Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-09-20
CIGARETTES ARE
bad FOR WOMEN
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson Has De.
eided Views on Subject.
AN ERROR IN NAMES.
Wife Of Democratic Candidate Gives
Out Letter Taking Strong Stand on
Smoking Habit.

SSsee' teNHi9 oboU9 oIano 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.
What 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 personal desk at
the White House and indulge In smok-
Ing them with her callers.
Through Governor Wilson, Mrs. vii.
son asked that publicity be given to a
letter she had written to the editor Of
the State Journal at Columbus, O.,
regulating an alleged interview with
her In which she defended cigarette
s.Loklng for women. The interview
had come to her in a letter signed
american Citizen" which said:
Dear Madam-I can scarcely think Of
any greater calamity TO the young wom-
en- OF the nation than TO read such a
preachment as your interview offers them.
/ am a workingman, and l see men lose
their jobs almost every day because they
are incapacitated for work by the use Of
the cigarette. II smoking does this for
strong men 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 Of
Sunday newspapers asked Mrs. Wood
row Wilson II 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 a woman smoke IL
she enjoys itY she queried.
"Why hasn't she Just as much right
to cigarette as man? Certainly
agree with Mrs. Anterior that any ex-
listing prejudice against women smok-
ing is to the last silly and absurd.
Smoking cigarettes is a question
Of manners, not morals. It promotes
good fellowship.
Some women feel that a cigarette
Gains their nerves and helps their
brains into working order. Personally
smoking diffuses my thoughts instead
OF concentrating them. | enjoy 1t as l
enjoy after dinner coffee. Both are
pleasant ways Of ending and finishing
of; both add to conviviality and good
fellowship"
The editor of the Ohio State Journal,
1t was clear, had been much incensed
at the apologies for the cigarette habit
among women attributed to Mrs. Will
son, as he wrote on Aug. 10 an edito-
rial In which he called for the defeat
Of Governor Wilson or a reputation
from his wife. II there was no mis-
take about II, 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 so. Aft
er 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 Slr-I have Just received copy Of
the Journal with your editorial entitled
Smoking Women" and I beg leave to In
dignantly deny the statement that l ap-
prove Of women smoking cigarettes. The
interview upon which your editorial was
based is pure invention. l intensely dis
like the cigarette smoking habit for wom-
en-in fact, so strong is my feeling on the
subject that my real danger lies In being
unjust and unkipd in my judgment Of
those who differ with me in this respect.
But certainly no woman in our house,
hold ever has or ever will smoke. Quite
apart from the bad taste Of 1t, believe
with you that It has an extremely injuri-
Gus 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-
PLANTATION for the interview.
II do not think it was maliciously in
vented he said. There Is a 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 a relative Of Governor VIII
son, and It is understood that her views
on the matter Of women who smoke
are different from those held In the
household Of the Democratic candidate.