Tell Your Children

It must be stopped.

You and all the school-parent groups about the country,

and you must stand united on this,

and stamp out this frightful assassin of our youth.

You can do it by bringing about compulsory education

on the subject of narcotics in general,

but reef marihuana in particular.

That is the purpose of this meeting, ladies and gentlemen,

to lay the foundation for a nationwide campaign by you

to demand by law such compulsory education,

because it is only through enlightenment

that this scourge can be wiped out.

Out of the traffic in these drugs,

a lawlessness that we can scarcely estimate

has grown and is now flourishing.

It exists in almost every city and hamlet in the country.

It might be interesting

and important for you to know

some of the methods used

in bringing these drugs into the country

and the work of the forces of law and order,

which are daily combating the traffic,

always at the risk of life by their agents.

This ceaseless fight against the drug traffic

is directed by the Department of Narcotics, Washington.

I have received a letter of vital importance

from a member of the Narcotics Bureau.

I'm going to read this letter to you.

"My dear Dr. Carroll,

"the suppression of the use of marihuana

"and of the forces lurking behind it

"are the most important jobs

"this department is now engaged in.

"At the outset of this letter,

"there is one vital fact I would like to submit.

"There is a powerful agency.

"I speak of the school-parent associations

"of this country, which can be invaluable

"in stamping out this scourge.

"Their help, their eternal vigilance

"could be the deciding factor in our fight against it.

"The weed marihuana is grown in every state in the Union.

"Recently, in the city of Brooklyn, New York,

"a field of marihuana was found behind a tenement court.

"The weed was here being cultivated,

"regularly stripped, and dried and sold in schools

"and at government army posts in and around New York.

"The dried leaves and berries are ground up

"and made into cigarettes by a simple hand machine.

"The deadly narcotic is that quickly

"and easily prepared for its market.

"The sale of marihuana is even more difficult

"to detect and halt than the traffic in drugs

"such as opium, morphine, and heroin.

"They are hidden in fake jewelry cases,

"in the heels of shoes, women's shoes especially,

"because the drugs can be secreted in (mumbles),

"Hollowed shaving brushes are another medium.

"Books with false centers are often used.

"Watch cases are convenient hiding places.

"The value of drugs thus seized is enormous.

"Recently, a huge supply of heroin was taken.

"It was concealed in an apparently harmless shipment

"of 35 barrels of olive oil.

"The deadly drug was burned in the incinerator

"of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

"And more vicious, more deadly even than these

"soul-destroying drugs is the menace of marihuana.

No doubt, many of you do not believe

that these things do happen,

that they cannot happen to you.

You may also believe that the facts have been exaggerated.

Let me tell you of something

that happened right here in our own city.

You probably read about it in the papers.

However, I'll give you the real facts behind the case.

There was an apartment near one of our high schools.

It was run by a woman known as Mae Coleman.

Hey.

Come on, Mae, get up.

What time is it?

Time to get up and give this place a going over.

It looks like the marines had landed.

That bunch last night was high enough

to take over the marines and the navy.

You better get on the job.

Some of the kids may be up this afternoon.

Oh, Jack, we can get along without dragging

those young kids up here.

Oh, why don't you button up your lips?

You're always squawking about something.

You got more static than a radio.

Ah, greetings.

Well, hello, fella, how are you?

Fine, how are you?

Come in, come in.

Glad to be here.

Is the Mae in?

She'll be right here.

Just sit down, make yourself comfortable.

Hey, what kind of a joint is this, Eddie?

Oh, it's all right, Gwen.

See, they probably had a party last night.

Ah.

A couple of your customers, Mae.

Yeah?

They're old enough to know what they're doing.

Not like those young kids you bring up here.

All right, all right.

Listen, I'm gonna blow.

Where are you going?

I gotta make some deliveries

and I'll probably drop by Joe's place

and bring back a couple of the kids.

Oh, I wish you'd lay off those kids.

Oh, why don't you get over your complex?

Oh, by the way, Ralph,

I'm sort of giving a little party

Saturday afternoon over at my grandmother's.

You know the place with a swimming pool?

Like to come?

Thanks, Eddie, maybe I will.

I should like to have you.

Okay, I'll probably drop over.

- So long, Ralph. - See you later.

Hey, Ralph.

Hi, kid.

- Hi, Jack, and you? - Oh, great.

Where you headed? - Oh.

Hey, how do you like that?

That's the one I was telling you about.

Very nice.

I don't know why you wanna make

such a fuss over that Ralph Wiley.

Oh, he's a swell swimmer.

He made the freshman team at (mumbles) college.

Yeah, and that let him out.

My dad knows his family.

None of them are any good.

Father and mother just got a divorce in Paris.

Yeah?

You know, Ralph runs around pretty much on his own.

He's been in a couple of jams.

Well, I only kind of say hello to him.

I don't go around with him.

Well, you better know

that he's a little too old for us.

That's what my dad said.

Hello, Mary.

How are you, Bill? - How are you, Ralph?

Hey, hello, Ralph.

You know my brother, Jimmy, don't you?

- How are you? - Swell.

I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Jack Perry.

Mary, Bill.

- How are you? - How do you do?

Glad to know you.

We're going over to Joe's place.

Why don't you come along?

We have a date to play a set of doubles.

Or you can play any time

Come on, we'll have some laughs.

Oh, we can't today, Ralph.

Some other time.

- Can I go along with you? - Sure.

Hey, I'll see you at dinner, sis.

- Don't be late, Jimmy. - I won't.

- Jimmy, Jimmy. - Hi, Agnes.

Hey, he ain't no paper man.

Why, don't you know him?

That's Hot Fingers Pirelli.

Boy, he really swings out hot with a mess of jive.

Do you wanna dance? - Do I?

Mae is expecting us at the apartment a little later.

Any new prospects?

Maybe.

Oh, Jimmy, you're wonderful.

You're just finding that out?

- Why can't we go now? - Hmm, good.

Say, kids, we're having a little party

at my girlfriend's apartment.

Wouldn't you like to come?

Oh, I'd love to.

You wanna come, don't you, Jimmy?

Oh, sure.

Any place with you.

Oh, come on, we can all go in my car.

See you later, Joe.

It's sweet of you to help me, Bill.

I'll show you anything except domestic science.

I see, don't you wanna learn something

about running your own home?

The answer is no.

You know, after that session we had yesterday,

I went home and told Mother

that the trouble with her pot roast gravy was

she hadn't added three heaping teaspoonfuls of olive oil.

What did she say?

She didn't say anything.

She just threw me out of the kitchen.