The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1912-08-29
CIGARETTES Are
bADF0n |A|()I.11E'.ll
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson HaS De-
cided Views On Subject.
1 CONFUSION OF NAMES
Wife cf Democratic Candidate Gives
Out Letter Taking Strong stand OH
Smoking Habit.

New Yorh.-For the first time since
Woodrow Wilson became the Demo
cratic presidential candidate has Mrs.
Wilson appeared. She attended il
person her husbands daily conference
with reporters, although heretofore
she has made special requests that she
be not quoted nor written about in the
papers.
What Mrs Wilson wished TO have
fully understood was that il she BE-
comes the first lady Of the land she
will not. as has been saiG i'll widely
distributed interview, have packages
CT cigarettes in her personal desk At
the White House and indulge in Snok-
ing them with her callers.
Through Governor Wilson, Mrs. Viii
son asked that publicity be given TO
letter she had written to the editor Of
the State Journal at Columbus, o.,
repudiating an alleged interview with
her III which she defended cigarette
smoking for women. The interview
nad come to har ia letter signed
"American Citizen" which said:
Dear Madam can scarcely thiGls
Of any greater calamity 10 the young
women Of tae nation than to read suca
a praachG,ent as your interview Offers
tncm am q workingulan, and / see
nen lose their Jobs almost every day
because they are incapacitaled for
work by the use Of the cigarette. II
smoking does this for strong mcn
what viii it Go for girls and women:
The interview" was indeed q cGr-
dial Endorsement Of the woman smok-
err Here are some CT its assuring
phrases, all credited 70 Mrs. WILSON,:
"A woman writer for q syndicate CT
Sunday newspapers asked Mrs Weed
row Wilson if she agreed with Ger.
trude Atherton's opinon Of the smoA.
ing of cigarettes by women She smit-
ingly exhibited three cigarette boxes
piled in the corner Of her desk, all but
empty
"'Nhy shouldn't woman smoke Il
she enjoys it? she queried.
"'Nhy hasn't she Just as much right
to q cigarette as a man Certainly !
agree with Mrs. Athertcn that any
existing prejudice against women
smoking is 10 the last silly and ab.
surd.
Smoking cigarettes is q question
of manners, not morals. It promotes
good Fellowship.
"Some women feel that q cigarette
calms their nerves and helps their
brains into working order Personally
smoking diffuses my thoughts instead
OF concentrating them. | enjoy it as
enjcE after dinner coffee. Both are
Pleasant ways Of ending and finishing
off both add to conEiyiality and sACd
fellowship
The editor Of the Ohio State Journal,
it was clear, had been much incens'd
at the apologies for tfe cigarette habit
among women attributed to Mrs. Will
son, as he wrote on Aug. 10 an edit0.
rial IN which he called for the defeat
OF Governor Wilson or a Reputation
from his wife. If there was no mis-
take about it, he wrote, Mrs. Wood
row Wilson shouldn't be mistress of
the White House"
II the Ohio editor was emphatic
Mrs. Wilson was certainly not less 50.
After the reporters had said they
would gladly publish her letter to the
Ohio editor she asked for an hours
time in which to write one. This was
what she prepared:
Dear Sir-I have just received
COPY of the Journal with your edito-
rial entitled Smoking Women and 1
beg leave to deny Indignantly the
statement that | approve of women
smoking cigarettes. The interview
upon which your editorial was based
is a pure invention. / intensely dis
like the cigarette smoking habit for
won.en-in fact, so strong is my feel
ins On the subject that my real danger
lies in being unjust and unkind in my
Judgment Of these who differ with ne
in this respect.
"But certainly no woman in our
household ever has or ever Viii smoke.
cutie APART from the bad taste Of it,
believe with you that it has an e.
tremeiy injurious effect on the nerves.
ELLEN A. WILSON.
("NIrs. Woodrow Wilson,
Governor Wilson, in approving the
letter sent out by Mrs. Wilson, offered
wna< he thought might prove an ex.
PLANTATION for the interview.
Il do not think it was maliciously
invented" be said. There is rather
well known writer who signs herself
MRS. wilson Woodrow, and she no
doubt has been confused with Mrs.
Wilson"
Mrs. Wilson Woodrow was formerly
married to q relative Of Governor WI
son, and it is understood that her
Vows on the matter OF women vino
smoke are different from those held
~ the household Of the Democratic
oon .IiIatn