St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-27
ROYAL WOMEN SMOKE
Austria's Empress Has the
Habit OF Whiting an De-
caSional Cigarette,
And Italy's Queen Toys With
Scented Fapiletti Now and
Then.
The Wife Of the Prince of
Wales also Likes the
Filthy Weed.
Story Of One Who Saw the
Czarina Wreauhed in
Clouds.

ndccO curing tiic past lUiee centuries
has been preached in vain. The con-
sumption of the soothing herb first
brought to Europe by gallant Sir Walter
Raleigh. far from showing any signs of
falling off, increases every year.
Nor is the use thereof restricted TO
men. The fair sex, whose nerves are
much more highly strung, and whose
hearts throb half as quickly again, are
finding that the weed first dedicated to
England's virgin queen is infinitely
more effective and innocuous a Sedatiye
Than either choral or morphine.
1t is true that in the United States the
prejudice against smoking still remains
and there is a tendency to regard those
who indulge in the habit as fast and
sven immoral.
But it is different in Europe. There
not only the women of the most blue
blooded ariStoeracy, but also vast ma
jority of the expresses, queens and
princesSeS of the world, rest in the con-
victIon that life bears more beautiful
aspect when seen through the opa-
descent clouds of fragrant smoke that
issue from their delicate mouths.
Empress EiZabeth.of Austria, smokes
from thirty to forty Turkish and Rus
sian cigarettes day. and it has for
many years been her inveterate custom
to puff away after dinner at strong
Italian cigar, one of those with straw
running horizontally through it. and
which is brought to ner with her cup of
Turkish coffee every evening, already
lighted, on gold Salver.
She says herself that smoking sootheS
her nerves, and that whenever she feels
oitr al, nfr., yx,il In
than anything else to cause her to see
things in a happier light. Spending
much of her time in studies of a seri-
BUS nature-She is a perfect Greek and
Latin scholar-and in writing she
smokes almost constantly while thus
engaged.
On her writing table are always to be
found large silver box of repousse
work filled with cigarettes, matchbox
of carved Chinese jade and
4 CapacIOus Ash-Iseceiver,
made Of the h0of of q favorite hunter
which broke its spine over black
thorn hedge several years ago during
one of the autumn meets at Schloss
GodOllo in Hungary.
The empress caused the handsome
mares front h0ofs to be mounted in
silver i'll the form of ash-receIverS. and
gave one to the emperor, the other al
ways constituting part and parcel of her
dressing case wherever she goes.
Almost mechanically does her majesty
light cigarette after cigarette as she sits
at work in her great writing room at
Godollo. which is fitted up with carved
oak panels and Gobeiin tapestries. the
somewhat somber hue of the walls being
:eiieved here and there by trophies of
the chase.
ANY one who has the opportunity of
examining closely the slender white
hand of the imperial lady will
certainly have noticed q faint yellow
STAIN on the first end second fingers of
the left hand, caused by the cigarette.
But this is assuredly the only delete
Fious effect which may be said to have
resulted from her use of tobacco.
Certainly EIiZabeth's brain has not
been dulled, ROr has her marvellous
beauty been impaired by nicotine. For
she still remains not only one of the
loveliest, but also one of the most quick
witted. spirituelle, and intellectual
women of the age.
Seen riding home in the evening from
meet at Godollo, or seated at her writ
ing table, the contours of her matchless
figure shown 10 perfection by the plain
black, tailor made gown that c0nsti-
tutes her customary dress, who is there
that would venture to assert that there
is the slightest trace of Vulgarity in the
cigarette so daintily held between the
first and second fingers of her ungloved
left hand?
The czarina of Russia, who is like
wise one of the vaSsalS of King Nico-
tine, smokes in somewhat more indo-
lent and, one might almost say. Oriental
fashion.
Stretched on the sllken cushions of a
broad, low divan at GatSchina, 'she fol-
lows dreamiIy with her beautiful dark
eyes the rings of blue smoke that from
her crimson lips ascend into the per-
TUNED air of her heudoir, boudoir
which she calls her ''den" and which
is copied from one of the loyeliest roohS
of the ALEXANDRIA
with Palms i'm CIoisonnervases.
raising their green banners against the
gorgeous colors and gold of the walls.
Heavy-hearted and anxious as the
charming sovereign of all the RuSsias
often is, her mind filed with gruesome
tears of cruel death for those she
loved best she finds in the cigarette her
greatest SOlacc; and she spends many
an hour, her small patrician head
crowned by its wealth of brown brads.
reclining among the gold-embr oidered
pillows of her couch, sending little
clouds of smoke upward to the ceiling,
and slipping exquisite caravan tea at $40
pound.
The latter is brought to her in serv-
ice made by the goldsmiths of the Dec
can. who provide work beside which all
the best that Europe can furnish ap-
pears clumsy, vulgar and inartiStic.
Queen Marguerite of Italy is another of
the royal ladies who see no harm in the
use of tobacco, and the coquettish way
in which she toys with a verbena-
scented papilettO can only be compared
with the unequaled grace with which
an Andalusian belle is wont to daily
with her fan.
Her flashing black eyes look laugh
ingly through the fragrant clouds OF
smoke emitted from her mouth, which
looks like the haIf-open bud OF pome-
granate, and she is wont to declare that
her cigarette is more essential to hel
comfort than anything else in life.
King Humbert, who is still as much
in love with his charming conSort as or
the day when. twenty-one years ago, he
first brought home to the royal palace
at Turin the lovely daughter oil
the Duke of Genoo. delights in
smoking his cigar in her com.
pany and certainly prefers that he
should be allowed 10 join his wife in &
post-prandial cigarette rather than t.
he relegateG, as are so many other Other
HuSDalluS, 10 distant smoking Don
and to temporary exile from so fair
presence.
Christine, queen regent of SPAN, is
great advocate of tobacco. She con
sunes large quantity of Egyptian CT
garettes. and there is nothing that hel
little ''Bubi, 'tiiS Most Catholic Maiest,
King Alphonso MIL, enjoys more thai
when his mother permits him to strik,
match and apply the flame to the
End other Cigarette.
When thus engaged the little fellow
laughs merriy. and INDUCES in al
sorts of antics like light-hearted littl,
monarch that he IS. his dimpled shout
ders as yet unOurdened by the cares ant
anXletirS OF ms lofty station.
Ills Holiness Pope Leo KILL, at an,
rate. does not consider the use of to
barco as vice, else he would scarceI,
have conferred the Golden Rose on 81
lnVeterate and confirmed yotaries of th