THE CIGARETTE ABOMINATION.
THE evils of cigarette smoking are forcibly portrayed by the following from N. Y. Times:— "It is outrageous, sir, and I am surprised that the press does not make war upon the manufacturers." Thus spoke a Broadway dealer in smokers' goods to a Times reporter who had dropped into the store for a cigar and casually referred to the cigarette trade. The criticism had reference to the practice of offering premiums that enticed boys to excessive cigarette smoking. It sounded oddly—a dealer practically condemning a profitable branch of his trade. "Yes," said he, "there is no question that demands more public attention than the prevailing methods of cigarette manufacturers to foster and stimulate cigarette smoking among children. Every possible device has been employed to interest the juvenile mind, notably the lithograph album. This can only be obtained by a requisite number of vouchers that the applicant has purchased so many hundred cigarettes. At the office of the leading factory in this city you can see, any Saturday afternoon, a crowd of children with vouchers clamoring for the reward of self-inflicted injury." "The prize is nothing but a picture-book given in exchange for certificates, but these certificates show that an equal number of cigarettes has been purchased, presumably by the child at the expense of its mental, moral, and physical condition. Twelve different albums are now offered as prizes for smoking certain brands of cigarettes. Many a boy under twelve years is striving for the entire collection, which necessitates the consumption of nearly twelve thousand cigarettes. He will become demoralized, and possibly dishonest, to accomplish his purpose."