Farmington High School - Student Yearbook (Farmington, CT)

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A 41- , s arminatun ,ituhent .1-is-f1.:ssg-fae2ii.afQ:'2Qf-Q 13'5?'3s.2S?2: WHY CIGARETTES ARE HARMFUL NE day last year when I was traveling to New York on a train I overheard - - the following conversation between a senior in a certain high school and a 4 freshman from the same school. From the opening of the conversation Q' I gathered that the senior was a player on the 'varsity squad and also coached the freshman basketball squad. After a discussion on the merits of certain players of the team, the freshman broke in: 4'But why didn't you let 'Spud' Morgan play in the Friday night's game? he said. Well, you seef' the upperclassman answered, he broke training rules by indulg- ing in smoking cigarettesf' What difference does that make? the freshman asked, A few cigarettes can't hurt a person. You're right there,', was the reply, 'ibut a few cigarettes may lead to a habit and in the habit lies the whole trouble with cigarette smoking. Explain your meaning. Well, when a fellow once attains the habit of cigarette smoking he can never break himself unless he uses a very strong will power, and very few people want to do that. When a person first begins to smoke he seldom inhales, but gradually as the habit grows he inhales more. This inhalation does the harm and holds the smoker to the habit. It causes an irritation in the throat which can be appeased onlyby more smoke. Yvhen he tries to break himself of the habit this irritation drives him into desperation and he seldom has the will power to resist the temptation. Nowjto get to the harm in the habit, the nicotine in the tobacco smoke, attacks the mucous membranes and the delicate tissues in the lungs. These tissues are built by nature through the oxygen we breathe and are destroyed by the carbon dioxide which we exhaleg and when the nicotine comes in contact with these tissues it, tears them down faster than they can be built up by the oxygen. If you have ever noticed a habitual smoker at work and a man who does not smoke you cannot help but see that the smoker is shorter winded than the other and is affected more by hard work. When you go out into the world and apply for positions where you must have a steady nerve and a cool brain, the first requisite you must have is a freedom from the smoking habit. If, however, you haven't that requisite you cannot hope to acquire the job, which probably has numerous lives dependent on its completion, because your senses have been dulled by the nicotine. If it was a job where you would have to read signals in a fraction of a second you would miss it in nine times out of ten. And, as for the case of 'Spud' Morgan, he, if he were allowed to go unpunished for that offence, would undoubtedly try a second time and then again, until he got into the habit which would slacken his playing ability., by shortening his wind and dulling the fine perceptions of smell, sight, and hearing. Furthermore, if he were allowed to go unpunished, others would follow his example and our team would eventually fall to the bottom of the league. But why did you let Mike Andrews go' off and have a good time Friday night? He smoked then and you let him, asked the now interested freshman. Oh, that was a different case altogether. Mike was overtrained. He had trained to such a point that he was too highly strung and nervous. He could not sleep nights and fumbled and made mistakes in the practice games because he was over anxiousg and so we had to send him out of town for one night for a cgood time' so as to let down on his high strung nature and to take his mind off basketball 12

