Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-08-13
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SOMETHING FOR "YE SMOKERS"

A meerschaum pipe is one of the very bes
things man can have, and gives him more
pleasure for the amount of money expended
than anything else he can buy. From the
moment he makes up his mind that he must
have one, the pleasure begins. He looks in
the shop windows, and critically inspects the
different styles and sizes Of the pipes he sees
there, and wonders whether his means will
allow him to buy one of the more elaborate
specimens. At last he selects a shop and
goes in and asks the prices Of the pes he likes
and after many assurances from the dealer
that the one he has chosen is a real carved
meerschaum, and that it will color beautifully
he pays the bill and goes off with his pipe
snugly reposng in its morocco case in his
pocket. Then he buys packet Of tobacco
from his regular dealer, and in the pride Of
his heart produces his pipe-case, and tenderly
takes out his pipe and shows it to him. The
dealer takes it up very gingerly, examines it
carefully, and says it is pretty piece of meer,
schaum, and inquiries how much it cost, and
where it was bought. The price being told
him, he says it is cheap, and advances the
opinion that it will color prettily. The owner
sagely wags his head and concurs. He then
starts for home, and on his way stops to get
his usual glass of alc and shows his new ac-
QUESTION to his friend the bar-keeper, who
admires it and calls up whoever else may be
in the room to come and do likewise. The
owner of the pipe then treats the crowd, and
goes on his way happy in the possession of an
excellent pipe, fine piece of real first quality
cut meerschaum, with an amber mouthpiece,
and which will certainly color beautifully.
When he gets home he shows it to his wife,
and calls on her to admire it and rejoice with
him. Some women have no soul for pipes,
meerschaum or otherwise, but in this instance
she is a woman Of the right sort, and joins
heartily in his admiration, and suggests that
it is much prettier pipe than the one he lost
at the picnic, and hints that it is far superior
in every way to Mr.. Smiths new pipe that he
was boasting of the other evening. She tells
him that he can now throw away that horrd
wooden thing he had, which, although she
never said anything about it, she always did
think was anything but nice. She winds up
by telling him he must be very careful to
color it nicely, and not to spoil it in the smo.
king, for the right sort of IL woman under
stands something about pi pes, as we'll as eve
rything else that her husband likes The i'm
portant question of coloring comes up next.
He must select one of two ways in which to
do it, and, before he begins, before even one
pipeful Of tobacco can be smoked, he must
make up his mind as to which he will take.
The first is by the use of what is called the
button" and the second by the "plug." A
wide difference of opinion exists among ANA
teurs and experts in the art as to which is the
best. By the first method meerschaum but
ton, made to fit the lower part of the cavity
of the pipe, with four or five small holes bored
perpendicularly through it, is placed in the
bottom, and upon it the tobacco. The smoke,
passing through the button, soon saturates it
with the essential oil, or nicotine, and thence
it is absorbed into the body of the pipe, which
soon acquires that dark, cherry brown color
so much admired by connoisseurs. The "plug"
method is very much on the same principle.
A wad Of moist tobacco is placed in the bot
tom Of the pipe, and the tobacco to be smoked
is put in loosel ly on the top. The "plug" must
not be taken out until the pipe is fairly color
ed. It acts as the button does in absorbing
the nicotine and transmitting it to the pipe.
He decides that he will try the "plug" pro.
cess, and with great care moistens sufficient
quantity of tobacco, and after fixing it in its
place proceeds to fill up his pipe very careful
ly. He then gets match, and taking great
pains not to allow the flame to touch the
white edges Of the virgin meerschaum, begins
to smoke. He knows what he is about evil
IDENTIFY, for he smokes his pipe tenderly and
considerably. He takes care not to heat it,
for he knows that fhe does it will never color
properly. When the tobacco has burned
down to the plug he gently scrapes out the
ashes, and, giving it parting glance of af:
fection, puts it back in its case in order to let
it cool off. Half an hour later he smokes it
again, and when bedtime comes he takes it
up stairs with him and puts it on his dressing
table with his watch, so that he can save it in
case of fire. And so he continues smoking it
little while each evening" and at last is re-
warded by seeing delicate straw color make
its appearance on the bowl on line with the
plug. Then he feels happy. He polishes his
pipe with his handkerchief and shows it to
his wife, and she expresses due amount of
admiration. And so he goes on until it is of
beautiful cherry-brown from the top of the
stem to the middle of the bowl, and he has
something to be proud Of and which does him
credit as smoker and the man he bought it
of as manufacturer. But there are few,
alas, who know how to color lneerschaum.
The average citizen takes his pipe home, fills
it with tobacco, and smokes like house a6re
all the evening overheats it, or burns it, as
it is technically called, and it never colors
properly. He then objurates the manufactur.
er for selling him an imitation meerschaum
or wonders why it is that his pipe will not
color, for he knows that it is genuine and cost
him $40 and was made to order Of good
meerschaum, it may be truly said that it is a
Joy forever, for it will last man lifetime,
and changes from color to color like chame-
leon. When it grows old in the service, a
man feels all affection for his pipe. He has
new mouth. piece fitted to it, and silver rim
put around the top of the bowl. He likes to
talk about it, and expatiates on its merits.
He shows where it got bruised the time he let
it fall from the second.story window, when
the only wonder was how in the world it was
not broken into thousand pieces. He tells
about when and where he bought it, and is as
much pleased with admiration and praise as
if it were one of his children that was being
talked about. Some people are, to coin a
word, pipomaniacs, They abound in France
and Germany, and in many other parts of
Europe, and some are to be found in the Uni
ted States One gentleman Captain Bragg,
who formerly resided in New York, and who
now lives in Birmingham, England-had,
when here, collection of some 400 meer-
schaums, all beautifully colored This is
rather an expensive taste, however, for besides