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Making Young Mollycoddles With ALCOHOL And TOBACCO » By EUGENE CHRISTIAN, F.S.L). T HIS is not a temperance lecture, but a plain state ment that ought to interest every growing lad who ever cherished the desire to become “man ly,” to excel in sports or to grow into a healthy and splendid animal. There probably isn’t a man to-day but what started smoking and drinking, if he does do these things, be cause he thought it was “smart” or “manly.” The ideal of every healthy growing lad is to become a man, to be a big strapping hero sort of a fellow’ who does big and heroic things. He sees the older boys and young men using tobacco or taking a drink, and it is only nat ural that he should consider It all a par^ of the game of growing up, to look upon it as rhther necessary, if he would impress those about him that he, too, is rapidly becoming a man. It is a natural mistake and a boy should not be cen sured too strongly for doing the things, under such circumstances, that he sees so many others about him Boys Who Use Tobacco Cannot Compete in Sports with Their Playmates Who Do Not continually doing. But the fact remains that both tobacco and alcohol do not make boys manly. Instead they make them weak and effeminate. In other words, there are more “sissys" or “molly coddles" made from boys through the use of tobacco and alcohol than in any other manner. Floys, if they are normal and healthy, delight in sports. They want to run and jump, leap and box, pole-vault and sprint, play football and baseball and hockey and do all those health-giving things that are so enjoyable and that really make them manly. The little boys who begin smoking and keep it up lind that by the time they have entered high school they long to take an active part in the school sports. They have learned that It is the members of the track teams, the crack-a-jack ballplayers, the sturdy half backs, who are really the heroes of the school. They are respected by the faculty, “adored" by the school girls and looked up to by everyone in the school. ■Naturally the youngster who has been smoking for a number of years wants to get in with these leaders in school sports and when it comes to the try-outs he enters the contests. Here is where he gets his first real lesson—for he will generally find his “wind” isn’t good enough to give him a chance in the hundred-yard dash, nor in the live-mile runs, nor in the cross country runs. And the young chap of from fifteen to eighteen who thought it manly to drink as well as smoke generally finds he is practically useless on the ball field, his vision is had, his judgment poor and he is a poor fielder, a poor runner, a poor hitter. He gets no place on the team. In football he is no match for his sturdy opimnents. And so these boys who foolishly indulged in tobacco Boys Who Use Tobacco ^nd Drink Find Themselves Unqualified to Take Part in the Manly Sports of Their Schol or College. and alcohol have to take back seats. About the best they can do is to cheer or act as umpires or referees and there is opportunity for only a few in every school or college. His friends wonder why he never “cared for sports.” They do not know he would give any thing to be able to enter the contests and games. They think he must be somewhat of a mollycoddle if he never went in for such sports. He has to sit about, and he really becomes more or less of a mollycoddle, all because he poisoned his system with alcohol or tobacco or both. It is well known there is enough poison' in a pound of tobacco to kill twenty men, and enough in a gallon of whiskey to kill six men. The reason these poisons do not kill instantly is because of the powerful resist ance nature throws up against them. When alcohol is taken every cell in the body is called into action to resist and light it. Nature throws into the stomach, duodenum and intestines a large amount of body fluids in order to neutralize and prevent the poison from getting into the blood. The liver, which is merely a storehouse for blood sugar, the richest element In the blood, absorbs all it possibly can of these poisons in its effort to keep them out of .circulation. This con gests the liver and explains why a headache follows excessive drinking. The great amount of body fluids absorbed in the fight against alcohol explains the thirst that follows excessive drinking of liquors. When the boy, always more susceptible to poisons than an adult, takes poisons into his system, either alcohol or nicotine, the heart is forced Into greater action. And the constant use of tobacco and alcohol, or of either in excess, makes the heart keep up this overwork until it weakens, misses a beat pow and then and suddenly stops altogether. The doctors say “heart failure,” which is quite true since science knows ol nc other way to die. Tobacco Is both a stimulant and a sedative. To the strong man who has not used it in his early years, and who does not use It in excess, It has a soothing effect. The stimulating effect, however, is overcome by the paralysis or deadening of the nervous system. This is not felt at once, but In time it means nervous ness, inability to sleep and a weak heart. No boy with these physical defects can hope to become a good ath lete. It is no wonder he becomes pale, dull-eyed, thin, stoop-shouldered, listless and so effeminate that he is called a “mollycoddle.” Tobacco acts directly upon the optic nerve and af fects the millions of nerve fibres leading from the iris, which is the wonderful little curtain that gives color to the eye. The constant use