The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-08-23
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.

CrhllC pTeSlOenual candidate mas MIS-
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 If 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 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 a
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
preachment as your interview offers
them. | am workingman, and | see
men lose their jobs almost every day
because they are incapacitated for
work BIZ 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 It's assuring
phrases, all credited TO Mrs. Wilson:
"A woman writer for a 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 q woman smoke If
she enjoys it?" she queried.
why hasn't she just as much right
to a cigarette as a man? Certainly /
agree with Mrs. Atherton that any
existing prejudice against women
smoking is 70 the last silly and alb
surd.
Smoking cigarettes is a question
of manners. not morals. 1t promotes
good fellowship.
|"'Come women feel that cigarette
Gains their nerves and helps their
brains into working order. Personally
smoking diffuses my thoughts instead
of concentrating them. l enjoy 1t as /
enjoy after-dinner 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, SO he wrote on I ug. 10
an editorial in which he called for the
defeat Of Governor Wilson or repu-
diation from his wife. If there was no
mistake about it, 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 q
copy OF the Journal with your editorial
entitled Smoking Women and | bee
leave to Indignantly deny tho state
ment that ] approve of women smok
ing cigarettes The interview upon
which your editorial was based is g
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 unkind In my judgmen
of those who differ with me In thi,
respect
But certainly no woman in on
household ever has or ever will smoke
Quite apart from the bad taste OF it.
believe with you that it has an ex
tremely Injurious effect on the nerves
ELLEN A. WILSON.
("Mrs. Woodrow Wilson.~
Governor Wilson, in approving tn
letter sent out by Mrs. Wilson, offere'
what he thought might prove an eA
PLANTATION for the interview.
Il do not think IL was maliciousl
invented" he said. There is rathe
we'll known writer who signs hersel
Mrs. Wilson Woodrow, and she n
doubt has been confused with Mrs
Wilson"
Mrs. Wilson Woodrow was formerl
married TO a relative OF Governor WI
son. and II is understood that he
views On the matter OF women WI
smoke are different from those hel
in the household OF the Democrat
candidate.