The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-05
F-HE shirt waist man Is no more. He
 has been relegated to the dim and

distant past, the cemetery of abandoned styles. and Is not even men toned now in polite society,"" The fad 1t could not be called bona fide style never took well In our southern cities When a society youth donned one of the comfortable affairs he always felt that he was the center of attraction, and the nervous strain made him much warmer in the end than the regulation evening dress would have done Few dared wear the shirt waist at evening functions, and l the shirt waist german was success only 1 because every man knew that the other fellow would be dressed the same way and this strength of numbers gave him confidence.
 In the eastern cities, the shirt waist was for a while very popular. Yet even there it was not altogether in good favor. as was evidenced by a society swell being invited out of a well-known cafe because he had on no coat. Over the land the l jokesmiths got busy and many were the | quips launched against the shirt waist man. It may have been from this cause or it may have been from some other, but anyway the shirt waist led a brief and troubled existence. much more sensible innovation than the Panama hat 1t has never equaled the latter in popular favor and is now passing into oblivion.
 The familiar phrase of burning money'' was never more fittingly illustrated than by some statistics recently compiled showing the amount of tobacco annually consumed by the nations of the world. The greatest smokers are found in Hol- 1 land. The quota per head is nine pounds. But the United States comes next with an annual consumption of seven billions of cigars, ten billions of cigarettes and two hundred and eighty million pounds of manufactured tobacco These figures are staggering and reveal the immense king dom ruled over by King Nicotine. The ! concentrated poison which Is thus ab- sorbed into the veins of American citizens every year would destroy armies of men if it could ali be given to them at ,ne | time.
 | For smoking and chewing tobacco alone, l exclusive of cigars, cigarettes and snuff $500 900 year Is spent.
 Italy and Spain are the greatest con sumers of cigarettes It would be hard to give any figures on the number smoked in these countries during the course of a year. but the people are putting away con- stantly and the statistics would be enor- nous. to say the least. England smokes six billions Japan three billions, and China one and half billion cigarettes every year. Yet, to the philosophc mind there is nothing like the soothing company of the old pipe. To sit and watch the blue clouds float gently upward Is one of the few pleasures permitted unfortunate man and despite the frightful warnings of the medical profession, denunciations from the pulpit. and the nagging of friends and family, the pipe smoker keeps the even tenor of his way moderately, if not ex- cessively, satisfied with life.
 The quaint ceremony of kissing the hand of royalty has been abolished in England. Tn former times, during the reign of Queen Victoria, all women and young girls who were presented to her were required to kiss the hand of the queen. In addition, if the presentee was a recent addition to the nobility from across the sea, or the daughter of a noble, she was saluted lightly on the cheek while delivering her curtsey. Since the accession of King Edward, however, cer- emonial kissing has been done away with | at court. All that is now required of the | person being presented is to make two deep bows. one to King Edward and one to his queen.
 Gradually the customs of the old days are passing away in merry England. The people must still have their nobility, their royalty. and the pageantry, from which these are inseparable but even now 1t is pointed out by men of affairs that England's royal pomp Is pageantry and nothing more. It is true that Edward. be- ing an accomplished man of he world, will be more of power in political af- fairs than was his mother, Queen Vic toria, but at that he cannot be much more than nominal head of the govern ment. unless the present system of poli- ] tics is greatly changed.
 The English people are slow to part with 1 established customs. For this reason they | have clung to royalty with an enduring affection, and 1t will be a long time, and | perhaps never. before the office of king is abolished The government is about as democratic as ours, anyway, and the peo- pie seem we'll satisfied with their present | condition.
 Perhaps some of the hard-pressed gen. tlenen ''rounders" of this country would be glad of an opportunity to soak city, but this Is a pleasure allowed only to the nobility, who in early days traded their little municipalities about with de- lightful informality. In the year 1903 the town of wismar. on the German Baltic