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,S ,ilfarmingtnn ,stuhent . e,Qa,QveQEef'.9' st.me-Qu Pete thought he was about fifty feet in the air and for this reason he wouldn't jump for fear of breaking his neck. To make up for that the boys put him into an old blanket and tossed him into the air until he was so dizzy he couldn't see. Last but not least they took him over to the ole swimmin' hole and threw him in clothes, music and all. At last they let him go and followed him home to see what kind of a reception he got. Peter said not a word when his mother scolded him and fifteen minutes later he reappeared on the way to take his belated music lesson. The boys marvelled that he dare face them again but he was coming down the street whistling. Hello, fellows, goin' swimmin' when I come back? he asked. With this they decided that after a little training Pete would be a regular fellow in spite of his n1other's attitude and other handicaps. EMMETT ROURKE, 1928. TAKING CARE OF THE BABY RS. SMITH went over to Mrs. Jones' house for five minutes one da ' and 1 ' mv- ' . . I 6 ri left Billy to take care of her youngest offspring, Esmerelda, who happened 4 , to be about three years old. . Billy expected Esmerelda to behave as usual, so he borrowed his mother's clothesline and tied her down to the table, leaving her hands free. Esmerelda immediately began yelling , which was a favorite occupation of hers, and to quiet her, Billy gave her the first thing he laid his hands on, which happened to be the scissors. Then thinking that all was well, since Esmerelda was tied down and quiet, he sneaked out the back door and over to the lot where the rest of the alley were playing ball. He only plannedtto stay' for two or three minutes, for he intended to get back before his mother arrived on the scene. Two hours later, his mother remembered that she had left the corned beef boiling five minutes ago, and it was now time to put the cabbage on. Corned beef and cabbage was Mr. Jones' favorite dinner. So Mrs. Jones hastened to her residence, hurried into the kitchen and saw spread before her, a scene of utter destruction. 3 Esmerelda had somehow managed to sawithe rope with the scissors and was now sitting in the middle of the floor, wondering why the scissors wouldn't break when she bit on them. The remains of the breakfast were scattered on the floor, for Mrs. Jones had not started her morning's work, and Esmerelda had given the table cloth a couple of jerks and destruction followed. A tattered old cat now sat on the floor drinking up the only milk Mrs. Jones had in the house. Everything in reach had been cut and whacked at by the ambitious Esmerelda's scissors. , And, Esmerelda herself presented a pretty well dilapidated appearance as ga result of spilling a bottle of bluing from the table over herself. The corned beef was burning and in hurrying to right some of the things in the kitchen, she put Esmerelda in the sink and set the dishes in a chair. Then she hurried out after Billy, who, deem- ing it time to return home, had come in the front way as his mother went out the back door. - p When he saw the kitchen, he made a dive for the cellar and started bringing up armful after armful ,of wood. This took the edge from the scolding which his mother administered when she came home. ALETA FULLER, 1927. Q 11

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Ai, , s .Farmington ,,5tut1ent 5kSvZ ' 4' ib long enough to bring him back to his former good health. That was where the cigarettes came ing they soothed his nerves and allowed his mind to rest long enough to get him into a good night's sleep. That is one case where cigarettes do good, even better then a drug could, but don't get it into your head that cigarettes are beneficial to you because they are not. They, just like any other drugior narcotic, are helpful when taken under certain circumstances but if abused they can become demons that will wreck your health. At this point I was obliged to leave this very interesting conversation, because I had arrived at my destination, but left that coach with a 'bee in my bonnet. I must admit that it gave me a new point of view on this question of cigarette smoking. JOHN BOWLER, 1927. HOOKED 25,jf'fygg SCHOONER, The Mouse , slid into the harbor, just before dusk. Even ,ktfjl now, the fiery colors of sunset were just dying from the placid bay at R, Q Honolulu. Exactly three weeks ago, The Mouse had quietly slipped 'wi' ' from that same bay, and gone far away to the pearl fisheries. Captain Frazer and Fred Basil had had wonderful luck, for now there were two' beautiful pearls in their possession. As the partners stood side by side, doubt was in their minds as to whom they could trust or whom they could not trust. They were tired of the everlasting anxiety of watching the treasure. That darned little Chinaman, Sing Ling. I wish he wasn't on this boat. I have race prejudice, I guess, remarked the Captain. Well, where'll we put the pearls? Oh, in my safe. Just then they heard a soft sound behind them, and Sing Ling announced that supper was ready. About ten that night, getting ready for bed, the Captain, trying to think of a good hiding place, heard the cry of F ire! Fire! Without thinking he shoved the pearls into the safe and clanged the door shut, but in his haste did not latch it. When the small fire in the kitchen had been put out, and the Captain was returning to his room, he saw a shadow fall in the flood of light from his room. He sneezed, and a man sprang from the doorway, bumped into him, fled the other way, Frazer lunging after him. I'll bet ten dollars 'tis that Chinaman, he muttered. He was almost upon the man, who swerved suddenly, and jumped overboard. The Captain listened. No splash! Hm. Funny. Then he shouted, Bring me a light and a ladder. Two men came running to him, after a few moments, and twenty more were at their heels. The ladder was lowered, and with a flashlight, Frazer clambered over. Half-way down the ladder, he heard a curious tattoo beside him. Flicking it on, it shone right in the face of a small man, caught on a huge hook, and beating his bare heels against the side of the boat. The pearls were found in a little pocket inside the coat. Later that night, the Captain, looking up at the stars, said to the little cook beside him, Sing, I ain't got no race prejudice now. Have a smoke? ELIZABETH LEE, 1927. 13