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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1914)
NOTES SOME THOUGHTFUL OPIN IONS ON THE CIGARRETTE. The Sunday School Times invited a number of leading business men and educators to speak their minds on the subject of the cigarette. These forceful answers were printed in The Sunday School Times and are re printed in this leaflet. From the Hon. Ben B. Lindsey, Judge of the Juvenile Court, Denver, Col. Our lives depend a great deal upon our habits. Habits make or unmake men. The . boy who starts with bad habits is sure to be a worthless man. If he starts with good habits be is just as sure to be a good man; there fore boyhood is the most important part of life. One of the worst habits in boyhood is the cigarette habit. Per sisted in it dulls and deadens all the finer moral sentiments; it makes a physical and moral wreck of any boy. It is sure to lead the victim to other habits just as dangerous and disgust ing. Years in the Juvinille Court of Denver convinces me that it is one chief evils met in boyhood, and re sponsible for much weakness, misery and crime. From John K. Pepper, International Lesson Committee, Memphis, Tenn. My observation as a business man has been that boys and young men who indulge in the habit of smoking cigarettes and cigars will very soon become discounted, and their places will very probably be filled by others of more careful habits. There can be no question that the use of cigarettes and cigars is positively detrimental to mind and body. From T. Berry Smith, Professor of Chemistry and Physics, Central Collge, Fayette, Missouri. I speak of that which I have seen. Over and over have young men, rather boys, entered Central College in Sep tember, rugged and strong from the farm, cheeks all aglow with untainted blood, and nerves steady with nature’s own health. I have seen those boys begin their work with diligence and make good grades in their classes. I have seen them fall into thehabit of smoking. . . . By springtime I have seen those boys wuth pale cheeks and unsteady nerves, failing in their classes and drooping in spirit, until they gave up. Oh, the ruin that to bacco has wrought. From Robert E. Speer, Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, New York City. Apart from the intellectual and physical effects of the use of cigar ettes by boys, which those who are competent to judge allege to be evil, I can testify to the bad effects on manners. I have seen many a boy and man, by nature courteous and thoughtful, who would never think of doing an ungentlemanly or rude thing intentionally, guilty nevertheless of the most heedless discourtesy and rudeness in the use of tobacco. Every morning as I get off the suburban train in the railway station, and walk down the crowded platform, I see both men and women dodging to one side or the other in order to escape the necessity of inhaling a cloud of to bacco smoke, blown over his shoulder by some smoker in front, who does not mean to be boorish, and who would never think of blowing a cloud of to bacco smoke into the face of any one whom he was confronting, but who, with no thought whatever of the inter ests or feelings of others, pollutes the air which they have to breathe. Many a fine-natured boy and man has been made coarse and boorish in this one regard of ignoring the sensibilities of others in the indulgence of this habit. And it is not only in the open air that some men would rather smoke than be thoughtful of the sensibilities of others. From Robert Ellis Thompson, S. T. D.. President Central High - School, Philadelphia. A long experience as educator in university and high school has shown me that tobacco is one of the worst enemies of the rising generation, and especially in the form of the cigar ette. The habit of using it is at first imitative. The boy wants to show how manly he is, and undergoes the agony of repeated nasuea in order to acquire the taste. Its physiological effects as a sedative then ensnare him. It quiets his worries by blunting all the sharp edges of facts and soothing the sting of conscience. He neglects his duties, puts off his work and sinks toward the loafer level. Its last re sults are physical and moral ruin. From A. D. Brown, Hamilton Brown Shoe Company, St. Louis. That any kind of smoking is a great handicap to a young man’s success in life is too well established in my mind to admit of doubt. The fact that the legislatures of many states, com posed chiefly of smokers, have con demned the cigarette and passed laws prohibiting its manufacture, ought to convince any man or boy that indul gence in this vice is suicide. And the boy is better off in his grave than liv ing if he is fastened to an instrument of this kind that slowly, but surely de stroys his mind and body, and renders him useless to himself and to the world. A cigarette smoker is certain ly an object of pity. From F. W. Ayer, of N. W. Ayer & Son, Advertising Agents , Philadel phia. I learned to smoke when I was four teen. Kept at it for two years. I found it an expensive habit from which I got no good. The fact that my smoking pained my mother was, however, the real reasoa tor my quit ting. At sixteen I promised her that I would not smoke until twenty-one. I have never renewed the habit. I never saw any good reason for doing so my forty years’ observation of boys and young men, begun in the school room and continued through an active business career, I have yet to discover man or boy who seemed to me any more of a man because he smoked. On the other hand I