Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-10-05
FiPE MiGHTlER THAN CIGAR,
Smoker Passes Through Three De-
grees Before Reaching the
"BIue Lodge

history Will he easily persuaded that
he was 50 dilpttante that he must
have eehewed both pipe and cigar
and adopted the cigarette to encour-
age his familiarity with the weed
which was found in Virginia by Sir
Walter Raleigh
No lover of Byron could picture him
with a great Reina Victoria in his
poetic mouth, nor. as much as Ire
ioved liberty, Greece and Ireland. did
he cherish the dhudeen. even though
II had the blacklist Of coloring and
smelled of the plug tobacco more
pleasurabe than the perfume of the
rose.
He who smokes thinks like a phil
osopher, quoth Byron, and he was
at once made the smokers saint
The veteran smoker smokes pipe.
There is a sliding scale of gradua-
tions for the smoker, and the ratio
of that scale and the rapidity with
which he mounts it and reaches the
point of perfection decide the amount
Of common sense in the Individual
This seems all the more remark
able when an ancient history tells of
Lo. the poor Indian, seeing great
quantities of tobacco growing all
around him. and having tested the
curative properties Of the weed IN
cases Of cuts and bruises in deadly
bites of the poisonous rattler and for
gout and other species Of rheumatism,
he taxed his brain for a sensible
method of proving the merits OF the
philosopher taking tobacco in the line
of narcotic. with the result that
every man in each tribe was subse-
quentlE found digging a hole in the
ground, fling it with tobacco. cover
ing it with earth, save small hole
on top. setting fire to the dried weed
lying upon his stomach with his
mouth at the hole and inhaling the
smoke till he rolled over a Well-done-
up drunken Indian.
They all did it, even the big Indian.
the fairy Indian maiden, the squaW.
who not only treated herself but her
papoose, and the old crOne OF for
tune teller Of the tribe It was the
primitive style both before and after
the flood. for all We know to the CON
trary
We have so far improved upon that
method that we now have three de-
grees through which smokers pass,
three steps of Importance or three
degrees before reaching the blue
lodge" thus called from the color of
the atmosphere surrounding the
smoker.
The working tools" of an M S."
or master smoker, are pipes that suit
his fancy, pound box of ambrosial
tobacco and pipe cleaner. The be-
ginner, who is entered as an "A. S.
Or apprentice smoker, has for a work
ing tool nothing but nasty cigarette.
a poor imitation of a cigar too fee
BILE to increase its proportions and fat
ten out to the healthy size of it's
kingly superior, the cigar.
The working tool of the Fl. S." or
fellow smoker, after he has taken his
second degree, is a cigar, found in
various shapes. sizes and colors, and /
IN quantities as various, from the !
ash cart" and "Rappahannock' /
brands up to the dollar apiece kind. /
that only kings and lawyers may in
dulge III save around freezing time. I
when plumbers may affect them.
The point OF perfection, or pipe /
period, is rarely reached by the /
smoker under year, and in many
cases never. Some men of very
strong stomachs get there within
trying week, by special dispensation, !
and find cause to rejoice that they
have passed two Rubicons with their
lives.
One thing which serves as a deter
rent to operating in the third or "pipe !
degree, is the prejudice in the fe-
male mind against pipe.
This is unjust. Truthfully speak
ing, Sin mouths of smokers entirely
great the is mightier than the cigar"
in every way. 1t is cheaper, more en-
s1oyable, far more cleanly, more
IN Qq lt6fn1 ticfo |