St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-21
DO LADIES SMOKE.
The Fascinating Cigaret Capturing
Their Affections.

Iheir Affections.
1.-THE present age may very properly be
termed progressive" said well known to-
bacconist few days since, ''but judging
from what experience have gained in my
business the world is moving altogether too
rapidly for its age.'
The reporter was somewhat surprised at
the radical assertion, and inquired in what
direction the abnormity existed.
SIN the habit of smoking,'' replied the
vender OF the weed. "When I was boy it
was an unco IN mon thing to see any one ex
cept men use tobacco, although occasionally
an old woman coul d be found who chung to
her pipe as she did to her spinning-wheel or
knitting. Latterly, however, great change
has taken place, and not only do we find
small boys, some of them barely out of their
swaddling clothes, putting away at pipe or
the inevitable pestilence-a cigaret-but the
habit has so grown upon the people that
young ladies, and especially those in the up
per elements of society, can be found in De-
| troit who enjoy Whit with the same relish
as veteran smoker. OF course this is not
| to be observed ON the streets, but it is fact,
within bounds when say that l know over
| one-hundred ladies who smoke cigarets to a
| greater or less extent. How they acquired
the habit is a mystery yet unsolved, and as 1
am in the tobacco business and profit by the
sale of the goods it would not be paving in
vestment to give myself much trouble in the
| matter"
''How do you know they smoke? 1t isn't
| likely they would tell you of il" said the re-
| porter.
"Isn't it?'' ''Well, there's where you and
/ disagree. Lots of them have told me time
and time again. and can tell the best brand
OF cigarets as well as a man can tell a good
| cigar. They come in my store and ask for a
package of this kind or that, and if the cigar
cts happen to be too dry or have any other
Objectionable feature I hear of it the next
time young ladies call. There are others
who, when making purchase, will say:
''My brother Cor father couldn't come
| down town, and asked me to buy some cigar
| cts for him."
''This is very often the case, but when the
| brother or father sends the young lady on the
same errand three or four times week
have my suspicious that the young lady her
| self is the person who has the greatest inter
est in the purchase. They also buy dainty
and expensive paraphernal with the evil
dent intention of taking as much pleasure
out of the habit as it is possible to get, and
believe they enjoy it as much as we males do.
'The ladies of Mexico and Cuba are invet-
crate smokers, and even go so far as to use
| cigars, but nothing is thought of it in those
| countries. However, l do not think that
American ladies need to take up the habit
| simply because it is the custom in some other
country than our own. 1t may be pleasurable
and all that sort of thing, but when any of
| my female relations come around and ask
me to have a social smoke with them I am
ready to move out.''
Thinking that perhaps the dealer might be
mistaken, the reporter called on a prominent
| society lady and asked for further in formation
on the subject.
'Of course they do,'' laughingly replied
the lady; "and why should they not? You
horrid men claim that smoking is essential
to your happiness. and you certainly cannot
object to dividing the pleasure with US. But,
seriously, there is a number of young ladies
of my acquaintance who use cigarets in
moderation. | believe they do it more for
the novelty of the thing than anything else,
but, as | am not speaking from personal ex-
perience, 1 am not prepared to speak posi-
lively on this point However, no one can
dispute the fact that the habit is growing
among the young ladies, and that it leads to
serious results there can be no question. One
peculiar thing have noticed, and that is, no
| lady cares to smoke in the dark. They say
| they must be able to see the smoke or else
there is no pleasure in it, and this leads me
to believe that it is more of craze than any
| thing else. A man can smoke as well in the
dark as in the light but the ladies say that
in order to fully appreciate it they must be
able to see the smoke.n