New-York tribune., 1893-11-26
suOJLD LADIES SMOKE!
AN rNGL1sHMANs POINT OF VIEW.
op,,,ovs WHICH AMERICANS WILL PROBABLY
NOT CONCUR 1N--soME FANTASTIC REASONS
FOR RECOMMENDING ToBAcco-rhE
roprIcN WOMEN WHO SMOKE

| FOREIGN WOMEN WHO SMOKE
LADY Colin Campbell in her artlcie Oh '"e
n,rch discussed question as to whether women
','10 nrhI,sbed in the current number
60 .n,.o u,gIisb illustrated Magazine, ad-
,.u1. ~ ,mnossoned appeal to "Oh men,
! 49, hr.horsr, TO decide the matter Ana as
sho onno,rs to consider that the approVhi vi
! r,on e. oil that IS necessary to Settle the con-
! ,royor.,, In n manner satisfactory TO the lem-
,nine dovotees of the Holy Herb py all "ean'
Lot us give It, with certain rest1c'iohs We
would certainly be the gamers thereoy' do
will endeavor to show-all the ino'e e'".''
40 rearIv all the discussion on the SUBJECT mas
hitherto been monopolized by the fair sex.
In tho orst p,aca. let me seek to calm the fears
Of Mrs Lynn Linton and or o'her oppo
| of feminine smoking. as to the dahscl Vi ''.e
| habit degenerating into an abuse. iheie -
not the slightest possibility OF an excess u pe
apprchended, when once we men nave give"
orr sanction Indeed the latter Is Hheiy u
! lead to the decrease rather than 10 the III
crease of the habit among women WHO WIN
find the rse Of tobacco deprived Of half its
charms and delights when 1t no longer pos-
sesses the flavor of forbidden fruit. DO our
| high priced Havanas and costly Latakia OF the
present day taste even one-tenth part as good
"a those abominable cabbage-eaf cigars and
cheap cigarettes smoked in strict secrecy anu
copcaaIr,ent during the days of our boyhood!
! Oh for the delight of one Of those pipes which
were favored by the spice of danger or
! brchng, There is nothing that /, for my
part. have ever found to compare with the
charms Of a certain memorable smoke which
entailed that penalty. 1t was while was al
school in one Of the great English SCHOOLS.
! Fondy imagining that one Of our masters had
| absented himself for the day. !. with another
! fourteen-year-oid boy invaded his rooms. got
J out his favorite pipes and. having ensconced
ourselves in his armchars by the firesde. COM
! menced smoking away to our hearts content
In order TO add to the enjoyment we got hoid
Of his sherry. and had arrayed ourselves in his
surplices, stoles. university fur-lined hoods and
mortar-board college caps complete In the
midst Of it all he reappeared. and the conse
quences were brief but painful interview
with the Dean. who considered it necessary
to impress upon minds the superiority OF
picked birch to colored briarwood.
While all danger Of excess or abuse will be
avcrted by depriving tobacco Of the attraction
in feminine eyes Of forbidden fruit and by en-
coura ging rather than preventing. women
smoking. there Is every reason to believe
that we men would derive immeasurable bene-
1T from the regular adoption of the habit by
our wives and daughters. Nearly all the
troubles that beset our paths. and the disputes
and difficulties In which we become involved
are caused by the heedlessness OF the feminine
tongue and by the .houghtlessness Of the words
that fall from feminine lips Now, even the
enemies of tobacco are forced to admit that its
use constitutes an incentive to reflection and
20 meditation. Just fancy. therefore, the boon
that the sterner SEX and, in fact, the world at
large. would derive from the Inauguration by
women OF the practice of thinking before speak
ing. instead Of only afterward And inasmucn
as the use Of tobacco would contribute to this
innovation by all means let them have it. Nor
Is this the only advantage. There are several
others to one OF which. in particular. Lady
Colin draws attention. The modern woman,
she declares with a ruthlessness from which
should shrink. ''ls nothing but thing strung
on wires" and from morning to night she is
on the ramp. in some way or another. Rest
lossness Is her element. She never be still
for five minutes together" To keep these
wires upon which. according to Lady Colin.
woman is hung from vibrating too strongly. to
preserve our mothers and our sisters. and above
all. our wives and their mothers. from going
"on the ramp, there can be nothing more
efTcacous than the soothing influence Of to-
bacco The easest-tempered and most tracta-
ble women OF the universe are those OF the
Orient. who smoke all day long: and the same
may be said in certain measure of the women
OF Southern Europe. who a general rule. are
far more truly feminine than their Northern
sisters. 1t is among the latter that the ten
dcncy TO mannishness Is most pronounced: that
there is the greatest eagerness the part Of
women to place themselves on the same level as
ourselves. and to lead us To shut our eyes to
fh. fop thof th.,r laI x,,bo
Nature has lavished her finest and most deli
cately artistic workmanship and finish in every
detail And yet 1t is just these Northern
women who loudest in their denunciation
of the practice in vogue among the fair Of the
South and of the East Of smoking. calcu-
lated to "unsex." as "unfeminine" and as tend
ing to 'mascunity"
When there is any mannishness displayed by
woman In smoking 1t Is usually due to the
fact either that she is novice and self-con-
scious or that she has lacked elegance refine
ment and true fcmininity long before she ever
took 20 the papetto. which has certainly played
no part in depriving her Of any of these quail
ties. but merely affords an indication as To
whether she possesses them or not. And when
Il woman has them innate II Is not a cigarette
that is likely to destroy them. They remain APP
parent In everything that she does and says or
even thinks What better illustration thereof
could be cited than the Czarina Of Russia, her
sister. the Duchess of Cumberland Queen Mar
gucrite of Italy and the Empress OF Austria /?
All four are renowned for their elegance and
can certainly not he described as lacking in
refinement. Nor would any one ever dream Of
accusing the beautiful Grand Duchesses Vladi-
mir and Sergius of Russia. the Archduchesses
Marie Thercse and Isabelle OF Austria. nor yet
Queen Marie Amee of Portugal. of being either
too masculine or deficient In femininity. or the
great ladies' Of Europe not % royal blood, but
who are, nevertheless. recognized az queens OF
fashion ana OF elegance who are inveterate
smokers, need merely mention the name OF the
Duchess OF Sesto. mother of the young Due de
Morny. and the Duchess OF Medina-Coeli at Ma
drid; Princess Pauline Metternich. Princess Leon
tine Fuers,enberg and the Princess Montenuovo
at Vienna; Donna Laura Mlnghetti. Princess
Pallayicini and her sster-in law. Princess Rosp-
rlinei Il Roma. hn DuchnaseS de Mnuchy ln