Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 90, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1912 — Much Harm Wrought by Youthful Smokers [ARTICLE]

Much Harm Wrought by Youthful Smokers

By FRANK R. WALTON

Since it is the unanimous opinion of medical authorities that smoking by minors is highly injurious, it is certainly distressing to observe in all parts of the city an amazing increase of juvenile smoking. Many of these youngsters have told me that they were only fourteen or fifteen. It seems clear that the reason why these youngsters take up smoking is because they think that it is manly and that they are thus made into little men. One boy of sixteen, who had on short trousers when I met him smoking told me that' usually he wore long trousers, and

imagined that that gavo him a right to smoke five years belore we give him the right to vote. If smokers older than twenty would constantly Tebuke all such juvenile smokers as they chanced to meet, these youngsters might realize that it is wisest to wait. A dealer in tobacco informs me that youngsters come into his shop with orders supposed to have been written by some grown person desiring tobacco and that it is the custom to let the minor have tobacco on such doubtful orders. >