Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-09-12
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 thai
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 a widely
distributed interview, have packages
Of cigarettes in her perso..al desk al
the White House and indulge in smok
ing them with her callers.
Through Governor Wilson, Mrs. VIII
son asked that publicity be given to
letter she had written to the editor O.
the State Journal at Columbus, O., re
pudiating an alleged interview will
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 thinl
of any greater calamity to the yount
women of the nation than to read sucl
a preachment as your interview offer!
them. l am a workingman, and l SCI
men lose their Jobs almost every day
because they are incapacitated fol
work by the use Of the cigarette. L
smoking does this for strong mel
what will it do for girls and women?'
The interview" was indeed a cor
dial Endorsement of the woman smok
er. Here are some of its assuring
phrases, all credited to Mrs. Wilson:
"A woman writer for a syndicate o
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 boxe!
piled in the corner of her desk, all bu
empty.
"'Why shouldn't woman smoke 1
she enjoys it?" she queried.
"'Why hasn't she just as much righ
to a cigarette as a man? Certainly
agree with Mrs. Atherton that an!
existing prejudice against wCaer
smoking is to the last silly Y
surd
Smoking cigarettes is a *
of manners, not morals. L pl
good fellowship. w
"'Come women feel that q
Gains their nerves and 81 +
brains into working ordeH
smoking diffuses my thol 81
Of concentrating them. l
enjoy after-dinner coffeel
pleasant ways of ending d
off; both add to convivial
fellowship
The editor of the Ohio
nal, 1t was clear, had bee
censed at the apologies forN
ette habit among women att
Mrs. Wilson, so he wrote OIL
an editorial In which he calle
defeat Of Governor Wilson or
diation from his wife. If there
mistake about 1t. he wrote.
Woodrow Wilson shouldn't bA
tress OF the White House"
II the Ohio editor was en-
Mrs. Wilson was certainly not
After the reporters had sal
would gladly publish her lettsg
Ohio editor she asked for an b
time in which to write one. Thi
what she prepared:
Dear Sir-I have just receN
copy Of the Journal with your edftoria
entitled Smoking Women and beg
leave to Indignantly deny the state
ment that I approve Of women smok
ing cigarettes. The interview upor
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
subject that my real danger lies in be
ing unjust and unlind in my judgment
Of those who differ with me in this
respect.
But certainly no woman in oul
household ever has or ever will smoke
Quite apart from the bad taste Of 1t,
believe with you that 1t has an ex
tremely injurious effect ON the nerves
ELLEN A. WILSON.
("Mrs. Woodrow Wilson,
Governor Wilson, In approving the
letter sent out by Mrs. Wilson, offered
what he thought might prove an ex.
planation for the interview.
Il do not think 1t was maliciously
invented" he said. There Is a rather
we'll known writer who signs herself
Mrs. Wilson Woodrow, and she no
doubt has been confused with Mrs.
Wilson"
Moon democrats in this city are feel
r,na1 rn.t,1f pf