Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-02-18
Women Who Smoke.
A Reputed Interview With a New York
Reporter.


New York Sunday paper prints reput-
ed interview with "a lady who Is widely
known in society, and moves in the frat cir
cles,n which is fair illustration cf Tie e<-.
tent to which an imPe5azffSds piece report
er can draw on his imagination towards the
close of the week. Said the lady %: sReally
must say you are living far behind your age
any day, if you do not know that seven women
out of ten smoke nowadays with relish every
whit as keen as any smoking man one can
see on Broadway during an afternoon stroll
Tobacco How. do love it : 1t makes me
forget the cares and annoyances of life, and
after good dinner to retire to my room
and indulge in q nice, quiet, soothing smoke
which is a half siesta, is little short of an
earthly paradise. One Is not deemed chic IN
the eighties without one can smoke. II Il an
easily acquired and exceedingly comforting
habit and only echo the opinion of thou
sands of my sex when say that tbs beautiss
of home are magnifed tenfold by the a screet
use of tobacco. After days shopping il Is
so nice to retire to your private parl1r or
room and burn two or three cigarettes or =
mild cigar. The smoke sufices to keep moths
from settling in the carpet and cushions
does not scent room unpleasantly, and then
swallow of cordial or bit of lemon or
orange will flavor ones breath so nice.
learned to smoke the season following my de-
but in society, continued the habit during
nay engagement, and on my bridal night felt
miserable because was on the cars on my
wedding tour, and could not steal away 20
myself, and smoke in peace. When We reach
ed Mobile. and had few moments to my
self, / iRnited cigar and again enjoyed
the comforts of life in q civilized cline On
returning to the city consulted with lady
friend as to how could contrive to smoke in
the presence of my husband without anger
ing him or degrading myself in his estimation
My friend produced some splendid cheroots,
and while eiecting the serpentiIle looking col
umns of smoke through our nostrsls, she ad-
vised me to go to my family physician, state
my case plainly, and ask himto gently prescribe
smoking for some faneiful Ill did as di-
rected and then set to work systematically to
hoodwink my husband For two whole days
I was cross and peevish, and poor, dear Nat
felt SO badly, The physician came and said
that something was wrong with my nerves.
and that must learn to smoke by way of
remedy / stoutly declined, threatened TO
die, and my husband really became frighten-
ed BY and by yielded to his entrestiss,
and smoked few whifs with a distortion Of
the facial muscles and shrug of the sho1l-
ders accompanying each Whit and Nat was
SO delighted that he gave me beautiful set
of pearls"
Here the lady, unable longer 20 control her
disabilities, laughed heartily. until tears of
amusement welled up in her eyes, coursed
down her cheeks and moistened the dimPles
at either side of her mouth. New York
ladies, " the reporters fair informant contin-
ued, ''were taught to smoke in the main by
actresses To be sure the ladies of France,
Spain and Mexico have smoked for GEN.
t7ry, but they were not accepted as llustri-
Gus examples. When Jenny Lind came 20
this country she taught the women of that
generation to roll cigarettes Barnum, il he
will only refer to his ledgers of that day, viii
i'd
many of his expense items.
Charlotte Uushman was averse 10 smok-
ing at first, but she gradually overcame her
objections to the weed, and before the cur
tain was rung down on her life could smoke
cigar as readily as any Persoa- Nilsson
smoked imported cigarettes Nelson always
smoked before retiring, and il is no secret
that Adah Isaac Menken has smoked as many
as twenty strong cigars 9 day. The ladies
now on the stage who smoke are legion.
Emma Abbott smokes Vanity Fair; Patti pre-
fers Spanish eherots; Sara Bernhardt has
quite collection of meerschaum pipes and
cigar holders; Mary Anderson, Fanny
Davenport and Lolita love mild cigarettes,
and Kate Claxton, Alice Oates, Nine. Janaus-
ehek, Minnie Palmer, and nine out of every
! ten of the leading women of New York thea
| tres are confirmed smokers. Before White
| law Reid was married Anna Dickinson and
he were wont to get together and pun fra
grant hANan4S IN ulaHuSk uhAA DonGLAAaA3
half aesthetic ike
This led the reporter 10 hasten 70 a promi-
! ment tobacconist's where he learned that IA
dies were profitable customers. They call
| as though purchasing q present for husband
or sweetheart, ofttines make many pretty
little excuses, and all the while their lips are
enacting silent pantomime It has not
been fortnight since a lady was run down
| by a coach near the corner of Broadway and
Eiphteenth street Her muf rolled to one
side, and when picked up broken package
of cigarettes fell out. Young girls learn to
smoke as readily as parrot learns to chatter
or duck learns TO swim. The reporter was
| informed that foupNffths of the young ladies'
societies in New York were retreats where
the fair maidens shut themselves in from the
world and indulge IN the pernieious habit of
burning tobacco. An attempt was made 70
| gain admission 10 one of these secluded and
| carefully guarded establishments In Thirty
fourth street, but there was lady sentinel
st the door who refused to be interviewed.