The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-02

Dealers and Jewellers Agree That the Habit
Is Spreading In View YORK;.

Is Spreading In New York.
There is no use in making any bones about it.
Cigarette smoking is on the increase among the
women OF this city. American women have
been somewhat slow In taking up the habit
which is rather to their credit than otherwise.
Those who use cigarettes now, most OF them, got
a start in some foreign country. The smokers
are divided into two classcs-the bohemians,
who smoke openly, and the women Of wealth,
leisure. and position. who indulge in n seductive
puff in private. III speaking OF the actual use
OF cigarettes by women, a dealer who has occu-
pied the same stand on Broadway for twenty
two years said:
Women smokers arc undoubtedly increasing
at n very rapid rate. I've been here over IA score of
years now, and when | first set up | used to be sur
prised when n woman came in and bought a pack
age of cigarettes. it was such u rare thing. Now
every few minutes n woman or girl drops in and
buys a supply. In fact, tobacco dealers are
catering for women's trade as much as for mems.
More so. because We have mems secured.
"Some people have an idea that one should
fight shy OF a woman who smokes. Such
people are grossly ignorant. Some of the best
women in New York use cigarettes. In fact,
dealers divide women cigarette smokers into
two classes-the very, very good and the very
very bad. tho smokers OF good social position
and the smokers OF no position at all, the out
casts OF society. Working women in America
do not smoke. A great many well.to-do women
have their cigarettes made to order. stamped
with their monographs and %crests. and tipped
with gold or silver. These never give
their orders personally, but do SO through
their husbands. brothers, or servants.
And these women do not smoke to ex-
cess. A hundred cigarettes usually last them
for ten days. l should say that they averaged
nhOnt ak n nnN- and nS IN mild Turkish tnhnppn
Is used and the cigarettes are very small. that
is really doing very little smoking. Formy part, |
think II women smoked more we would hear OF
less indigestion and dyspepsia among the sex,
and Il a woman smokes at home among hor
bacco. I'm sure. aids digestion II taken in mod.
Grafton after n, heavy meal. American women
VIII never smoke In public, i think. and neither
have one woman customer who smoked fino
cigarettes made especially for her, we now have
Another dealer, who has perhaps the most
opinion. lie is 2 Greek and was brought up in
Turkey. He thinks that nj last American
wonen arc becoming civilized enough. accord
ing to his view of the matter, TO nso cigarettes.
oh. yes" no said, American women are
learning how to smoke at last. 1t is so strange
that YOU people who have so much liberty In
everything else would not allow your women TO
smoke until now. II Is good for them, that is il
they smoke cigarettes made. of Turkish tobacco.
IL your American tobacco has so per cent. OF
cent. In Turkey nearly every woman smokes
and they live to be very old, almost II hundred.
To those who do not smoke, the doctors say,
Smoke; 1t will do you good and ] think the
American women are beginning to lind that
smoke Turkish tobacco, you never hear of u man
or woman dying or losing his mind from ciga-
Of one. think It is the smell Of The american
tobacco that drives them mad. See, he went
on, opening n case and showing thousands of
one to five hundred, these are nearly ali for
my women customers
"What kind OF cigarettes do most women
smoke T. asked the reporter.
You see they are thinner than those for
men" no answered, opening a box bearing a