of tobacco means poor eyesight, sometimes a partial loss' of eyesight. Nico tine also acts upon the sex vitality. Instead of making a boy manly, it so poisons his systefn that he is far from manly. Any physician will explain this to any hoy who has doubts about the evil effect^ of. tobacco in this way. At the time when the boy is changing into the man he is most apt to contract the liquor ana tobacco habit, and at this time he is the most anxious to possess a fine physique. The healthy boy boasts of his strength and his prowess, or of the strength and prowess he is soon to acquire. And these things will come to him and make him manly if he is fortunate enough not to use tobacco or liquor. Man is always better without them, but it is a crime against his manhood to begin their use before he has reached maturity, which is between the twenty-third and twenty-fifth year. If he does use these poisons in his boyhood he is taking a great and grave chance that he will never be a real manly young chap. \ How “CHEATING TIME” Begins IN LATE SPRING C HEATING time begins in late Spring and con tinues through the Summer. That is, there is more cheating in weights and measures during this time because of the early berries, late berries and early garden truck and general fruit and garden trucks that come in their turn from May into October. This does not mean that everybody cheats, or that every green-grocer or huckster cheats at weights and measures, but there are still many that do, despite all efforts to destroy unlawful scales and measures. Prob ably the worst of this sort of cheating is done by the dealers who' have no stores and really no strictly organized huckster business, but who take out a lot of stuff at night about the time people are going home from offices and Saturday noons during the half holi day period. As an instance of this, a man bought two boxes of strawberries from a huckster at a corner not for from Wall street in New York, it was early in March, and at two boxes for 45 cents it looked like a bargain. His wife was delighted, because she had been paying 32 cents a box for strawberries. But when she emptied the berries the bottom of the box was so stuffed with paper that both boxes just about equalled a quart. In other words, she bought of a reputable dealer for 32 cents; her husband bought of an unknown huckster whose shop consisted of a box on a street corner, and his berries cost him 13 cents more for the same quan tity. The woman wpo buys at her door may have an honest measure and demand that the berries or whatever it is be poured into her measure. If the huckster refuses to do this do not bother with him. if it is something sold by weight have the delivery boy or huckster bring it into the kitchen and place it on a pair of kitchen scales. This will Insure honest weight and measure. But the commuter, rushing for the train at night, whose attention is caught by some seeming big bar- 1 gain, has no such opportunity. He must take what is handed him and hurry along without weighing or measuring it himself. The result is that late Spring becomes cheating time in every large city w’ith an un scrupulous lot of men, who work off short measure and weight on the suburbanite, and while the huckster who ventures into the outskirts of the cities and about the tenement and apartment sections is frequently one who cheats with the false bottom measures and doctored scales, it is probably the suburbanite rushing for trol ley, train or ferry who stops to buy something on th* street corner that is the most profitable victim. Unless it is absolutely necessary, the suburbanite should not do this, but leave the buying to his wife and see that she is properly provided with honest scales and fair measure and has tne courage to de mand that everything she buys at the house is tested by them, as well as putting her meats and groceries bought at the regular stores to the test as soon as they are delivered. What to Do For I T often happens that city folks desire to plant a few choice flowers or some favor ite vegetables in the little space that a city or suburban lot affords, and it is found by experience that for some reason the earth is rather unproductive. A number of reasons may exist for the soil being unable to respond freely to the desired growth. One reason more apt to exist than others is the fact the earth has become acid ulous, or sour, and in such shape it is impos sible for the elements with the aid of sunlight and moisture to enter into the composition of the plants. Lime will sweeten a soured soil quickly and effectually. In spading a little spot where last year It SOUR GARDEN did not seem to do its best, sprinkle a little lime through the earth as it is turned Over with the spade. An occasional application of lime to the surface about growing plants will make a wonderful change. In such cases the lime should be worked into the earth slightly with I . some tool. Care must be taken to avoid get- 1 ting the tool mixed up with the roots as in jury might be the result. Peonies often seem slow to bloom, or the buds blight after showing color. A little lime worked into the earth about the peony plants will work a wonderful change. Lime the lawn very slightly by scattering over broadcast and it will increase the green and make a more compact and vigorous j’ growth in a few days. The REAL DANGERS Of Passenger ELEVATORS T 'HAT there is a danger connected with elevators is not denied, but it is not in the elevators themselves now, be cause they have been so thoroughly perfected that if one*thing breaks there is another to prevent the car from crashing down the shaft, and if that thing breaks there is gen erally a second or third safety clutch. Because of this, the accidents caused by falling elevator cars are. extremely rare, yet there are accidents—not counting those of people falling down the shaft!