Evening star., 1897-05-29

One of them. however. a literary chap. had
a more satisfactory answer He said he
believed the snuff-taking habit had been
revived In England among the swells over
there on account of the immense revival
of interest lately exhibited in the men and
the literature of the last century and the
early portion of the present century-the
era when snuff-taking was at It's height.
For instance he said. the world has
been inundated during the past two or three
years with Napoleonic literature in which
the Corsican's personal characteristics
have been Gwelt upon with good deal
more insistence than his campaigns. Now.
Bonaparte was a confirmed snuffer. and L
think the constant repetition of this fact
has created a great many snuff-takers.
Again, there has of late been an immense
amount of stuff printed concerning Lord
Byron the great English poet. who made
things warm all over Europe I'm his hot
youth. when George the Third was king.
Byron possessed. among many other ami
able weaknesses. the snun king habit,
and in the recent Byronic literature this
fact has been widely spread. Now, every
young man has his Byronic period. during
which he worships that noble sybarite and
his works with the devotion OF the OLD
Greeks to their Zeus: and so Byron also Is
perhaps responsible for a good zeal Oh the
modern snuff-taking.
".I got into the habit myself this liter
airy chap vert on, out of curiosity. In
poking around among some OF the effects OF
one of my great-great-grandfathe L
came across a very old and very beauufui
gold-wrought snuff box. The ind set me to
wondering what the fellows of the last CEN
tury could have found in the snuff-taking
habit to give them pleasure. and, as | had
tried everything else, resolved to try snuff
just for the purpose OF finding out III there
was anything in it. l had the box filled
with some snuff that was recommended 10
me by Russian fellow who has used it all
lis life-and there you are. I've been or
dering il in five-pound lots ever since. and
couldn't well get on without II. In TINS
country L think the revival of interest in
the American revolutionary period has had
a lot to do with the snun-consuming lad.
Women Who smoke.
And while were on the subject of fads,'
continued the purveyor of nicotine. Il want
TO tell you that the cigarette-snoking habit
among women is no longer a mere fad, but
a settled thing. Women are smoking Gig
aretles, and a whole lot of them, too. They
don't walk in here and carry a box OF their
favorite brand of cigarettes out into the
street under their arm: of course they
don't. Not dozen women come in here in
the course of a week. Nevertheless. 1 sup
ply a considerable number of Washing on
ladies with their cigarettes.
with hardly any exceptions they are
" omen of wealth. and matrors. both young
and old, and they smoke their cigarettes
with the knowledge, and IL not the ap-
proval, at least with the acquiescence. Of
their husbands On probing the thing. you
will generally find that these Washington
ladies who enjoy their cigarettes In their
boudoirs-for scarcely any of them. / In
derstand. smoke elsewhere than in their
own chambers-have spent, and still con-
tinue to spend. a considerable portion OF
their time in the old country. I've been
told confidentialy by some of them that
they look forward with eager anticipation
to the time when American women NAV be
permitted. without outraging convention
ality, to smoke openly with their guests,
as they now do in England and some of the
other countries of Europe, notably in Rus
sia."