Evening star., 1913-03-02
BY B. R. WINSLOW

are frequently washed out of the beach and
are found floating on the Black Sea; hence
the name meerschaum, or sea foam.
Meerschaum is mined in various parts of
Asia Minor, and most of it is shipped to
Vienna, the center of the meerSChaum pipe
industry. The cheaper grades of pipes are
turned out by machinery, while the more
expensive are carved by hand. All classes
are boiled in spermaceti and polished with
chalk or bone ash.
The Missouri meerschaum is a mere
sham on the genuine article; but from the
point of WhOleSOneneSS 1T Is held superior to
the real meerschaum. The hygienic standard
by which pipes are Judged is their quality of
absorbing the nicotine. or more scientific
ally, the empyreumatic oil, that is pro-
duced by the burning tobacco. The Mis-
souri meerschaum," or corncob pipe, fixes
the standard by which all other pipe sub
stances are reckoned. 1t is dry and spongv
and takes up the oil as fast as it is formed
therefore it stands at the head of the class of
pipe making materials. The old-fashioned
clay pipe stands second; with the real meer-
schaum close third. Pipes of wood stand
fourth and porcelain and metallic pipes
bring up the rear The absorptive quail
: ties of pipe materials also govern the tenn
perature of the smoke. The greater the alb
sorptlve quality, the cooler the smoke.
The tavOrlte pipe material with Germans
is porcelain, in which the absorptive quality
is practically absent To smoke such a bowl
with a short stem would not only blister the
tongue, but would also singe hair and eye
lashes. The long stem is necessary to keep
the bowl at a safe distance and to cool the
smoke. The Kobf, or bowl, of many of the
German porcelain pipes, which holds a large
quantity of tobacco, is fitted with a smaller
10 t1nI IL IL.
This minor bowl is to make up for the lack
of absorptive material. The oil collects here
instead of being absorbed by the pipe bowl
THE French briar" is of course the pipe
OF fashion in America. The corncob,
which was sufficiently stylish for the tastes
of General Jackson, has been ousted by its
foreign rival, and is now seen only among
the meek and lowly and now and then in the
mouth of one of those reckless, independent
individuals who are not afraid to be out of
style; while the clays, once so popular among
smokers, have become, in this country at
least, but soapbubble blowers for children.
In selecting his "briar, the smoker usu-
ally exercises his own judgment; but there
are one or two points that guide wise smok-
ers. In point of absorptive quality a bowl
with smooth, even grain is better than one
with a twisted, knotty grain, and bowl
that is perfectly smooth inside will form a
better crust than one in which little points
of wood are found sticking out of the sides
The crust that forms on the inside of the
bowl as the pipe grows old increases the abb
sorptive quality of the pipe, and conse-
quently furnishes a sweeter smoke.
A detailed description of all the different
kinds of pipes and the various methods of
smoking would require the pages of sizable
volume for there is pipe or two for every
nation in the civilized world and one for
every tribe among the savage nations.
There are the wedding pipes of Holland
the bone pipes of the African west coast, the
iron pipes of Dahomey, the ivory pipes of
Central Africa, and the banana leaf pipes
found in the depths of Africa. There are the
carved wood pipes of Zanzibar, the soap
stone pipes of the South African bushmen,
the red clay pipes of Turkey with stems
so long the smoker can't light his own,
the hooka or water pipe of India and Tur-
key, and the cocoanut narghile of Indore
province. There are the jade and gourd
pipes of Yarkand and Bokhara, the bamboo
pipes of Assam, the opium pipes of China,
and the minute bowls of Japan, the pipes
with stems made of the foot of an emu,
found in Australia, the shell pipes of the