Courier Democrat., 1900-03-29
TOBACCO TRADITIONS.

the common kitten or the man who Is
earning poker. There are also those who
begin i'll and end well; ;notably among
:hese is the young smoker.
| When I say, remarks Barry Pain In
Black and White, that the young smoker
begins i'll, do not refer to the nausea
which is supposed traditionally to accom-
pany ones first initiation into tobacco.
The tradition is absurd, in this respect
resembling most of the traditions with
respect to tobacco The young man who
watches smokers first learns in this way
the proper conduct of a cigarette and
that it is not an article of diet, and has
enough strength of mind to begin slowly,
is never sick. I would add that the
nausea attendant upon mistakes in smok-
ing Channel passages and excessive in
to&ication does not seem to me to belong
to humor; but that there are those who,
from their published Writings, seem to
have the contrary opinion-even those
whom we must respect.
The young smoker begins ill because he
begins in an atmosphere of lies and
cowardice. Tradition provides the lies
and the smoker furnishes the cowardice.
There is no reason why this should be so.
but in nine cases out of ten it is so.
Tradition begins by teaching the young
smoker that his pipe tobacco should be
Kept moist. In the old days the manu-
tacturer was able to oblige the young
smoker In this respect more than is at
present possible. AS water costs less
per ounce than tobacco, this was very
good Tor the manufacturer; it also pleased
lne young smoker. He liked to take it
drlpplng out of the tin-foil, and if it was
not already afflicted with mildew, to
place 1t In a jar with slice of annie or
potato. When sight and smell alike as
sured him that the filthy mess was now
uhsmokaple, he sighed and threw it away;
out he still went on believing that To-
bacco should be kept moist. He had
probably read it in a penny book nuh-
lished by manufacturer. He still uses
the slice of apple though he is forced
20 buy his tobacco NOWADAYS in sometime
IKE proper condition. Wet tobacco gains
nothing in flavor, and is much moro d;n~
cult to light and draw. The most
Pheasant and most free smoking tobacco
is tnat which is dry but not dusty.
Space would fail if tried to tel, a +;+,,o
OF the lies that tradition foists off or Tho
young smoker with reference tc his cip,r
lhe hrst important lie that he accents for
scspei is, probably, that a cigar with a
| paper sash on 1t is always better than
| sashless cigar. The manufacturers re
| marKed this, smiled, and Obliged again
Our Lestincha Infamias all have nnrer
sashes on them now 1t costs the mann
lacturer less to put paper sash ON
Iad cigar than to provide a good one
l1aoltlon mas some sweet things to say
too, about the care of cigars. The younr
smoker learns with surprise mingled wirh
pleasure that if he would beconie :, co.l
connoisscur he Should keep his cigars in
| tea. That sounds to any ono. who docs
net happen to know anything about IT,
/ reckless, aromatic and not unavoidable.
! u tak"S 1he adFfoe at once. and is care
.ul TO let his friends know about it.
| have never bean able TO find OUT whether
! his improves the tea. Il .poils the cigars.
; Tradition also leads the unfortunate
young man, in desire to keep his cigars
| n good condition, to. store them against
A hot chimney. a baked cigar by the
way. is just about as good as a boiled
alaret. On the question OF cheroots (of
/ which one sees little nowadays) tradition
spoke varously. 1t might advise one to
: put the thick end in ones month, or it
might prefer the thin. But whichever adj
| vice is sought it always gave a wrong
reason for it,
| On the subject of cigarettes tradition
has also much to say to the young smoker.
After teaching him that Egyptian Gig
arettes are a product of Egypt, it passes
on to the equally trustworthy informa-
ton that the most important part of a
cigarette is the part that you do not smoke
that is, the tip. The manufacturer was
on in that act, too Nothing could have
suited him better than that his cigarettes
should be purchased, not for the quality
| of the tobacco contained in them, but
for a scrap of foreign matter wrapped
around one end. He tipped with cork,
with silk, with the vulgar and objection
| able gilt paper. Nay, he went so far as
to provide a cigarette of which one end
was waxed or creased; the young smoker
put it in his mouth and sucked it with
out qualm. Unfortunately this fancy
| for tips spread to those who should have
known better. Good manufacturers COM
mitted the folly of putting tips on really
good cigarettes. Of course unless you
smoked cigarettes with dry lip, you
should not smoke cigarettes; and if you
do smoke with a dry lip, the tip is useless
to you.
It were long to tell all that tradition,
arm-in-arm with the manufacturer, does
for the young smoker in the matter Of
/ pipes. It is worth while, though to say
word Of the patent pipes; these delights
are prepared specially for the young
smoker: He loves their metal cooling
chambers which make the smoke so much
| hotter; and their intercepting chambers
which do not intercept. He goes about
for days with an abomination that might
possibly amuse child as a puzzle, but is
Of no use as q pipe. Even if he escapes
the patent pipe he becomes a friend of
the amber naouthpiece and the silver
band. Amber is too fragile to make a
good mouthpiece, and any metal on a pipe
tends to make it hotter. Or he may be-
come the self and property Of a meer-
schaum; and them he will believe and
maintain that it colors from within out
ward, until he breaks it and can see for
himself.
His own eowardice is shown in his fear
Of the opinion Of others. For this reason
he will smoke more than he requires or
a stronger tobacco than he likes. When
assured that the cigar cost sixpence, he
will find it good. Within q week of his