Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-09-05

The Spaniards took grave ofTcnsc not
long ego when a book of travels was On
titled The Land OF the Cas,anct," hut
Tho Land of the Cigarette" would lie
even moro appropriate than that which
proved so offensive. There IS no country
on earth, not even Turkey, whore cigarette
smoking Is so generally practiccd. Men,
women and children smoke, ana smoke al
the time Pipes are little used. Tobacco
chewing is almost unknown save among
sailors. but the Cdur OF the cigarette, pun
gent, half nausCatiug to those who have
not acquire, q taste for this Usc of the
weed, peryadcs the entire peninsula from
tho Cantabrilus to the Mediterranean
from the Portuguese frontier to the pyr-
encos- There are medical men who be
lieyo or affect to believe that the habit
continued Us it has been for nearly four
centuries, has borne fruits in the dctcriora-
ton of Spanish character.
Leaving the doctors 60 settle this qucs-
ton among themselves, says - writer in
the st. Louis Globe Democrat. thCro is no
doubt as to the universally and long CON
tinunnce Of the practice. A. soon the
Spaniards discovered the weed in America
they began TO smoke. Bcrnm Diaz bears
testimony To the fact that every man in
Cortes' army carried u PHO and every
SPaniard who returned TO europe boIc
with him stock of the weed and seeds
for future planting.
The Spanish government has q mo-
nOpoly OF the tobacco manufacture, and
some idea of its importance may nc t-nincd
from the statement that the tobacco com
pany, a gigantic trust, having branches in
every hamlet in Spain, pays TO the govern
mcnt in direct taxes ~, 900, 600 pcSotas -
year, this sum being exceeded only Ivy the
land taxes andimport dues. Tho govern
mont cigarette factory IS therefore an in
stitution in every city and town. The
tourist wandering about the city of Seville,
Barcelona, Malaga or any other in any
part OF Spain will often have his atten-
ton attracted 10y collection OF long, low
buildings Of no architectural prctcuSions,
yet substantially built, and FOR Spain toll
erably well lighted. II he CHANGED to pass
in tho evening at the time when the bells
OF the churches sound the Angelus, he
win see issuing from every door streams
of women, young, old ana in the dehata-
bic line between the two. They are the
cigarette makers, just such a set of WON
en- as one viii see upon the stage in the
first scene of Carmen" Chattpring like
magpies, all apparently in the best OF hui
NOR, their VtfriCd costumes, gay l-crChiefs
and bodices, blue, green and yellow skirts.
form Vcritable stage picture One would
not be surprised to sec Carmen burst from
the midst Of them like Il tornado.
CarIucns are numerous among the girls
of the cigarette factories. In fact, every
one is or has been possible Carmen. with
all the latter's fascination and signal abil-
ity to get men into all sorts of scrapcS and
complications and then leave them 10
work cut their salvation by themselves n
best they car. Over 500. 600 women are
employed in the Spanish cigarette fac
tories Many are good, not few are ths
reverse, but good. lad or indiffCTent. each
has an influence, and altogether tbeyare a
power which the government fears and
does not disdain 10 employ for its own
purposes
The cigarette girls all have lovers,
brothers, husbands and attaches on whom /
they exercise almost boundlcss control. A
woman can Go what she will with n man 1
who loves her, and Il Is rcculiarity of 1
the Spanish woman that she Is nhle "a in, 4
spine passionate devotion which for The 4
time being cannot he shaken Of sourS,,
it Is temporary. The passionate devotion i
that lasts i found only in novels Love 4
me little, love me long, Is truc- than 4
most proverbs, but The spanish mans life /
is one spaSin OF wild dcEotion after anoth- I
er, the affection being the same, though 4
its objects change
The-cigarettc girl is in a certain sense a /
government empioyee-that i, she IS en- 1
pioyed by the company which enjoys the |