Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-15

|
| Al >/SR.SSSR upon a great lark"
| p\ ~LJO- When l came upon
| S~ them Louise was
crying gently, and the rest of the girls
were suffering like a pan of hot butter
| irto which q drop of water has fallen. 1T
is little less than a crime, 1 say!" asserted
Louise, tearfully, spreading her dress
| skirt out over the couch only to turn from
contemplation of it with little moan and
bury her head in the pillows. And not
| much wonder! Her new street gown, which
she wore today for the first time, is simply
| ruined! Utterly and irretrievably! She can't
| possibly wear it again until it has been
| made over, and all because of the vile to-
bacco chewing habit.
| How on earth did you get yourself into
| such condition. l asked. you couldn't
| look verse if you had been cleaning the
| spittoons in the rooms of the committee
| en- ways and means"
| "Oh, but just look at me- cried Jennie.
| turning slowly before me, and across the
| back of her handsome white cloth cape /
| saw long splash OF tobacco stain.
| We'll, but how did it happenT / in
| sisted Have you been Summing? i
| thought you started to the matinee"
| 'One would be safer in the sums, / be-
| lieve,' said Nora, gloomily. mo, we have
| been at the matinee, and l don't think I'll
ever set foot inside theGter again, even
| If Booths spirit came back purposely to
| tempt me. If I've got to wade through
| puddies of tobacco juice, Ill take the fresh
| air and sidewalk for ii. Goodness knows
| 1t Is bad enough there; but in a theater;
ughr
In Street Car and Thentcr.
You see, it was this way, Sara" said
Louise, seeing my hopeless bewilderment
| car to get down to the avenue. 1t was
| nearly full, and 1 sat down in vacant
place before noticing that the last occu-
pant of the seat had used the floor for a
cuspidor, ..nd actually filled the wooden
gridiron to the top. OF course, / knew my
light dress would be ruined if / let it
touch, SO l tucked it up on the seat and
my feet as far back out of sight as pos
sibe. At the theater a man sat next to
me who was eating tobacco Simply eat
Ing 1t, for he took chew every Ave min
utes, am sure. He spit on the hoOr of
course, but l thought l had my dress out
of the way till we came out, and then il
looked like this. Isn't it awful?' And l
must confess 1t was. Her pretty light
broadcloth for half yard on one side was
smeared with saliva foot or more up the
breadth.
THAT wasn't the worst of the theater
experience, either" snapped Jennie, as she
tossed her ruined cape aside. The man
who sat behind me smelled so horribly Of
stale tobacco that he gave me n headache.
and in trying TO spit down between my
chair and Dorcthy's he managed to strike
ny cape"
THE n en- in front of us were fairly reek-
ing with tobacco fumes though none of
them were chewing" observed Bobbe.
Il suppose there is no way for Congress
to reach the matter" said Jennie. inquir-
ingly. She seemed to think that for every
evil under the sun Congress can find a
remedy.
In Congress.
II should say not" was Nora's emphatic
response. 1T wouldn't do anything if IT
had the power. Why, men who never used
tobacco in their lives become addicted to
the habit as soon as they come to Con-
gress. They have to or die of nicotine
poisoning by second hand. Congress spends
more on accommodations for tobacco users
than on any one of the long list of costly
incidentals.' 1t furnishes penknives and
bankers shears. cologne and castor OIL
qCinine, silver-mounted writing utensils of
every description, autograph albums call
ing cards, card cases, Jamacai ginger and
brcmo caffeine, but there is nothing about
the Capitol that is laviShly displayed
or any more costly than the spittoons-
cuspidors, they are called in the Senate
Papa says That some of them are real
works OF art and cost lot of money each.
Catch Congress legislating away any of
It's conveniences or luxUries. Then, there
is 'cuspidor cleaner who has no other
duties, and they wouldn't abolish an Office
for the world"
They could certainly get along without
spittoons," said Bobbie They don't use
them. 1t is more convenient to deface the
Beautiful white marble stairs, and then
there are the statues! They can deposit
tobacco juice back of them, Just as our
old cook tucks sojled clothing away in a
dark closet, and nobody will find either till
house-clcaning time, unless the fetid odor
gets unbearable."
1.-THE air ducts in the floors are more
convenient than either" was Jennie's con-
tribution to this remarkable discussion
nat a wholesome, clean-minded hus-
band man would make who sees no de-
hlement or menace to health in using the
alrducts of closeshut chambers Ike the
House and Senate for a spittoon! I'd he
afraid to marry him, for fear he would
want my Toxic rose jar for a spittoon and
the water jug for his cigar stumps."
Papa says there are nearly four hundred
sspttoons III the Senate" observed Nora
well, there must be a thousand in the
House, and, II the proportion is kept up.
though the members have 81 much larger
airduct area for splitting purposes" said
Dorothy. You see it would be worse than
CoXey folly to undertake to abridge the
splitting privileges of Congress"
who invented tobacco, anyhow" asked
Louise. Then, when We laughed she de-
clared that she only meant to ask who dis
covered that the filthy stuff could be
chewed ard not kill.
"a Frenchman told me orce," said Nora,
that an American tobacco chewer would
have to get off the street in any city in
France or fight duel. In French cities
they have laws or something of the kind
against splitting on the street. 1t is con-
Sidered a source of communicating disease
0nd is not permitted at all in any public
place. The health boards forbid it. / am
sure that we could have some such law
here. Ny patience, but wouldn't it create
CONSERVATION"
Difficulty In Europe.
At this juncture Jennie produced a let
ter from Mary. Il just want to read you
a passage from this blessed girls letter
that bears right on this very subject Lis
ten! L think when 1 get home 1 shall try
to impress it on the minds of the men l
know that it isn't English you know" to
go round splitting all over the house and on
the streets. a woman can enjoy walk
through any of these foreign cities and go
home with the delightful assurance that
though she has not been holding her skirts
to her shoe tops, the edges are not tobacco
stained. l love my own country devotedIy,
but truly, Jennie, there are some things that
they do much better here than they do at
home. \ young Englishman whom l met
the other day said that while he was ia
vorably impressed with our country, we
certainly did have some beastly nawsty
habits, don't you know. You spit so much.
Your coat of arms ought to