Prevalence of the Cigarette Evil.
Alarming reports are made by educators touching the prevalence of the use of cigarettes among school children, and the effects of this vice upon their mental and physical development. We note in the Chicago Tribune of February 20 one such report, made by the superintendent of public schools at Kokomo, Ind. The Tribune says:— “Professor Ogg, superintendent of the Kokomo schools, reports to the Board of Education that out of thirteen hundred boys in the city schools, four hundred are addicted to the cigarette habit, and are, in consequence, two years behind the non-smokers in their studies. “Of the effect on their studies and conduct Professor Ogg in his report says:— “‘These various reports include nearly thirteen hundred boys, from the first grade through the high school. Over one third of these admit that they do smoke or have smoked. Those who belong to the class of smokers average one year older than those who do not smoke. Taking those who are habitual smokers, the difference in age is two years, making them two years behind the non-users in their studies. “‘But there are other losses besides that of progress. In the teachers’ reports are annotation marks of “self-control, poor,” “inattentive and untrustworthy,” “bad memory,” “lazy, very dull,” “no concentration,” “vacant stare,” etc. We now propose to invoke the law.’”