Fire and Tobacco

EDITORS' TABLE 843

registered with the National Organization, number 7,545, as against 4,528 last year, an increase of 3,017. Besides this, the number doing scout work who are not registered number 5,127, as against 3,708 last year, or an increase of 1,419. A complete anaylsis of the interesting reports for this sea- son is being compiled and will appear later. Altogether there has never been a time when the Y. M. M. I. A. has been in a more prosperous and active condition, all of which should encourage the splendid corps of over six thousand officers and teachers, engaged in the Y. M. M. I. A. cause to renewed energy, so that for this summer and next season we may still advance in this great organization among the young men of Zion. A.

Fire and Tobacco

The following is quoted from the Insurance Press by the National Fire Protection Association Quarterly, and is written by the Editor of the first named paper, Mr. Franklin Webster. The article referred to is sent the Era by T. C. Hoyt, Snowflake, Arizona, and begins by reciting the case of a smoker who en- tered a matinee in the Colonial Theatre in Boston, and dis- carded his cigaret in the lace dress of a lady in the lobby. Cer- tainly it will be recognized from this that the use of tobacco is an economic menace, involving, not only an enormous property loss, but the destruction of many lives by fire: "If smokers before lighting up were reminded that they caused a fire damage every minute of $50 or more, it is certain that during that par- ticular smoke they would be careful, and since both carefulness and care- lessness are largely mere matters of habit, a habit in the right direction might be formed by this simple expedient. Or,, if mere kindly suggestion is unavailing, then put a little more muscle in the arm of the law. If automo- bile drivers can be charged varying fines for careless driving, which ex- poses to hazard only a few lives, surely a penalty should be inflicted upon a careless smoker who jeopardizes possibly the lives of hundreds. It may very well be that we shall have to seek legislation to curb this carelessness. Anyone, who will observe the cigaret buts on sidewalks, in gutters, in car stations, or in every out-of-the-way corner of places where people congre- gate, will realize the extent of this evil menace. It is noted that some dis- carded cigarets burn their entire length, while in others the fire dies out as in a match stick that has been treated for afterglow. Assuming that differences in the character of the paper wrapper are responsible for this difference in combustibility, and in the hope that all cigarettes might be made slow-burning, an inquiry on the subject was addressed by the National Fire "rotection Association to the American Tobacco Company."

Mr. Hoyt makes the following comment: "It is significantly pointed out in the article that the tobacco company did not