THE CIGARET BOY | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Apr 3, 1907

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 14.

THE CIGARET BOY.

The "Industrialist" of March 9, issued weekly by the Kansas State Agricultural College, contains an article by William A. McKeever, on the subject, "The Cigaret Boy," from which the following paragraphs are taken:

"There are in the Kansas State Agricultural College at this time about one hundred young men who are thoroly addicted to the use of cigarets or a strong pipe, while a great many others indulge occasionally in the use of tobacco in some form. These young men are somewhat below the average of their age in size and weight, have something of the 'lean and hungry look,' and are more or less predisposed to sore eyes, weak heart, sore throat, stomach trouble, 'short wind,' and the like, and what is most serious of all, perhaps, they rank very low as students.

"The ill effects of cigarets upon young boys and youths are so marked that their physical, intellectual, and moral natures are often permanently impaired. Comparatively few of these youths ever get beyond the freshman year in college. They are soon forced out into other lines of work, and are usually compelled to take subordinate positions."

During the college year 1905-06, Mr. McKeever secured, thru disinterested persons, two lists of names of students, (1) fifty young men who were habitual cigaret or pipe smokers, and (2) fifty young men of the same class rank who were non-smokers. He then obtained from the college records of the preceding term the final grades and other data. From this he learned that the smokers made an average of 17.53 per cent. lower than the non-smokers, and the former dropped 84 per cent. of the subjects discontinued during the term by both classes, and that they made 74 per cent. of all the failures. Nine smokers and twenty-five non-smokers had clear records. He concludes:

"I feel confident that an investigation would result in showing that these boys who become heavy smokers so young will eventually be forced into inferior and subordinate positions for their life work."

The tobacco curse in its various forms is second only to the liquor curse, and is predisposing to that.