*Nicotine and Social Custom.*—The influences which brought about a general use of tobacco are similar to, though not identical with, those that engrafted alcohol upon society. The drug nicotine is a habit-forming substance and the plant producing it is easily cultivated.(138) Its immediate effect upon the user is generally agreeable, acting as a stimulant to some, but having a soothing effect upon the nerves of others. Moreover, a strong deterring factor in its use is lacking, since its harmful effects are not readily discernible and by many are avoided through moderation in its use. As with alcohol, tobacco is conveniently used to promote sociability among men, a fact which has much to do with its very general use. If it could be limited to social purposes, it would likely do little harm, but the habit, once started, is continued without reference to sociability—a matter of selfish indulgence. In fact, one effect of tobacco is to cause the user to become less sensitive to the rights of others, this being evidenced by smokers who do not hesitate to make rooms and public halls almost unbearable to those unaccustomed to tobacco. *Counts against Nicotine.*—The physiological objections to the use of tobacco, as already stated (pages 56, 92, 326, 333, 336), are the following:— 1. The use of tobacco before one reaches maturity stunts the growth. The boy who uses it cannot develop into so strong and capable a man as he would by leaving it alone. 2. Tobacco injures the heart. 3. Tobacco injures the air passages, especially when inhalation is practiced. 4. Tobacco injures the nervous system and by this means interferes in a general way with the bodily processes. For the same reason it interferes with mental and moral development, the cigarette being a chief cause of criminal tendencies in boys. 5. In some cases tobacco injures the vision. 6. The tobacco habit is expensive and is productive of no good results. *Tobacco and the Rising Generation.*—The problem of limiting the use of tobacco to the point where it would do slight harm, in comparison to what it now does, would be solved if those under twenty years of age could be kept from using it. But few would then acquire the habit, and those who did would not be so seriously injured. In our own country it lies within the province of the home and the school to bring about this result. The fact that parents use tobacco is no reason why the boys should also indulge. The decided difference in effects upon the young and upon the mature makes this point very clear. Laws protecting boys from the evil effects of tobacco, not only cigarettes, but other forms as well, are both just and necessary.