The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-31

4 Little Vice Almost Made to Seem
Virtue.


graph.
If Man may, with a respectful wonder
and interest, contemplate and criticise
the vagaries of feminine fashion, Wo-
man has I'm turn claim to note and
comment upon masculine habits Now a
rumor has lately spread in regard to
these which decidedly concerns her. 1t
is reported that the custom of snufftaking
which seemed to have gone almost en-
tireIy out of vogue, is TO be widely and
generally resusctated. Dark stories are
aiioat of large orders received by the
manufacturers and of a marked revival
i'm the demand for snuffboxes and the va
rious appurtenahoes of the habit, includ-
ing, 1t is SAID, rise in the price of Ton
quin beans, so much used for their we'll
known aroma. This seems rather a Sc
rious matter socially. OF course, there
never has been any absolute cessation of
Inc practice Many good and worthy
man, like the late Lord Russell of XII
lowen, was hardly ever seen without a
snuff box in his hand, and any tobaccon-
list will say that snuff has everywhere
a steady if slow. sale. But what will
be thought If the new century really
goes back for young and old alike to the
fashions prevalent in the days of Queen
body who was anybody carried a snuff
pox' and society revolved, politics were
debated, and business transacted with a
phch or snuff foT the center of things?
1t has never been found enough to de-
nounce snufftaking, either upon hygienic
or aesthetic grounds. Those who like
taking snuff will, and do indulge in it.
dlsregarding all protests from that of
King James "counterblast' to such bitter
comments &
moralists. The great Dr. Johnson, when
offered pinch, is said TO have repulsed
IL with the words mo sir; had Almighty
providence created my nose for a dust
bin 1t would have been turned the other
way up" DIR. Abernethy, consulted by
one of his patients as to whether it's use
might injure the brain, sweety replied
Have no sort of fear, dear sir, on such
a score; the man who Is fool enough to
NIL his nostrils with tobacco dust cannot
have an ounce of brains 10 injure" In
Scotland, where the habit has always en-
dured, IL was once so prevalent and pow
erfui that even ministers laundering from
their pulpits could not keep the Highland
shepherds and their wives from passing
around the "sneeshin -InulP' during Di-
vine service. This was usually a curled
sheep' s-horn with 'cairngorm" set in
the lid, and the Scotch folk employed
shifted it from the palm of the hand.
The Kaffir, who is much addicted to the
nabit carries his snuff in little gourd
and takes Ii in immense quantities. wo-
men and men sometimes rubbing it upon
their gums. In the nature of things IL
would appear likely that the constant
use of snuff would clog and eventually
duh the ofactory nerves, but these black
people are said not to suffer either inca
nApitU Sio for
In fact, the snufftaker would lose a con-
siderable element of his pleasure if his
sense of smell We're impaired by it, for
one of the joys of the pinch" is held
to be the delicate doors which accompany
the Utilization of the nostrils
All this is the unromantic and unat-
tractive side of the habit That it once
had graceful, hgh-bred and distinguish
ed aspect cannot possibly be denied. A
world of courtliness, consideration and
quietness of manners clustered and crys-
talized itself round the pretty article,
which was Indispensable and universal.
We must little admire.
Sir Plume, of amber snuffbox Justly vain
And the nice conduct of a clouded cane.
In spite of the wise and surly doctor we
all know that exquisite things were ut
tered when Sir Charles Grandson tapped
the enameled lid of his tortoiseshelL box
and what a relief it must have been for
Sir Joshua, as Goldsmith says:
When they talked of their Raphaels, Cor
reggios, and stuff,
lie shifted his trumpet and only took
snuff
1t was no doubt the snuff box which
helped most to make snuff-taking popu-
lar. The little lovely "tabatiere" be-
came to a man of rank almost all that
fan was to a lady of quality. Artists
of all kinds We'd with each other TO rem
der the snuff box costly, fanciful, and
delicious object. Talk about an amber
box-it was a mere bagatelle to the d.
rlnely beautiful creations which the gold
smiths and jewellers of Anne and of the
Empire put into the happy fingers of
those devoted to the cult. They come
sometimes now in brilliant and dazzling
collections to the London and Paris sales
rooms, raVishing specimens in purple and
blue and green and rose-pink enamel in
pure chased gold studded with precious
gems; in daintily devised shapes of loz-
enge and oval, heart formed. or circular.
miracles of design, with tiny pictures
painted on them as If by fairy draughts-
men, and wonderful ornament of grape
or mask or lire or satin slipper emboss-
ed upon them, with love posies written
in gold.
one need not take snuff to fall in love
with many and many among those
charming works of the Georgian and
versailles times; some are absolutely
triumphs of decorative art, and filter 10
hold bon-bons or pastlles for "A Princess
than TO be the receptacle for powdered
tobacco. Yet, mind you, the wearer of
these fascinating articles carried them
oravely. We do not fiddle with our eye.
glasses. or nibble at our walking sticks.
or Jingle the keys in our pockets, with
anything like the grace adisplayed by
Sir Plume and his contemporaries, when
me lace of their rufIed wrists airily
swept che dust away from the amber or
agate or gilded cover OF their box, as they
waved round and round between their
fingers, with well-taught gestures the
impending pinch making almost a re-
iglous ceremony out of each OCCASION
1t is to be doubted whether the new cen
fury could even IL il tried, renew these
accomplishments of the old day. We lack
so much by way of background 10 the Gus
tom. We should want the bob-wig. the
patches on the face, the peach-colored
coats, the long. deep. damasked waist !
coats, the slken breeches the bucxled
shoes and the sword to bring the snuff |
box in again i'm ali It's pristine glory
Meantime this, II must be remembered |
is not the serious and practical part OF /
the question. 1t possesses a really vast
Importance from the commercial point OF 7
view. Many person who talks lightly /
about snum and snun taking as elements /