The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-11-17
Women and Tobacco.

About one year ago mysterious rumors
were heard from time to tine of the matt
nee smoker or the "after-dinner num-
The first function is a strictly feminine
affair in the afternoon, where nov:ces of
the nicotine blow the smoke from tiny
perfumed cigarette The second dissipa-
ton is INDUCED in by both men and women
as the climax TO the culinary courses in
| the evening. One Chicago woman enthusi-
asst OF the weed possesses the distinction
OF having a smoking-room for her fair
friends. with all the aceoutrements for all
afternoon smoker
In some cases the men not only sanction
| the fact that their feminine folk occasion
| ally turn tiny weed into a cloud of smoke.
| but go about boasting of the novel indul-
gence. Only the other day a young man
Wen known IN Chicago society said conden-
ingly: Several times lately have been
| TO dinner parties where delicate cigarettes
were proffered the ladies at the same time
cigars were passed 10 the men. l can see
no possible objection to the indulgence-if
the women Ike 1t. 1t IS simply a matter
| OF CUSTOM"
Though it is not the purport of these
snap shots at the feminine smoker to up
hold the unpleas.ng habit, to put It mid
~, II is nevertheless true that in sew
eral oriental countries the custom passes
unchalienged in good society. This is par
ticularly true in Kansas and Austria,
where gentlewomen are given TO blowing
rings of smoke into the air. 1t is Ike
wise the popular pastime with Spanish
beauties Of languorous loneliness.
In fact, on the unlovely list of feminine
smokers may be found the names of ma
ny women of high degree. According TO
Les Annales, the Empress of Austria IS
accredited with smoking from thirty to
forty cigarettes a day. Among the royal
danes mentioned in the cigarette category
are the dowager Empress of Russia, who
however. has the good grace to indulge
only in her private apartments; the queen
of Roumania, the Queen Regent of Spa:n
the Queen Of Italy, and Queen Amelia Of
Portugal The latter came honestly by her
smoking proclivit,es for her mother, wife
of the Cornte de Paris, was likewise a de-
voice of the weed. Pocahontas, it may
be added, was not far behind her civilized
sisters OF noble blood, for as a puffer Of
smoke she Is said to have been a sue
cess.
And what is more, Spanish women of
all times have smoked cigars as well as
cigarettes. Worse still, some noble women
have smoked pipes, among whom may be
mentioned the uchess OF Chartres and the
Duchess of Bourbon. who fiour.shed under
the reign OF Louis XIV. To cap the to-
bacco climax, women of the south German
peasantry are said to actually chew the
weed.
The scholarly George Sand also smoked
1t was she who decorously advised women
to take to needlework as an antidote for
the allurements OF the weed, but the wo-
men Of the day seemed inclined 10 faith
fully follow her example of Indulgence
rather than her preventive precept.
However obnoxious cigarette smoking
may be to the healthy minded American
woman of today, there have been worse
vagaries in the category of feminine fol-
bles. There is snuff. for instance, which
scarcely less than century ago ceased to
be fashionable. The time was when wo-
nlen-the leading women of the day-could
not stir without their coveted snuff boxes.
There is an old and rather inelegant
rhyme which bears evidence to the high
standing of the fair partaker Of snuff:
She that with pure tobacco will not prime
Her nose, can be no lady of the time.
They were splendid little receptacles,
these snuffboxes, filled with perfumed rap
pee whatever that may be, and were man.
aged by their fair owners with all the !
charming coquetry that character.Zes the |
fan nowadays. In those times the highest |
compliment woman could pay man adj !
mirer was to insert his miniature in the |
top of this jeweled toy.
Two noted English women who snuffed |
Unfortunately were Queen Anne and her |
grace OF Marlborough. 1t was this circum- |
stance which called from Lord Bolingbroke |
this splendid sneer:
'"The nation is governed by pair OF 1
snuffers-no wonder the light of its glory |
is extinguished."