Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-06-13
RETURN OF THE sNUFFsox.
Battles Have Beer Fought and Ser
mons Preached Through Aid Of Pow
dered Tobacco

and practiced by all sorts and condi-
tions of men and women. 1t was then
ordained that, In order to take q pinch
in graceful manner, 1t was absolute
| ly necessary to go through a set rit-
ual. Having taken the box In the
right hand, 1t was tapped and opened,
and after 1t had gone the round Of the
company, its owner gathered up the
snuff in the box by striking the side
with the middle and forefingers and
then took pinch with the right hand.
1t was held two or three moments be-
tween the fingers and then carried to
the nose. 1t was then shifted in with
precision by both nostrils. This done,
the box was closed, the performance
concluding with a sneeze and the Wig
orous application Of the handkerchief
to the nose. But that was the proce-
dure on ceremonial occasions-in pri-
vate 1t was taken haphazard, and al
most unconsciously.
THE consumption Of SNUFF at the
gambling table was considerable, as
the players believed 1t cleared their
heads, stimulated their intellects and
| soothed their nerves-attributes that
| accounted largely for it's almost uni
| versal use. Napoleon was a great be-
lever in the virtue Of pinches Of snuff
oft repeated for the same reasons,
though they availed him nothing at
Waterloo, where he is said to have ap-
piled himself necessarily to his snuff
box. Other soldiers, too, have been
| addicted to a pinch amid the roar and
| din of conflict. For instance, during a
| battle In Holland a general implored
| one OF his officers to allow him to dip
into his box. At the very moment
the latter was presenting it he was
carried off by a cannon ball. Not in
the least disconnected, the general
turned to the other side aid said quiet
ly to another officer: Well, sir, then
you must give me a pinch
"A more famous soldier won prob
ably the greatest battle Of modern
times, it is asserted, mainly through
the influence of snuff. All through the
Prussian advance Won Moltke contin-
ually took pinches. When he was told
that MacMahon was marching north
ward he exclaimed, :Mein Gott! surely
he's mad!' and forthwith nearly emp
| tied his snuffbox as he retired to his
| tent to organize the plans which cul-
minated in the tremendous conflict Of
/ No Of hn hn ra-
ceived bill from the military stores,
For one pound of snuff supplied to-
General Won Moltke, one thaler!' The
great soldier paid 1t without q muir
mur.
Had these timely pinches of SNUFF
not been taken Won Moltke might not
have crowned his career with such a
triumphant victory. But be that as IL
may, he would most certainly have
suffered II he had been deprived OF the
great selace of his fayorite sReft.'
Anent the agonies Of snuff takers in
the absence Of snuff one remembers a
story of Dean Ramsey. A severe snow
storm had cut of all communication
in Highland district for some weeks,
and every snuffbox in one village was
exhausted, with no hope Of replenish-
ment. The minister in particular was
so starving for a pinch that study was
out Of the question. At last the bea-
die suddenly rushed off and returned
In few minutes with an exultant cry
of 'Hae!' and resupply box. "Whaour
did you get 1t, John?' asked the min
lister, after a long, deep pinch. I soupit
(swep) the poupit,' replied John. The
minister's continual spillings Of snuff
Sabbath after Sabbath had proved Of
value in the days Of famine.
THAT minister's replenished box
brought much benefit to those who ap-
piled themselves to its contents.
There is, too, on record q tale Of a
pinch of snuff that turned enemies in
to friends. A well-known tobacco and
SNUFF manufacturers son entered one
Of the crack cavalry regiments, to the
great disgust Of the aristocratic gen.
tlemen and officers thereof 1t was
privately decided to make the intru-
der feel that he was not wanted in
| that exclusive unit Of the service, and
a neat plan was formed with that OBJ
| ject. AS soon as the dessert was over,
and the. wine was on the rounds on
the first night he appeafed at mess his
brother officers simultaneously took
out their pocket handkerchiefs, and
then ensued what was more like a
sneezing competition than anything
else. The one for whose benefit this
little hint was intended looked around
moment in mild antonishment be-
fore taking in the import of the dis
play. Then he rose, dignified and calm,
and with the politest air in the world:
Gentlemen he said, taking out sill
yer mounted snuffbox, allow me to Of
fer you a pinch of my fathers very
best snuff From that moment all an
tagonism was at an end.
by the way, some idea of the great
popularity of snuff in the old days may
be formed by the fact that calcula-
tion was once made that the inveterate
snuff taker in 40 years occupied no
less than "a months in taking pinches,
it being computed that one pinch was
taken every 10 minutes. This Is how
the result was arrived at: Every
pinch, with the incidental circum-
stances, consumes II minutes-1a min
utes out of every 10, allowing 16 hours
to SNUFF taking day, amounts to 2
hours and "a minutes out of every ma
tural day, or one day out of 10. One
day out of 10 amounts to S6 days and
a half in a year. Hence, II we sup
pose the practice to be persisted in 40
years, two entire years. Altogether,
although the cult of the snuffbox had
it's pleasing amenities, it does not seem
one whose revival would bring in such
immense popularity as it enjoyed In
the good old times."-London Globe.
F1ntd