Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-01
their trying just one for amusement, and
the habit soon grows"
Lillian Russell Afraid OF Then.


cite smoke is I'M urious to the throat, but oc-
casonally at dinner, to be polite, join my
guests, but always have my own mild Gig
arettea and rarely smoke more than a,
third of one of them. Sometimes I am
caught out without them, and am overper-
suaded to try one of nv hostess extra mild,
and comply. My table is often surround
ed by well-known actresses, and sometimes
have guests well-known in fashionable
sets, and as rule they invariably like one
or two cigarettes after dinner, and it Is
truly delicious to take one or two puffs
with your coffee. But then, where one de-
pends on ones voice for living one must
be careful, so while I like to see others
smoke, If they enjoy it, I rarely indulge,
and never smoke whole cigarette at a
time"
Mrs Mary Frost Ormsby. who headed the
American delegation to the recent Inter
national Peace Congress at Rome, and who
is brilliant member of Sorosis, said:
"Looking at smoking from strictly
physical standpoint, does it not detract
from lady's chief requisite, purity, in that
it pollutes her breath? What would be-
touched the fancy of all the poets who have
ever sung? Could we imagine Longfellow
writing that most beautiful tribute to
'Evangeline,' when she had passed, it
seemed like the ceasing of exquisite music
if she had carried with her the odor of
tobacco; whether it be pipe, cigar or cigar
cite, it is tobacco. May be the real reason
why it shocks one to see woman smoke is
that we cannot think of our own mother
doing that. However much any woman
may justify her own smoking, am sure in
her own soul she is glad her mother never
smoked. If cigarette smoking has really
become fad in the best circles of Ameri-
can society, tits indeed fearful calamity,
for our women are of too nervous a temper
ament to be able to stand the effect of
tobacco. The first effect would be to trans
form the lady into a bold woman, robbing
her of that veil of romance that surrounds
our sex, and would eventually throw down
the bars to everything else.
A Continental " oman Shocked Her.
eat the farewell banquet at Naples to the
President of the Peace Congress was sur
prised when the men began to smoke in the
ladies' presence; but 1 was painfully
shocked when one of the ladies, a Conti-
mental woman, smoked with them. The
English and Americans present were equally
disguised. Politeness can never be urged
as an excuse. No woman would take snuff
simply out of roliteness. Politeness aims
not to injure the self-respect Of others. but
it ceases to be politeness when it Injuries our
own self-respect.
Mrs F. Lord, President of the New York
Women's Christian Temperance Union,
said: 81 was absolutely dumfounded when
I first learned that cigarette smoking was
becoming a fad among the fashionable
women of New York. But I do not be-
lieve, however, that it is any more harmful
to woman than to man. The time is
coming when the world will demand equal
hnth nur Ipio vii
take it up at once. I find with the men we
rescue that, after they learn what curse
liquor has been to them, they become quite
willing to give up tobacco also. With the
women it may be different. They never
confess their failings openly as men do, but
hide all the faults they can, and unwillingly
acknowledge only those in which they are
caught red-handed. We have found it
necessary to add narcotic branch to our
Union, to which many women belong, and
we will most gladly add a tobacco branch. I
cannot imagine a lady using tobacco, and
hope none of my friends do so.
Mrs. DR.. Paul Lozer. the motherly Pres
ident of Sorosis, was Mortified to think that
any of her sex should be accused of smoking.
IF any of the ladies of my acquaintance
smoke" she said, 81 am unaware of the
fact 1t is almost impossible to say what
constitutes lady, but do not think lady
would care to smoke, especially cigarettes,
which are far more baneful than tobacco in
any other form. From mere physiological
standpoint cigarette smoking is extremely
injurious to young men. If, in all the glory
of her fully developed womanhood, one of
the weaker sex is no stronger than young
man, to say nothing of her delicately
wrought organization, then cigarette smok-
ing can work her nothing but harm.
Keeping Tobacco Out of Prisons
"I am member of the Christian Purity
Society. We now have bill before Con-
gress to prohibit the distribution of tobacco
to the young criminals in prison, and if
there are any female prisoners I hope the
bill will be amended to cover their cases.
Sorosis will probably not take up for dis
cussion the question of the women who
smoke. 1 know that no member of our
society is smoker, nor would one of our
number tolerate it in female friend. Our
object is to educate woman to point where
she will always be able to discriminate be-
tween right and wrong, and when that is
accomplished, there will be no danger of
her smoking cigarettes.
Everyone knows how injurious it is to
the health of an infant to have it's father
smoke in the room in which it is asleep.
How much more injurious If the mother
is an habtual smoker and transmits the
poison Of the nicotine to her offspring. AL
cohol and medicines are transmitted to in
fants in this manner, and children have died
of convulsions after being nursed by an
angry mother. Tobacco affects the nerves,
and you can imagine the kind of pale, puny
man the child of a woman who is an habit
ual smoker would grow up to be. If this
vice is taking hold of our American women
it should be stamped out vigorously and at
once"
Mrs. NJ. Louise Thomas held up her hands
in astonshment at the idea of any number
OF her sex indulging in cigarettes. "What
do think of ladies who smoker" she ex-
claimed in surprise. 81 never knew one. +"
Mrs. Cynthia Leonard is the mother of
Lillian Russell. She ran for Mayor OF New
York four years ago. She said. Smoking
is injurious to men, but not so much SO as
to women, for men are often out in the
fresh air and their lungs have chance. A
woman who smokes habitually transmits to
her male offspring nervous desire to
smoke and drink.
Lillian RusselPs Love for Music.
"My own life is an illustration of this.
Before my daughter, Hattie, was born, I
had picture of beautiful woman hung in
my room where L could always see it. To
this day that engraving is good likeness
of nv eldest daughter. Lillian 1 wished to
be singer, so before her birth I visited
Patti and secured a position in a church
choir I was always singing, and to-day
YOU see the result. I think the habit of
smoking, if it became general among
women, would prove disastrous to coming
generations. I have never smoked a
cigarette in my life, nor would I, although
1 know of many estimable ladies in high
society who do"
Ella Wheeler Wilcox's remarks on ladies
| who smoke were characteristic of the author