematician,' said the cigarette, "but I can add to a man's nervous trouble, divide his mental efficiency, multiply bis aches and pains, and discount bis chances.'" In one of our popular magazines we find : "Nature has ordained that the body keep automatic record of all it does; she lets offenders go their way, lets them run the length of their

774 IMPROVEMENT ERA rope and liml their limitations; but their mockery never goes unpunished for when the day of reckoning with nature comes, and it always does sooner or later, they find themselves face to face with a stern accountant who exacts full punishment for every violation of her laws." Clergymen, scientists, doctors and educators are unani- mously agreed in the belief that every cigarette consumed is the enemy of man. Cigarette smoking is sapping the mental and moral stamina from America's young men and gnawing at the very vitals of their physical well being. Now the great question which confronts us is, "How shall we remedy this evil?" Religion, ideals, education, anti-cigarette leagues, etc., have all proved inadequate. We have been preaching against the use of cigarettes for years, we have been demonstrating their harm- ful effects, and yet nearly fifteen billion cigarettes are consumed by American smokers every year. Thus we are forced to find another method for their abolition. The only alternative, it seems to me, is in their eradication by law. Compulsory prohibition of cigarettes would have a great moral effect upon the public in general. Ninety per cent of all our smokers begin the habit when mere boys; and since the cigarette is the cheapest form of tobacco smoking, it is almost universally used. If we are to agree with the most eminent au- thorities on this subject, by their prohibition we would have fewer criminals to deal with, fewer inmates in our insane asy- lums, and the lives of fewer American boys would be ruined. Through their prohibition our people would attain better sani- tary conditions, enjoy better health, and in all become a stronger nation; for, as the noted William Gladstone once said, "In the health of the people lies the strength of the nation." Since thi^ is true, it is only right and just that some of the privileges of those who smoke should be sacrificed not only for their own good, but for the future welfare of their country. Since the use of cigarettes tends to destroy the body, impair ^ the mind and the soul, leads to insanity, and destroys vitality, and since the temptation of cigarette smoking seems to be too great to be overcome bv the mere moral force of the person, it necessarily follows that the only course left to insure the future health and strength not onlv of the individual but also of the nation, is through the prohibition by law of cigarette smoking.