Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

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Good News
By William James Robinson, A.M., D.D.
Every one counts happenings favorable to his
pet ideas good news. I am sure I shall give some news
that will rejoice many hearts. "Washington, D. G,
December 21, 1953 "The Internal revenue service
today released new figures on cigarette sales, reveal
ing that the drop in sales which started last April
continued through October.
"Spokesmen for tobacco manufacturing report
that more people are stopping smoking every day."
Every right thinking person will rejoice at what
each of these paragraphs say. This giving up smok
ing is very likely due to the fact Dr. Alton Oschener
and some other eminent physicians have announced
that it is their conviction heavy cigarette smoking is
very likely a potent cause of the rapid increase of
lung cancer. Dr. Oschener is reputed to have said
that a heavy smoker of cigarettes has 500 more
chances of nonsmoker.
This should be alarming to every
contracting lung cancer than a
cigarette
smoker. Recent autopsies made in various parts of
the country confirm their declaration. It has been
noticed for a long time many heavy smokers had
lung cancer. So it is not surprising that physicians
have arrived at the conclusion that smoking cigar
ettes is the major cause of the rapid increase of this
malady.
I have a letter in my hand in reply to one I
wrote the Journal of the American Medical Associa
tion asking if it was true that they had discontinued
publishing advertisements of tobacco and alcoholic
beverages. The editor replied: "It is correct, alcohol
and tobacco advertising will no longer be carried in
publications of The American Medical Association."
This is an announcement that every opponent of
these evils will read with delight. Perhaps a larger
per cent of doctors smoke than of any other group
of professional men. The statement that I have
quoted clearly implies, regardless of whether they
smoke or not, a majority of them disapprove of it.
I have repeatedly asked in my articles for the name
and address of any member of The American Medical
Association or College of Surgeons who smoke, who
will publicly advise others, especially young people,
to smoke. I have not heard of one. Now I am sure 1
will never be given the name and address of any one
of these groups who will advise others to smoke. I
have made the same challenge to educators who
smoke. I have not heard of one who will do it.
I am wondering what cigarette manufacturers
who have been boasting about the number of dis
tinguished doctors who prefer their brand of cigar
ettes to all others will say now. I have noticed they
never give the name of even one of their smoking
doctors who commend their goods. Did they ever
have them
The thinking of leaders makes public sentiment
and that is a tremendous factor in determining the
conduct of people. Every person consciously or un
consciously delights in having a leader that he or she
can enjoy following. Thus a few men determine the
character of large communities for weal or woe.
Years ago the renowned neurologist, Dr. Charles
B. Towns said: "Tobacco is an unfavorable factor
which predisposes men to worse habits. A boy
always starts smoking before he starts drinking.
March 9, 1955
If he is disposed to drink that disposition will be
increased by smoking, because the action of tobacco
makes it normal for him to feel the need of
stimulation. He is likely to go to alcohol to soothe
muscular unrest, to blunt the irritation he has
received from tobacco. From alcohol he goes to
morphine for the same reason. The nervous condition
due to excessive drinking is allayed by morphine, just
as the nervous condition due to excessive smoking is
allayed by alcohol. Morphine is the legitimate conse
quence of alcohol and alcohol is the legitimate con
sequence of tobacco. Cigarettes, drink, opium is the
logical and regular
He also said, "I consider cigarette smoking is
the greatest vice devastating humanity today be
cause it is doing more than any other vice to de
teriorate the race.
Dr. Daniel H. Kress, a distinguished neurolo
gist, said: "The two habits (drinking and smoking)
are very intimately associated. The one leads to the
other. They are Siamese twins inseparably joined
together."
When a youth is saved from cigarettes he is
very likely saved from alcohol and other worse drugs,
including opium and heroin and the possibility of
being an alcoholic and acquiring residence on "skid
It would be beyond belief if we did not know
that many so called "finest families" and multitudes
of their imitators encourage their children to smoke
and drink, thus conditioning them for alcoholism and
residence on "skid There seems to be no more
deplorable end to which one could come. And yet
many seemingly superior families encourage smok
and drinking.
ing
Wise parents will abstain from narcotics and
do all in their power to keep their children from be
coming users of any narcotic of any kind. No parent
can be sure his or her child is free from these evils
until he has reached maturity free from the first
taste of them. Total abstinence from all potent drinks
and smoking is the only safe course to pursue. To
accomplish this, keep children supplied with attrac
tive literature that tells of the dangers in drinking
and smoking.
GLIMPSES Continued from page 146
Laubach teaching method. This was done from charts and
each one of us in turn had to go forward and 'teach' all
the others who for the moment became illiterates. What
we learned we had a chance to put into practice in the after
noon work. Six teams went out in the mission cars each
afternoon to near or far villages actually to teach. In none
of them was there any dearth of illiterates to practice on.
One village that had been visited each day for three days,
said, 'You have set our village on fire.' Even the Muslims
there are interested and have sent in to buy Laubach prim
ers and the Christians are teaching them. Dr. and Mrs.
Laubach themselves went with the groups that visited
Ransonabad and Village 190, our largest Christian colonies.
"We are spending our mornings in the school giving
the children some special Bible training." They are also
teaching them the Laubach method. "The Head Master
today ordered a thousand Laubach primers which will be
put in the hands of the students as soon as they have finish
ed the training, with the hope they will go to their homes
and teach their own illiterate parents and neighbors."
151