* because of open doors and absence of the car—in which people are. badly crushed or killed, that are due not at all to the elevator itself, hut either to the passenger or the operator. V There are several things to remember about elevators which many people know, but become careless about because of con stant use of these elevators. These are: Never leave the car until it has actually stopped. Many times a careless elevator man will throw open the door a second before the car has actually stopped, when it is within a couple of inches of the floor and barely moving. But just because the door is open and the car is practically stopped, it does not mean danger is past. Some one may ac cidentally knock against the elevator man’s arm at that moment and cause him to jerk the lever, w’ith the result that the car will instantly shoot upward or downward and any person careless enough to be getting out is likely to be caught and crushed. Never start to get out or in a car and then hesitate on the threshold. The elevator man. used to judging the time it takes for a per son to step on or off a car, may almost au tomatically move his lever, having no means of knowing you have hesitated on the thresh old, and although he can stop the car in an Instant, during that instant you may be jerked violently up or down or be crushed. Never hesitate on leaving or entering a car. Some people saunter out of a car while others step out lively. In most big elevators the cry is “step lively," and because that is the habit the operator gets to take it for granted every one will. To walk out very slowly is dangerous. Never crowd against the elevator man. You might be pushed or fall against his op erating arm and cause him to lose control of the lever and cause the car to shoot upward or downward and a severe jolting would re sult when the safety clutches operated, if nothing worse happened. Every elevator should have a guard around the lever so that the operator could have free use of his arm inside and yet any amount of crowding could not jam any one over against his arm and interfere with his operation of the lever. Now that elevators are so nearly perfect, it needs careful passengers as well as care ful operators, and with such care the acci dents would be less. While waiting for an elevator never lean against the door. In fact, never lean against any part of the cage or outside covering, as sometimes it is difficult to tell which is the door and w’hich the wall, and many a door is not latched and a weight slides it open. The sliding causes the victim to lose his balance and dow r n he is likely to tumble into the shaft. i YOU MIGHT TRY- To Save Closet Space. M ETAL towel racks, that have flat places at each curved end to screw to a wall v almost double the capacity of your closet if screwed to the bottom of the lower shelf. A aozen garment hangers Anay be suspended from each one. Why There Are “SUMMER” and “WINTER” Postage Stamps The Sick-Room Light. I F there are electric lights in the sick room they will generally be found too brilliant, hurting the eyes of the patient, and not every sick room has the electric lights tha/t can be turned up or down. Make a little green silk bag and fasten it over the incandescent bulb and it will give a good but subdued and harmless light. , Avoid White Paper. W HITE 1 paper is not as good as blue or brown for wrapping up things that are to be put away for a long while as the chloride of lime in the paper will fade fabrics. S OMETIMES you take precautions to place a few postage stamps inside a note book where you would think they could not possibly stick together by carry ing the book in your pocket, because there seems to he too much thickness for the body heat to penetrate, and yet you discover them, perhaps only a few hours later, stuck so firmly together that they are spoiled. Then again you may carry postage stamps about for many days or weeks and they never stick together. And the explanation of this is that the stamps that stick are probably “Winter” stamps. This is because the Government makes three brands of postage stamps, "Summer,” “Winter” and “intermediate.” The interme- M Getting DOUBLE VALUE Out ol Your FLY TRAPS OST people who use fly traps never think of get ting the real value out of them. That is, they are satisfied to place one or two in the kitchen, some sticky paper in the dining room and living room and let it go at that. This is a waste of golden oppor tunities in the great work of annihilating the deadly house flies. In the first place the flies go where there is food. Of course, it is treason to feed such a deadly enemy as the fly, or to allow him to secure food, but sometimes this cannot be helped. Yet with the aid of fly traps it will be found to your advantage to allow one or two places for the fly to get food. For instance, few people ever think of placing flv traps near the garbage can. They endeavor to keep It covered tightly and let It go at that. Now with the bes“ of tightly covered garbage cans there is likely to be bits of refuse scattered about; sometimes a large dog will get in the yard and scratch off the cover and scatter the contents of the can about. Almost instantly there is a procession of flies from no ontf seems to know where, making a line for this exposed garbage. Here