1/9/2010:
Most people have tried smoking, if even just once-perhaps as a child, sneaking a cigarette from their parents. And when those parents found out-well, it wasn't pretty.
But smoking at just about any age has gone on for centuries. Often glamorized as elegant, a mark of maturity, cigarettes could be especially of interest to children. And on this date in 1913, underage smoking led the Minot Democrat to publish this short item:
"It is such an inspiring sight to see a lad who has not outgrown knee trousers, going along the street puffing at a cigar or pipe. And you may see plenty of just such combinations in Minot ..."
A sarcastic commentary that could be repeated today ... if you replace the knee trousers with baggy shorts!
Dakota Datebook written by Sarah Walker
Sources:
The Minot Democrat, January 9, 1913