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Show CIGARETTE SMOKING BAD. Investigation Shows Cigarette Smoker Smok-er to be Two Years Behind Non-U6ers in School. Cigarette smoking boys In tho public schools of Kokoma are an average of two years behind tho non smokers of their own age. This startling conclusion and others almost as Important are the result of a year's careful Investigation by Prof. R. A. Ogg, superintendent of the Uoard of Trustees of the Indiana State University. Univer-sity. Tho investigation was carried on quietly but thoroughly hy each teacher and the cumulutlvo evidence adduced Is habit'tlmt.wlll'lnicrcstducalors and physicians and mify lead to a combined effort to stamp out the pernicious habit. hab-it. Superintendent. Ogg reports on the matter as follows; "The investigation has Involved nearly twelve hundred boys from the first grade through the high school Moru than one-third of these ,admit they do smoke or have smoked at some time. All these have been Included in the list of smokers, and only those who say they never smoked are counted in the list of non-users. Surprising uniformity uni-formity is found iu tho effect in all buildings and in all grades. Those who belong to the class of smokers average one year older than those of their grade who have never used tobacco. Tho inveterate in-veterate smokers are two years behind the non-users. This is true through all grades, t "It might be expected that tho dU vergeneu would 'increase in tho higher grades. That such is not tho case is doubtless due to the fact that those who smoko fall and drop out of school at an earlier age and in larger numbers thn those who do not smoke. If, instead of Including all who have smoked at all in the list of smokers, we take only those who smoke habitually, the difference differ-ence in itge in favor of those who do not smoke is nearly two years. Hero is a terrible loss which may clearly be charged up to the cigarette habit. "Hut there are other lossos beside those of progress lu their studies. The teachers' reports show that the conduct of the smokers Is far below tho average. aver-age. Some of tho reports say of smokers: smok-ers: Self-control poor, inattentive, not trustworthy; bad memory, careless excitable, ex-citable, nervous, bad conduct; lazy, sleepy, slow to moye; vory dull, blank look; heavy eyes, r.ick frequently, never did any good, work in school; no energy, ener-gy, naturally bright but no power of concentration; vacant btaro, gloomy, listless; One boy failed regularly while smo.clng. He quit tho habit and now passes successfully. Physlctal deterioration deterior-ation la very noticeable, including shrlnkago of chest measurement." A crusade against tho clgarotto immediately im-mediately followed this alarming report and as a result tho four hundred cigar- otto smokers have given up tho weed. Now tho effect is just ns noticablo the other way. New York Monthly World. |