Fun That May Kill. (From Harper's Young People.)

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1848, 10 May 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

Fun That May Kill. (From Harper's Young People.)

We want all the boys who are in the ha bit of smoking cigarettes, or who are beginning to learn how to smoke them, to pay attention while we tell them of a sad event that recently took place in one of our Eastern cities. Among the number of bright boys who had set oat to beoome business men was a lad fifteen years of age, employed in a lawyer's office. During his leistre hours and on Sundays he was in the habit of smoking c "garottes, the smoke of which he inhaled. From this he passed to ohewing tobacco, and it is said that when he was not smoking a cigarette he always had tobacco in his mouth, and occasionally combined the two. His parents endeavoured to break him of the habit, but all they could say and do had no effect. His health soon began to fail rapidly, and his family, who were not aware that tobacco would have such injurious effects, fancied that his weakness wss caused by the close confinement which he had to undergo at his place of business. He Boon became so ill that he could not sleep at night, and his appetite began to fail. His countenance was very sallow, and he had severe headaches. Finally his mother took him to see a physician, who, on examining him, thought he was suffering from the want of the rigut kind of food, and prescribed tonics and things that are nourishing and strengthening. But instead of improving in health the poor lad constantty grew worse, and was soon confined to his bed. The doctor then learned that the boy had been addicted to the excessive use of tobacco in every form, and he came to the conclusion that his patient was suffering from nicotine poisoning. Nothing that could be done had any effect in restoring the suffering boy. He lingered for about a week vrhen congestion of the lungs set in, and the heart began to fail in its functions. This was the beginning of the end. Within twentyfour hours he was dead, killed by the foolish habit he had formed of smoking cigarettes and ohewing tobacco. Xt would seem as if such a story as this would be all the warning a boy could ever want against cigarette smoking. But while we are on the subject we want to tell our boy readers something more about this foolish habit, and what makes it so dangerous and destructive to those who practice it. A gentleman who writes a good deal for young people, on making inquiries of one of the largest manufacturers of cigarettes in this city, was informed that the annual average of cigarettes consumed in this country amounts to not less than a thousand millions. Now perhaps this statement in itself is not no very wonderful when we think of the number of people in this country of ours ; but take it injeonnection with the fact that the consumption of tobacoo and cigars has not decreased in that time, and one naturally asks how it is that suoh an inorease can be had in one form of smokers' articles without a falling off in the other forms of the material. A gentleman who has two large retail tobacco stores, on being asked the reason of this increased demand, said that so far as his experience could be retied upon, it was due mainly to the fact that they were consumed largely by boys who took their lessons in smoking by the use of these miniature cigars. Now let us see if we oannot find out a few faots about the materials that go to make up these cigarettes which are so universally used. Of course the cigarette is made of tobacco rolled in what is called rice-paper; that every one thinks he knows. Each manufacturer of cigarettes says that bis particular house uses none but the best Turkish, Virginia, or Havannah tobacoo ; bat that other manufacturers are perhaps dishonest enough to use cheap Maryland or Western leaves, while they also put in all kinds of material, such as old cigar stabs, andodds-ftnd-ends of all kinds. - It is quite impossible to say that such material is used ; bat there is & very odd kind of fact .to .be taken into consideration, which may have some connection with the charges gome people make against cigarette manufacj turers, - — - t i - -- • 1' v a, -- ,

of cigars which were thrown into the street were considered worthless, unloas it wag to some of the newsboys and boot-blacks who were willing to put a great deal of dirt in their mouths for the sake of a smoke. Three years ago the demand for American -made cigarettes began to increase, and then the ends of cigars that had been thrown away had such a value that the Italian immigrants in this city began to gather them from the street, and to-day there are on Crosby and Motfe streets alone, as has been found from personal inquiry, over a hundred men who make a living by gathering this refuse tobacco. That number may be found on two streets, and it is certainly safe to say there are others in the same business. Is it not just a trifle odd that as the demand for cigarrettes increased, so did that for cigar Btnbs? v A;tnember;*f a large cigarette manufactoring company said to the writer: — "You have heard of the new alkaloid from tobacco whioh a French chemist has just discovered? Well, our chemist was on the point of making that discovery just as it was announced to the world, and I assure you it is one of the most powerful of poisons, baing very similar to sulphuric aoid." Every boy knows that rice-paper wouldn t hurt a fly in case he should smoke it ; therefore when he buys cigarettes he is always careful to get those which are wrapped in that kind of paper, or at least those winch it is said have rice-paper around them. Now let any boy go to a paper-manufacturer and ask him the simple question as to whether he or any one else oonld make paper from rice, and the answer will be that rice has no fibre, consequently paper could not be made from it. The so-called rioe-paper is made from rice straw, and it is easy to imagine just how much rice there is in it. The cigarette papers are neither more nor less than a kind of tissue-paper of different degrees of fineness ; and that statement came from the same manufacturer who told about the poison. It is well-known that tobacco aots to a certain extent upon the brain as liquor does. Not long ago a gentleman who was anxious to know howtbiß stimulant or narcotic — since it acts on different natures in both ways — might affect the brain of a growing boy, asked one of the leading physicians in this city what his opinion was in regard to the matter. This is what the physician replied : — " I can tell you what you want to know, or I can tell you how to find out, without any of the big words you are afraid of. Smoke one cigarette, then put a olean cambric handkerchief to your mouth, and breathe through it two or three minutes. You will find a yellow deposit, which went into your lungs, and if you have any common sense you can tell yourself whether it is likely to be injurious." Had this physician known of the story with which this article begins, he could have said to what extent it might be injurious. 11 Tobacco does not often kill people, for we know lots of old men who have always used it, and they are as lively as crickets," some bright boy may urge. Bat if he will study into the matter a little further he will probably find out that these men either did not use tobacco when they were growing boys, but only when they became men, with tlbir minds and bodies developed and hardened to endurance, or that they had strong constitutions, such as we seldom find among our city lads of to-day. And now, boys, for a last argument, even though it seems a trivial one after the terribly sad story which has been told you. This smoking of cigarettes make 3 you ridiculous. Grown people think you silly, and laugh at you when they see you trying to be men by this silly caricaturing of what all grown-up smokers themselves pronounce a foolish and senseless habit. Bee what fun our artist ha 3 made of boy-smokers, with an absurd apparatus for consuming half a bunch at a time, which he thinks may yet be adopted by boys if this injurious fashion is not checked. He knows what silly fellows you are, and has taken this way of laughing at you and showing you how ridiculous you can make yourselves.