St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-03
COMFORT In BLUE CLOUDS.
Philosophy of Tobacco Smoking
Scientifically Discussed.
Nervous, Rapid SmOkers--Automat
&c Puffers.

''How do men smoker" repeated the
man of knowledge in reply to query of
the Galveston News reporter, as he tilted
back in his chair and lit a cigar. Il
should answer that by asking another ques-
ton. that is why do men smoke" You
fell me why man uses the 'nOXious weed
and [ will tell you how he does it. There
are an infinite number of reasons why
men smoke Some men smoke because
they are nervous, some men smoke because
thew are phlegmatic. many merely from
habit very large number do it because
others do so, and small minority smoke
because they really enjoy it.
"A nervous man will smoke because ne
thinks that it will soothe his too active
organization. Such man will take short,
Quick puffS, one after another, in constant
succession A nervous smoker can spot
every time.
Then there are the phelgmatic smokers.
They are followers of Sir Walter Raleigh
because they want a stimulant and they
think. or pretend to think. that tobacco
will stir up their sluggish temperaments.
Such men take tobacco as man would take
a whisky cocktail. A great many men, in
fact | might say almost all men who have
smoked for any great length of time, smoke
more from habit. To see these men fumi-
eating always disgustS me. They don't
seem to think of what they are doing.
No thought of the pleasant senSa-
tons which they are or might be eXperienc-
ing seems to enter their minds. They puff
sWay and emit the blue volumes OF choice
Havana in combustion as if they were so
many Chinese They smoke as they would
sleep or dress for dinner. Their one idea
seems to be to get through and
light another. You will see man pulling
away on stump of cigar. every little
while looking at it impatiently and wonder
ing if he will ever get through so as to
start the next one Now, why should they
do this? They are not enjoying themselves.
They simply seem to consider it duty to
get away with so many cents or dollars
worth of cigars in day. And they per-
form the task.
Il enjoy, above all things, the sight of a
eonnOsseur OF the weed at work on fra
grant Havana. He takes dainty puff.
Then he draws the cherished twenty-five
or fiftv-center from his lips and gaZeS at it
lovingly, meanwhile emitting from his lips
8 slender thready of blue smoke, Then he
narcotic will seem to penetrate through
GNCis llCINC VI lllo DOOgs INV - eAAS wy -
man ought to smoke.
Smokers have all sorts of peculiar
tricks and oddities. One man l once
knew had the trick of constantly knocking
off the ashes with his little finger. He would
keep that little finger wagging continually,
and when there were no ashes he would
burn his finger. But it was a habit
which he seemed wholly unable to over
come. Some men whom l have known
would always swallow the smoke. The
ncotine-laden vapors which they would
take into their stomachs must have kept
those organs in constant state of diSten
sion.
"Others seem 10 find an ineXplicable de-
light in making chimneys OF their noses
and sending the smoke in volumes through
those OrifceS. | once knew a man who
had peculiar trick of shutting one eye to
look along his cigar with the other as he
put it into his mouth. He was baShful
man. and never thought of flirting with the
girls OH the street, but that habit used to
get him into no end of Scrapes. How?
Why the girls all thought he was winkiDg
1t them.
1.-The peculiar habits of smokers will
sometimes run through a whole family. L
remember a funny instance Of that. A
nan came TO me IN my once one DAY ana
represented himself as brother of an old
friend of mine. He was shabby. fOrlOrn
looking specimen, and [ was not inclined
to believed his story, especially as there
was no personal resemblance to his brother,
but sat and talked to him a while. He
told plausible story, but still L was not
inclined to believe him, and finally l told
him to clear out, that l couldn't be bothered
with him. Then my better feelings came
to the front. and [ gave him a cigar. He
took it with sad, fOrgiying smile and
lit ii.
He hadn't taken but one puff before 1
was on my feet begging his pardon. After
taking that puff he had taken out his cigar
with peculiar jerk and had blown the
smoke out of the corner of his mouth in
manner which l had noticed and laughed
over hundred times when with his brother
I saw him do it. | knew then that l was
not being imposed upon.
But talking about smoking makes me
think what a wretched habit it is after all.
1t is expensive. dirty, repulsive. VIII L
have cigar? Well, yes; thank you. Have
you got a match?"