have met many a youngster whose appearance and ac tions indicated to me that he was much worse for the “smoke habit.” In my judgment, the use of tobacco in any form is a bad habit, injurious to many; and the very worst form in which it finds expression is in cigar ette smoking, which is particularly in jurious to young men and boys. SUNDAY SCHOOL ORGANIZED. There have been heroes made in the twinkling of an eye in battle and men have rapidly become famous by virtue of favorable circumstances, but we must take our hat off to the man who in the daily exercise of his du ty to God and man performs a ser vice often unnoticed by his friends. Such men have served the Sunday School of A. and M. College for many years. During the years previous to 1910, the work of the Sunday School was organized and promoted by such men as Dr. Bittle, a man distinguished by his scholarly taainments, Dr. C. P. Fountain, one of the advisers and counselors of the present organiza tion and others who have given time and effort to sustaining and promot ing the Sunday School organization. More recently Prof. A. Mitchell serv ed a long and faithful term of years as superintendent. During these past three years Prof. J. D. Garner and I. C. Nichols have served in this ca pacity. D. B Gofer was assistant su perintendent during the incumbency of Prof. Nichols first service as su perintendent. Recognizing the ability and astute- ness of Prof. Nichols the Sunday School has re-elected him as superin tendent for the ensuing year. J. D. Bond was elected assistant superin tendent and the selection of two sec retaries was left to the superintend ent’s judgment. There is a splendid prospect for a large enrollment in the Sunday School classes. Cadets desiring religious in struction and discpssion will find these classes a place where leadership can be developed under the instruc tion of experienced teachers. THE SECRETARYSHIP, A CALL TO LIFE SERVICE. It is a man’s ministry to men, saving men’s lives with their souls, and saving for Christlike service. It is a man’s method of work with men, making men helped responsible for helping their fellows. It is a man’s interpretation of Chris tianity to men. In terms of Christian manhood. It is a man’s challenge to the hidden talent in men, discovering latent leadership in the church, and mighty reinforcements in the min istry. It is aman’s program of work for men proposing the humany impossible task and driving men to prayer to accomp lish it. It pays a man’s wages for winning men, the zest and stress of the game, the joy and achievement and the worth of the prize. It is a call to men of business capacity, to subordinate business to religion, and multiply himself by thousands. It is a call to the man of social power, to turn fellowship into comradeship, “Not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” It is a call to larger fellowship, broad as the brotherhood of man, deep as men’s need, high as Christ’s hope, and wide as the world opportunity. CHARLES K. OBER, ’82. ANTI-SWEARING CLUB TO BE ORGANIZED. At the Y. M. C. A. meeting last Sunday night a petition was circulat ed endorising a movement against the use of profane language. It was signed by almost everyone present. The movement was given such a strong impetus that it was decided to re-organize the Anti-Swearing Club. This will be done at the meeting of the Young Men’s Christian Associa tion next Sunday evening. Come out and join the club and help those who are striving to make this a stronger, cleaner school. Y. Ml. C. A. RECEPTION. It has been the custom of the Y. M. C. A. for several years past to give a reception to each Freshman Class upon its entrance into college. This custom was kept up this year, and in fact car ried out with a greater degree of suc cess than heretofore. The reception and “stunt” party given in the Mess Hall last Saturday night was attended by practically every Freshman in school, and a large number of the “old boys.” Under the leadership of Mr. Steger, several interesting and inter- taining stunts were pulled off, to the amusement of all present. Peanuts and lemonade were served to all comers before the evening was closed. Dr. William Statis Jacob, our dis tinguished guest from Houston told several pointed stories and admonished the new men to be good. The Yell leader “Runt” Hanson led the freshmen in some rousing yells and the fresh men Y. M. C. A. stunt of 1914-15 was over. And it must be added that the Freshmen gave evidence of acquiring the A. and M. “pep” quicker than any class of recent years. FIRST MEETING OF Y. M. C. A. The first meeting of the Y. M. C. A. for the session of 1914-15 was held last Sunday night in the chapel. The attendance was large indicating the slendid interest in the speaker and the general work of the Association. The Y. M. C. A. chairman of com mittees were introduced to the new men. But by far the most helpful feature of the meting was the interesting talk made by Dr. States Jacobs of Houston. It was especially appropriate to the oc casion and was appreciated by all present. We hope to see more of Dr. Jacobs in the future. CHAPEL ANNOUNCEMENT. On next Sunday, October 4th, Dr. R. R. Ray of the St. Andrews Epis copal Church, Bryan, will conduct the chapel services. Dr. Ray has recently moved to Texas from New York and comes to us very highly recommend ed. PRIZE FOR YELL. Yell leaders Barraco and Hanson offer a years subscription to the Bat talion to the student handing in the best yell. Get busy. We think the authorities would do well to invite Dr. Jacobs to come again.