The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1907-09-12
THE CIGARETTE HABIT.
Is BECOMING MORE POPULAR
AMONG CHICAGO WOMEN.
Smoking Outfits for Ladies' In Depart
ment Stores an indication of
Practice-Some Shops
Cater to Sex.


Chicago.-The cigarette habit Is
growing in popularity among Chicago
women. This Is vouched for by the to-
bacco dealers, the beauty doctors, the
hairdressers and by certain physi.
clans. The tobacco dealers, who ought
to know, say they did not realize, un-
til few weeks ago, the extent to
which the cigarette craze had spread
among women. How they did learn 1t
was through the scare that was caused
by the announcement that after GER
tain date cigarettes could not be sold
legally in Illinois.
Shortly after the newspapers print.
ed accounts of the cigarettes obituary
the tobacco dealers say they were
flooded with telephone calls from
women, all OF whom wanted to know
how much truth there was In the re-
port that the new law was to become
effective. OF course none of the won.
en- who called up would give their
names or addresses, but the fact that
they called convinced the dealers that
some of the cigarettes that had gone
out over their counters had not been
smoked by the men who took them
away. The dealers say that compare
lively few women purchase their own
cigarettes.
The beauty doctors learn of the ci.
garette habit as 1t applies to women
by the presence of the odor on their
customers breaths when they visit
the beauty shops. Most of the women
smokers indulge the habit at night,
the beauty doctors say, so that all
traces of the weed may be removed
from their breath before the following
| evening. Some of the beauty shops
/ have operators whose duty 1t is to re-
move cigarette stains from the fingers
Of their patrons.
That women smoke cigarettes to NO
small extent is proven by the presence
on the counters of the department
stores of complete cigarette smoking
outfits. There are dainty little hand
painted ash trays and match boxes
silver scissors and holders, the latter
designed to prevent the fingers of the
smokers from becoming stained. Also
there are cigarette boxes made espe
cially to hold the small, tightly rolled
Mexican cigarettes, which are the
kind used largely by women. In one
of the State street stores the young
woman behind the counter in which
these things were displayed said tina
business seldom was dull in her de
partment.
The physicians of Chicago rapid,
are learning that women smoke cigar
cites to to an extent that Is none tot
good for their health Some of thos'
women vino have called in physician
to treat them for certain nervous NAL
aides have been indignant when tn
same physician ordered them to Civ
up cigarettes. Always they deny tha
they have used tobacco in any form
but the doctors say that excessiv
cigarette smoking never fails to leay
its peculiar effect on the heart action
and that they seldom are deceived b
those who try to make them believ
they never smoke.
Over on the west side are sewers
small cigarette shops which cate
especially to women. The brand {
coffin nails" made by them differ
materially from those smoked by mel
They are longer and not so thick. O
one end is mouthpiece Of hardene
paper to prevent the tobacco frol
coming in actual contact with the lip
None of the downtown dealers coul
estimate, in figures, the extent of tn
habit. They all agreed that most {
the feminine smokers were women I
the fashionable world and that tf
passion for cigarettes is on the Il
crease. Because the cigarettes CO.
sumed by the women seldom al
bought directly by them there is I
y way of telling, the dealers say, ju
how many women are taken with Il
habit.