Is your opportunity—keep one or two good fly traps next the garbage can. Put good attractive bait in these traps and you will be surprised to note how rapidly they are filled. Secure a fly trap to the edge of the garbage can with wire. Place one or two more on the ground beside the can. and then it does not matter if a bit of the refuse is scattered about, the flies will wander into the trap to get at the bread and milk, which is the best bait, so long as i* is kept fresh. When a storm is approaching the flies seent to know, uid the.' straightway make for shelter in the houses, trying to get through the screen doors and windows. Keep a fly trap outside each screened back window-. And keep such a trap over or near the screened back door. The rush of flies to get inside, both when a storm is coming up in the evening or when savory cooking attracts them, results in getting hundreds, perhaps thousands, into the traps. It should always be remembered that the great fight is not to get them out, but to keep them out. Kill them off by catching them outside and naturally there are only a few struggling to get inside every time a door or w’indow screen is opened. Set Your Fly Traps (A) on and Around Your Garbage Can. (BY On the Outside of Windows and Doors. (C) Nr it t-> Horse Stalls and Outside Stables. There are many extremely dry spells during every Summer when there is practically no moistuYe about. Flies need moisture. During these spells it pays to keep the bread and milk bait always fresh in the fly traps, even if it has to be renewed four or five times a day, as the flies will hurry to get at this moisture they so badly need. An excellent trap of this sort, furnishing the moist ure needed by the flies and at the same time killing them, has been suggested by Clifton F. Hodge, Ph. D„ biologist at Clark University, Worcester, Mass., and was explained in “Good Housekeeping” last season. This is a bottle filled with a two per cent solution of formalin. Fill the bottle with this, first having made a little nick in the edge of the neck of the bottle. Place a saucer over the top and invert it. The formalin solution will run out through the nick only until the nick is covered, when it will always remain that way, coming out only as fast as the liquid in the saucer is used or evaporated. Such a poison trap may last months without replenish ing. It can be secured to a little shelf and the bottle wired so it will not tip over. In the dry spells when there is no water near the flies will flock to this, which should be in some porch nook or near the stable, if there be one. It should be secured high enough so little children cannot get at it. Above all, if you have a stable, keep it well supplied with fly traps; set one or two in the stalls where the horses cannot step on them; put others in the basement or wherever the manure is stored, and in this manner you will ge<t more flies in a day than you would get in the house in a week. A dozen or fifteen fly traps used in this manner and| eared for properly w’ill keep your house freer from flies ^ than all the shooing and chasing and labor without 1 them that you could possibly perform. ^ diate stamps are supposed to be used during the Spring and Fall, or during the seasons w’hen it is neither extremely cold or ex cessively hot. This does not mean that the Government Printing Department makes these stamps with any different design or color. The seasonable part of the stamp is all in the glue, or gum, that is used to back them. For the Summer sale the gum used Is slightly harder than for the other sort. This is so it will not melt as readily with body heat or room heat and is intended to assist in pre venting them from sticking together. In the Winter such hard gum is not neces sary, and again, too hard gum in the cold months will crack and frequently crack right through the paper of the stamp, spoiling it. And so a thinner, lighter gum is used, which is more pliable, not so apt to crack with the ’ cold afid is better all around. Of course, for Spring and Autumn the intermediate grade of gum is used, of a consistency between t.he^ hard of Summer and the thin of Winter. It is claimed by the officials of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing at Washington, where our postage stamps are made, that the process of their manufacture, and espe cially that of gumming them, is one of the^ most delicate and difficult of all the work in that department. It really Isn’t the printing—that is quite a simple matter, as is the perforation, done with a mammoth stam(- at the time of the printing impression' iT> is the care need ed in spreading tlx * '/ver the backs of these stamps. Af- - -■>» sheets have been printed they are run toiler a roller from which they receive a iin coating of gum, the consistency of tbi>, gum depending en tirely upon the season of the year these stamps are intended for use. From this gumming roller the sheets, now covered with the thin coat of gum, pass gradually over coils of steam pipes until 1 they are dried. The greatest of care is needed to get the layer of gum quite even on each surface. This gum is in small vats, from w’hich it drops to the gumming roller. An even temperature must be kept and fre quent tests made to make certain the gum is of the right thickness. Considering the millions upon millions of stamps used it is remarkable that so few’ of them are ever found with the gum too thin or too thick, or uneven. To make sure they do not stick together, however, in Summer or Winter, always place waxed paper be tween them when you carry them. t