The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-08-09
WHO INVENTED sMok,nes


n@AS"ns ter Thinking That the III b7t II
NeE of Americas O-igsa
III mas been generally supposed that
the uses OF tobacco were NOT known
outs de Of America and its islands b.
lore the discovery of the western
world While convincing proof to The
contrary has not been obtained the ex-
plorailons OF recent years have raised
Inc question wheGhe- the tobacco habit
In he fifteenth century was not far
more widely prevalent than has been
believed Ii Is learned that amono
many OF the Pacific islands the natives
used tobacco long before they were
visited by the white men. and there
Is ne tradition among them OF a time
when their fathers did not understand
the culture and use of the tobacco
plant Throughout inner Africa also
The use OF tobacco is universally known
ana there Is every reason 10 believe
That some OF the varieties of niooflana
IN common use are indigenous Fo-
ali We know 10 the contrary. the savaees
OF central Africa who were Quite M
known AT the time Columbus discovered
America were putting their pipes long
before he made himself famous
There Is no doubt that the discovery
oil American tobacco h<-7 considerable
Influence upon the tobacco habit an Al
RIGA if il did not actually introduce il.
Our common Virginia tobacco was car
ried far up the Nile to equatorial Afr5-
ca long before White men penetrated
that region Schweinfuf1h was the first
TO discover that This imported plant Is
IN use among several of the Bahr Ell
Ghasal and Welle- Makua tribes: and II
Is curious fact that The sarages who
use this exotic have no native name for
II Zach tribe has lis own name for the
native variety of tobacco, but the ap-
pellations the Africans apply TO the
imported plant show unmistakablv that
they are derived. one and all. from The
word tobacco.
SO far a this large region, at least
Is indebted TO America for an improved
qualify of the weed. the obligation
seems TO be acknowledged in the names
given TO the article But The indigen-
ons varieties are far more prevalent.
and are largely used even where yir-
ginia tobacco Is cultivated And since
the foreign source of the exotic has been
SO easily discovered in the Languages of
the people. ii seems not unreasonable TO
suppose that In the greater regions TO
which ii has not extended. and where
no foreign influence is discernible, the
smoking habit had an independent ORR
gin.
1t Is not at all certain that the whole
white race has prior claim even upon
the invention OF The cigar In all the
parts OF New Guinea HE largest island
in the world that haRe yet been visited.
tobacco Is cultivated. and in some oil
these districts the humble pipe con-
tributes nothing 10 the enjoyment OF
the weed and * not even known DIR.
Maelay saw natives with erude-looking
cigars in their mouths who had never
seen white man before, and thought
he had dropped from the sky DIR
finsch, who some years later explored
the coast for hundreds of miles. saws
the natives of the whole northeast
coast OF New Guinea though invetera1e
smokers had never heard of a pipe,
and returned those which he gave them
as articles for which they had NO use
He says they roll the partly dried
leaves into a rude cigar. and not being
blessed with Havana wrappers, they
tie around their cigar a large green
leaf from a tree Doubtless the Tiless
weed sold on the Bowery are superior
10 those products of Papaun ingenuity.
which hold fire so poorly that a live
coal is always kept al hand 10 reviEify
them But they slit the native taste.
and the people seem 10 regard those
who draw tobacco smoke through q
pipestem as belonging 10 an inferior
order of human beings N L. sun