The 'Baneful' Habit Griping Seattle's Youth
As cigarettes gained popularity among city boys, turn-of-the-century moralists and physicians in Seattle sounded the alarm, linking the 'sallow-faced' habit to everything from indigestion to moral decay.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The cigarette habit appears to be growing among the boys in this city, and there are physicians who tell of its evil effects upon the minds and health of those who indulge in it. It promotes nervous affections, interferes with the digestion, induces anemia and stunts the physical powers. It besets the air, leaves a taint upon the breath, and is apt to create a liking for liquor. It is in every way bad and in no respect good. Several state legislatures, including those of New Jersey and Michigan, have passed laws under consideration for the prohibition of the sale of cigarettes to minors, and a large amount of testimony favorable to such action has been taken. In Michigan, the testimony of 200 members of the bar has been taken on the subject, and many of the facts given are of a kind that might well alarm parents. In this city, especially at night on the east side, one may often see groups of sallow-faced urchins indulging in the baneful habit.
“In this city, especially at night on the east side, one may often see groups of sallow-faced urchins indulging in the baneful habit.”
This 1889 moral panic over youth nicotine use mirrors contemporary public health debates regarding youth vaping and e-cigarettes. The language of 'sallow-faced urchins' and 'baneful habits' illustrates how societal anxiety about the next generation's health often manifests as moral policing of their leisure time.
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