The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-30
MISREPRESENTATION
SPEAK ER REED a VERY TlBDY
CONVERT TO I1S USE. Z,

PTrrsBURa, Pa, Jan. 2O.-It takes tho visitor
from the East n long time to understand tho
Pittsburg toby, otherwise known ast tho stogio.
Tho man who thinks no gentleman should, and
In fac, that no gentleman can, smoke anything
but an imported Havana cigar is surprised at
the righteousness in this city OF the plebeian.
choap.looking stogie. To SEQ o woll-dressed.
well.Rroomod man, who from all appearances
nhould be an emulator Of those who want the
best In tho smoking line, pulling with apparent
pleasure a long, ragRed-looking apology for n
cigar, is ut first sight n shock TO the nerves Of
the average smoker from other cities. He
might be tempted to believe that this rough.
looking cigar is n truer index to the social
standing Of the smoker than his clothes and Ian
Ruago and bearing, but a brief acquaintance
with tho man would dispel this belief, and to
ample his rugged-looking smoke" might re-
duccsthe critic to tho condition of enjoying one
himself. There arc cases on record of Now
Workers who once smoked two-bit cigars, but
who came TO Pittsburg. saw. smoked, and were
commercially the stogie, became dovoteos to its
use, and looked back With wonder and regret
to that period in their existence when only an
imported Havana was worthy to BIO placed be-
tween their lips.
When Pittsburgers read in The Sun the other
day that Speaker Reed had been seen in tho
House lobby at Washington smoking a stogie
they wero not a bit surprised; 1t was rather q
proof to them that the Speaker knew a good
smoke, and they had a feeling Of commisera-
ton for the hardness with which he had be-
come acquainted with the stogie's qualities.
Once the toby, or stogie, was known only in
Pittabure and Wheeling. w. Va. By degrees
its fame and use spread to near-lying towns,
and from these points its inherent good quail
tics carried 1t far and wide, though nowhere ia
IL smoked with the assiduity that is practiced
A. ~ - a. 5000 IIt-s .-l l-.- .tl
and poor, smokeytogies in PittsburP and Wheel
ing. OF course. those who can afford, use i'm
ported cigars, but even. the lover of the finest
perfecto is glad to vary his favorite indulgence
with IN occasional Whit from n mild stoRie.
Tho words. .stogie and toby arc synonymous,
but the latter tern, is applied exclusively in
Pittsburg. However. the dealers even here are
now using the word stoRie, as being the moro
correct and wider known appellauon. The
smokers themselves in the two centres of the
stogie trade cling tenaciously to tho term used
in their respective cite In Wheeling a toby
IS known as a stogie, In Pittsburg tho stogio ia
known as q toby. No Pittsburgcr would ''go
back on his town SO far as to say stogie. and
tho Wheelingite is just as particular not to say
toby. Toby and stogie look alike, smoke alike,
and are alike, but they bear different names &C.
cording:to the place Of manufacture.
Wheeling folks Justify the use Of the word eto-
gle by an ancient trhulUlOn. Inc btOTy ROeS mat
away back before the canals and the railroads
were built, in the days when long lines of wag-
S Ws., carried TIC t freight st fr9m a 5nS seaS9ard II e 3b the
days the carriers, as the teamsters were called.
gathered their smoking tobacco from the farm.
t shs of freight II bi list in % eobsoS co 'h With h06 not RfiPs to
do tho greater part of the day but to chirrup to
tobacco in the sembiance Of a crude cigar.
They made many more. cigars than they needed
for their own use, and with the Hberality for
which these old carriers were famed they lavish
ly distributed their tobacco rolls to the hangers
on about the freight station nat At wheeling Now.
tiers drove were known first rs Conestoga wag-
ons, then as conestogas. To call the rough cigar
the American love Of ab6reviation then short.
ened. the name to stoga, and as the pleasant
smoked 1t the fond diminutive "stogie" became
ats name.
n. hs's 81 l a s1 I 9 sas s'i ssasss f ffs sss ssss pr tie
home of the stogie, and has argued that as
sstSsis sS stan %or apf st Ssasst Is ni iwaiSh in %sf q TSEo a:
q name for something. which Is not q wagon,
but is a cylindrical roll of tobacco. These 10:
gicians, however, belong to the same set Of
toast and cheese is cheese. therefore a dish
other kind of rabbit, but must be a rarebit-
consequently nobody Pays any attention item On ,ttoo
hearts OF the people safe from their argumen
.Pittsburgers have also a story Unsatisfactory
pect OF he Wheeling tradition. but seems
rather fsnclful; though pretty enough . 4gi1,, In Its
goes the legend, there was a burgess whose
temper was quick and whose profanity often
shocked tho staid Scotch-Irish Prcsbyterians
who formed tho bulk of the population. When
taken to task for his oaths, the burgess always
eousiy angered. and to prove that oaths uttered
At such moments should be viewed without
ssas pss,a he WAS ;a L wEn5 to i stsRne On HI hfri SFitiGs
Shandy'' where Uncle, Toby, angered at the
persistence with which the Corporal predicts
the speedy death of the sick Frenchlnan, Uncle
Toby's friend, blurts out his famous protest.
The burgess knew the succeeding sentence by
heart, and the manner in which he rolled out
the story of the ministering angels speedy
fight to heaven with the oakland the record;
always drove tho critic away.
Like everybody else; the choleric old burgess
l %~siiath Smfss 1891 oSik a his e eeaSer ti@ sore ~ f tried ' by
the municipal reformers of that day, instantly
grew calm and his anger vanished in his any.
weakened. and he was obliged to refer to the
angel at his critics heals. "Tristram Shandyh
Disappeared ono day. stolen, the burgess avcrred,
prive, him Of his only method Of defence when
attacked on the score OF profanity. Berett OF
t Iusa deyo aaa Object Of Christian ri Argument sH,u and
had about c9ncinded to reform his 9npopmlar
ways. tDne day Tom Jenkins. the .Suba Bill of
and saw a familiar signt. The burgess stood on
the stoop OF his house listening To the eXhorta-
ton of an elder. But jenkins wondered at tho
old mans bearing. Where once he used to
stand erect. gazing dehantly at his prosecutors.
preparing TO hurl forth his familiar ~justitica-
ton of the oath righteous. now tho old gentle
man stood detected. his chin sunk on, his chest,
his eyes rowing despeiringly as IL seeking some
object that would bring back TO his mind some
thing long forgotten. Filled with pity for the
only picturesque, being in u village devoted to
the effort OF welding to Il GOd-feuIing combina-
tion the spirit of mercantile Hypocrisy and tho
spirit OF r~eligion-Jenkins one may observe had
small liking Tor the tradesmen of Pittsburg-
the carter halted his team. climbed down from
the wagon, and. disregarding the admonitory
signals Of tho man OF God. who felt that he was
about to conquer a stubborn soul. handed to the
burgess a queer-looking brown and slender cy-
unurical object, ~
. tIt's to smoke" said Tom, as tho BURGESS
helpless gaze fastened itself on the thing no had
absent mindediy taken betn cen his fat fingers.
'Its better'n a pipe"
Jenkins took from his pocket n counterpart
Of that which he had given to the burgess. He
bit OFF the end, the burgess followed slit. Pro;
ducing his flint and steel, or whatever they used
In those days instead of matches. jenkins
lighted his cylinder and handed the light TO the
burgess. ALI this time the cider preached, and
his arms flew in gesticulation like Halls, Tho