Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-02-23
SNUFF CHEWING.
An Accomplishment in Which
Louisville Girls Excel
The Habit said 40 be f~arfully Prevalent
in that Southern Cify-How the
snuff L. Prepared aud How
LIZ Is Masffeafed.


drug store, this morning, and whispered
the order ia the clerks ear with my steri-
Gus mein. Glaneing furtively around 70
assure herself that there were no witnesses
70 the transaction, she added: - It's for an
other lady. / never use the horrid stuff"
Picking up neatly wrapped little bundle
IN white paper she placed IL TO her nose 70
assure herself that il was the genuine arti-
Gle, then flung down a nickel and hurriedly
left the store.
" Here, Johnny" said the clerk, turning
TO boy who was standing behind the pre-
scription case in conversation with re-
porter, put up some more snuff. All those
packages We made last night are gone al
ready. Hurry. Here's another customer
coming across the street From the way
she stares through the door judge she
wants snuff. All, this is a rushing bust
ness." he continued aside 20 the reporter,
who had let fall his under jaw in utter
amaZement.
"Twenty packages of snuff this morn
ing, and the day only begun. l dare say
these people have forgotten their Thanks
giving dinner and gone TO eating snuff for
their holiday pastime instead. This snuff
chewing is growing to be fearfully pre-
valent habit"
"Who are your chief patrons in this liner"
ventured the reporter.
"Why, the ladies, of course. We have
no male callers for snuff at all. The men
chew tobacco instead. OF course no wom-
an buys the snuff for herself. The pur.
chase is always made for a neighbor or
friend. / have seen women come here with
the brown juice dry in the corners of theil
mouths and complain of the dirty stuff
which they said they were buying for an
other woman. The habit, understand, is
very fascinating, and, when once begun, is
more binding than either chewing tobac-
co or smoking. In its strength TO enslave
the will it approaches the power of mar
cotics."
"How does snuff chewing compare with
tobacco-chewing?"
''There is but little comparison between
the habits" answered the clerk, as his
face assumed an expression of deep dis
gust. "As dirty as tobacco chewing is"
he continued, sit has no comparison with
| the filthiness of snuff eating. The only
ground of comparison is the nature Of the
two stimulants. Chewing plugs are made
of the better varieties of leaf tobacco, and
are favored and put through a process
which more or less modifies the original
nature of the tobacco. Snuff is made of the
stems of the strongest varieties of tobacco,
which are ground very fine and then COM
pressed into large balls that are inclosed
in bladders to prevent any evaporation of
the strength. The snuffs which are now
used exclusively are made in this way
without any fiavoring whatever. There is
| also material difference in the way they
are chewed. Tobacco is masticated between
| the teeth or allowed to lie loose in one side
of the mouth Snuff chewing is the most
disgusting spectacle man can well be
called upon to witness, and is rendered the
more revolving from the fact that it is al
most exclusively female custom. Just
imagine q lady friend with a long, dirty
roll of thick, black mass of pasty consis-
tency pressed between her lips! The most
attractive feature of the face is made
hideous. The mouth of a snuff -eater is
never inviting. There is always a sedi-
ment from the brown saliva that suffuses
the corners of the mouth and edges of the
lips"
"How is the habit acquired."
''The acquiring of any habit is hard to
explain. | suppose that snuff -eating is
contracted very much in the same way as
tobacco chewing and smoking-from the
desire for some stimulant | have been
told, however, by some who are addicted TO
the habit, that they contracted it from the
use of tooth wash in which snuff
was used as an ingredient A very
favorite tooth wash is composition
made of equal parts of prepared
chalk, ground charcoal and snuff. 1t has
quite large run. 1t is again contended
by others that the habit grows upon per-
son from the continual use of the powder
as a cure for toothache. However the habit
is acquired, it is spreading very rapidly,
and no person who does not deal in the
dirt could have any idea of the number of
women who are addicted to it.
Every drug store in the city keeps il in
large quantities, aud the consumption is
growing from day TO day. For casual dip
pers we keep an open box on the counter,
and nearly every person who enters takes
pinch"
"How is the stuff chewedy"
There is quite an art about snuff chew
ing which you would not imagine. The
fine powder is dipped mp with a small
brush, and then twisted and twirled in the
mouth and about the teeth with an artistic
curve till the mass is nodded into a small
plastic ball. when it is placed under the
upper and lower lip to the front of the
mouth. till its strength is absorbed in the
saliva that is excited from the glands.
Some people use a camel's hair brush, bat
the majority prefer brush made from
chewing the end Of the twig Of tree
understand there is a lodgeroom in this
neighborhood where dozen or so Of snuff
chewers meet periodically and hold feast
At such times our snuff sales run away up.