The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-04-14
AN UNLIGHTED CIGAR.
ACTIONS or TWO SMOKERS MEET
ING ON THE STREET

True Equality of the American People
Shown-Etiquette of Cigar Lighting In
Cuba - Street Poiitencss in spain,
Smokers In England.
1t is in small matters that national charac-
teristics are best seen. Nothing, for instance,
could better show the true republican equal
ity of the American people than the actioni
Of two smokers meeting on the street. The
one is u well dressed we'll to do citizen, carry
ing all unlighted cigar. Toward him is
coming a seedy looking individual, socially
and peculiarly tho very antipodes of the first,
but he is putting away contentedly at weed,
the materials of whose composition would
puzzle the state analyst to discover, The
first man stops. "Can you oblige me with
some fire." he asks. "Why, certainly"
responds the seedy one, and with the courte-
Gus action of Brummel he removes his cignr
from his lips, knocks off the ash and hands 1t
to the well to do citizen. Then and there the
1.-TWO for" and the straight Havana" meet
and mingle their fires and arenas, and with
more polite bows the two men pass on.
In the Cuban islands there are special and
strict forms Of etiquette relative to this uni
versal practice of smoking. Should a gentle
man stop another on the street to ask light
he would construe refusal to oblige him
into direct and intentional insult. But hay
ing once held between his fingers the partly
consumed cigar of whose fire he has been bor-
rowing, the owner thereof would be as deeply
hurt and offended We're he To offer to return
it. No, he must, instead, open his cigar case
and protier fresh weed in return for the
fire.
THE REASON FOR IT.
To connoisseurs in cigars the reason for
this act is obvious. a cigar which has been
bruised against another in the act of lighting
it loses a considerable portion of the delcacy
of its flavor, and should that one against
which il is thus rubbed he OF an inferior
flavor and aroma, these qualities in itself
are, to delicate taste, completely destroyed.
IL must toe rather irritating under these latter
circumstances to have to lose an exquisite
'weedn for the sake of strange etiquette
which commands the acceptation of cigar
of much inferior flavor and value. How
ever, n breach of this point is never made,
and well bred Cuban would die sooner than
show any irritation
In most European countries, with the ex-
ception, perhaps, of cigarette smoking Spain,
the street etiquette of smoking is much less
severe. The majority of smokers in Eng
land, for instance, carry matches in their
pockets and should passing smoker, with
unlit pipe or cigar request light, it is
match that is handed to him. Small boys
throng the streets of all big English towns
selling boxes containing $50 wax vesta
matches for two cents; there is consequently
very little excuse for smoker to be without
a light. The rainy and windy conditions Of
the climate are equally well provided against
for smokers by "fusecs," "vesuvans," fam
ers," which are varieties Of matches having
large heads composed of gunpowder paste,
which will remain ignited until consumed in
any kind Of weather.-New York Press