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proportion of whom have not begun smoking or, if smoking
occasionally have not yet succumbed to the habit. It is
agreed by those who have experience in the matter that
the better education of school children about smoking and
its consequences is a major objective.
There is no divergence of opinion on the role of the
cigarette as a status symbol the beacon that shows the
world the desire of the adolescent to appear grown up and
sophisticated. Curiosity is probably the chief initial
incentive some children smoke for a dare'. But the
young are essentially imitators and it is natural that
they should ape those around them, at home, at school, at
the youth club, on the street corner, and the personalities
they see on the television screen.
As they become older young people speak of the enjoyment,
relaxation and contentment that go with the cigarette,
and the way it counteracts worry, mental tension
and boredom. The view that smoking at these ages expresses
a rebellion against authority and a reaction against
interference with their freedom by adults, cannot be
accepted without reservation. But those who impute the
social occasion at which everyone smokes or the difficulty
of refusing a cigarette offered as a friendly
gesture, have a far more real excuse. Among college
students cost was an important reason for limiting the
purchase of cigarettes; conversely, many young people
earning good wages say they are now able to buy more.
(It is relevant to mention the complaint of a South
London school-master who declares that his preventive
campaign is being deliberately undermined by the shopkeepers
who sell cigarettes to children under age. A
cigarette and a match are sold for 2d. The shops are
visited, but the offence is always denied). Others point
out that, smoking (like alcohol) is a necessity in their
business life. The collection of coupons, which may be
exchanged for free gifts, is sometimes given as an
excuse.
Some observers believe that there may be an inverse
relationship between the smoking habits and intelligence
of school-children. Support is lent to this view by the
findings in a large comprehensive school in Camberwell,
for every three boys in the highest academic groups who
smoked, there were five in the lowest. Among the girls
the differences were of no statistical significance.