The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1912-09-05

CIGARETTES ARE
BAD FOR WOMEN
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson Has De-
Cided Views on Subject.
A CONFUSION OF NAMES
Wife Of Democratic Candidate Gives
Out Letter Taking Strong Stand on
Smoking Habit.

New York.-For the first time since
Woodrow Wilson became the Demo
cratic presidential candidate has Mrs.
Wilson appeared. She attended in
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.
That Mrs. Wilson wished to have
fully understood was that II she be-
comes the first lady of the land she
will not, as has been said in widely
distributed interview, have packages
of cigarettes in her personal desk at
the White House and indulge in smok-
ing them with her callers.
Through Governor Wilson, Mrs. Will
son asked that publicity be given to
letter she had written to the editor Of
the State Journal at Columbus, O., re-
pudiating an alleged interview with
her in which she defended cigarette
smoking for women. The interview
had come to her in a letter signed
American Citizen" which said:
Dear Madam can scarcely think
of any greater calamity to the young
women Of the nation than to read such
a preachment as your interview offers
them. I am workingman, and see
men lose their Jobs almost every day
because they are incapacitated for
work by the use of the cigarette. If
smoking does this for strong men
what will 1t do for girls and women?"
The Interview" was indeed cor
dial Endorsement of the woman smok-
er. Here are some of its assuring
phrases, all credited to Mrs. Wilson:
"A woman writer for syndicate of
Sunday newspapers asked Mrs. Wood
row Wilson If she agreed with Ger
trude Atherton's opinion of the smok-
ing Of cigarettes by women. She smil-
ingly exhibited three cigarette boxes
piled in the corner OF her desk, all but
empty.
why shouldn't woman smoke If
she enjoys it?" she queried.
"'Why hasn't she just as much right
to cigarette as man? Certainly |
agree with Mrs. Atherton that any
existing prejudice against women
smoking is to the last silly and alb
Burd.
Smoking cigarettes is a question
Of manners, not morals. 1t promotes |
good fellowship.
HtCOVpa xUny,, aV, pool tboA aiu
calms their nerves and helps their
brains into working order. Personally
smoking diffuses my thoughts instead |
of concentrating them. enjoy it as
enjoy afterdinner coffee. Both are
pleasant ways of ending and finishing
off; both add to conviviality and good
fellowship.
The editor Of the Ohio State Jour-
nal, 1t was clear, had been much in
censed at the apologies for the cigar.
cite habit among women attributed to
Mrs. Wilson, 30 he wrote on Aug. 10
an editorial in which he called for the
defeat of Governor Wilson or a repu-
diation from his wife. II there was no
about 1t, he wrote, Mrs.
Woodrow Wilson shouldn't be mis-
tress of the White House"
II the Ohio editor was emphatic,
Mrs. Wilson was certainly not less SO.
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 a
copy of the Journal with your editorial
entitled Smoking Women and l beg
leave to Indignantly deny the state
ment that approve of women smok-
Ing cigarettes. The interview upon
which your editorial was based is a
pure invention. intensely dislike the
cigarette smoking habit for women
IN fact, so strong is my feeling on the