A CLEAR MIND THE NEED OF THE DAY 337 



its use, and hundreds of thousands of individuals are de- 

 prived of one or more years of useful and enjoyable life by 

 imprisonment for crime committed while under the influence 

 of alcohol. 



There are other foes with which we have to contend in our 

 efforts to make life a success, but none is greater than these 

 two. The person who does achieve success, both in his outer 

 and in his inner life, is the one who learns to keep his body in 

 health and his mind clear. The intellect is man's most pre- 

 cious possession, and in weakening it, alcohol is attacking 

 him at the very point on which he must place his dependence 

 if he is to carry on a successful "struggle for existence." 



Tobacco. The formation of the tobacco habit also pre- 

 sents a question difficult for some young people to settle. 

 The action of tobacco upon the body is a more or less com- 

 plicated one, and is not the same in all individuals. Tobacco 

 contains a poison, nicotine, which has a powerful influence on 

 nerve cells. 



The physical effect of the use of tobacco depends upon the 

 quantity used, and, as we have just said, upon the individual 

 user. If very small amounts are used it is doubtful whether 

 there is an appreciable result, and the injury may not be 

 recognized. Whatever influence it does have is bad, es- 

 pecially for young people. If large quantities are consumed, 

 the effect is frequently noticeable in an abnormal heart action 

 and in the stupefying of the brain. The "tobacco heart," 

 the "cigarette heart," have become well known terms which 

 the physician applies to certain symptoms due to the exten- 

 sive use of tobacco. 



The effect of tobacco upon those who have not attained 

 their full growth is probably always injurious. The evidence 

 is complete that its use by such persons prevents the full and 

 proper development of the body, and that a boy who smokes 

 constantly is stunted in his growth. In intellectual power, 

 too, young people seem to be injured by the tobacco habit 



