The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-03-23
The Decline OF .ae Cuspidor.

The Decline OF :Ae Cuspidor.
There is standard evidence in the OBJ
servations Of Mrs Trollope and Charles
Dickens that the Americans are an ex-
pectorating race. There has been for
half century what may be called
standing proof of it in the presence and
prevalence of the cuspidor utensil
almost unknown to foreigners. 1t must
be confessed, now that we have got
over it, that for nearly a hundred years
we "chawed. What else we did that
was consequence need not be dwelt
upon. But a large part of our social
history is Iuarked-we had almost said
stained--by expectoration. 1t is only
within five years that determined
effort has been made by the sex, one of
whose unexplained mysteries is that it
does not eNpectorate, to abolish the
habit. The women attacked it openly
and persistently They discountenanced
it in religion, in society and in travel
They went so far as to make their 50.
cial favor contingent on a mans superb
GRITTY to that ugly accompaniment The
consequence is that it is slowly disap.
pearing like the American bison and
the bowie knife. But the history of
woman's struggle against the cuspido1
and her fiercer war against the inalien-
able right of every American of the
male gender to expectorate when, how
and where he pleased, both in public
and private. utterly regardless of the
demands Of sanity and sanitation, will
never be written Man himself would
probably blush to read it, It would not
Increase his self respect to learn that
when the elevated railroads were put in
operation in the large cities he had tC
be asked by placard not to expectorate
Oh the heads Of the people below. But
having been girded and reformed, he
wonders now that he could ever have
needed such injunction. He would not
like to be reminded that there was
time when in the politest society he
had to remove his quid before drinking
the health of the ladies. The gentleman
who "chaws' now would run some
risk of being mistaken for longshore-
man. People would suspect him of hav-
ing been brought up in the TO CASTLE
and the lover who had to expectorate
between signs would probably be s'turn-
ed down. very promptly.
Man, deprived Of his cuspidor at
home, fought for long time for his
right to expectorate in public and in
sisted that the horse car should be turned
into cuspidor. But the women follow
ed him ruthlessly into that retreat.
They swept the board of health into
their train, and finally got an ordinance
passed. Under this pressure it is not as
tonishing that the once pernicious habit
has been driven to its mountain fast
nesses. We are really more consider
ate of other people than we once we're
To revel in our pristine masculinity
we must stink off to Bohemia, hunt for
a bachelors club or join the cowboys.
Everywhere else the suppressive wom-
an, trailing skirts that she will not
shorten, is watching us. Driven to help
lessness and desperation. man is becom-
ing decent. He has relinquished the
cuspidor along with other idols. One by
one his cherished weaknesses have dis
appeared. He no longer asks the ladies
to leave the dinner table when the wine
comes on He has grown tame enough
to let them stay. Presently he will re-
press the desire to go out between the
acts at the theater. All these vestiges
of his undated manhood were doomed
as soon as the cuspidor tottered on its
throne