New-York tribune., 1915-12-25
BOOKS AND UTHORS
TOBACCO IN WAR AND
PEACE
4 Social History of Smoking
with Literary Sidelights


sees something pathetic in recent let
ter in that papers columns from the
Bishop Of Hereford inviting smokers
n this time OF stress 70 give up tobacco.
The Bishop suggests blsndly that it can
hardly be counted as a necessary OF
ife. Will he tell that 20 British soldiers
in the trenches. who seem 20 fnd It as
necessary as "quinine or any other
medicine" 70 which the Bishop is re-
signed? It was really superhuous OF
the Bishop 20 add that he has no per-
eonal experience Of tobacco. II he had.
he would know that il is not thing
which can be given up for the asking.
strict moderation in its present use is
another matter; but II The Bishop had
been content 70 enjoin that, he would,
we may devoutly hope, have been
preaching TO the converted. You need
only dip into Mr.. Apperson's book 70
find the intimate connection between
war and tobacco. He cites note OF
Croker's in 1881 to the effect that the
taste for smoking has revived, prob
ably from the military habits OF Eu-
rope during the French wars" Cigars
became fashionable after the Peninsu-
lar, cigarettes after the Egyptian cam
paign. II there is anything In prec-
edents, smokers may anticipate some
new boon from the present military
habits Of Europe. What about the
narghile?
Smoking evidently goes by armies
rather than commanders. Cromwell Is
said TO have taken an occasional pipe,
when considering the offer of the
crown. Thus tobacco settled the whole
course Of English history. General
Monk, we regret 10 say, chewed. As
Uncle Toby smoked II seems clear that
Marlborough did. But the Duke OF
Wellington was as "werry fierce" about
tobacco as the doctor in "Pickwick"
about crumpets, and issued General
Order (No. 577) against mess-room
smoking in the early 'forties.
For hard smoking the Church seems
to run a good second TO the army. The
brave list ranges from Parson Adams TO
Dean Hole. A certain Vicar of Kew
kept cigars under the pulpit, where, he
said, the temperature was exactly right.
The late Bishop Creighton was great
smoker, as Herbert Paul records and
those can guess who have read Tho
Notebook of Samuel Butler" Butler
(who had constitutional antipathy TO
bishops) hesitated over note OF In
vitation from Creighton. II see, sir"
said his clerk, "there is crumb OF
l. = "a ;aL On
Thackeray "did not despair to see a
bishop lolling out of the Athensum
with a cheroot in his mouth, or, at any
rate, a pipe stuck in his shovel hat"
II no one has yet seen this, Mr.. Apper-
son with his own eyes has seen the
next best thing; the late F. 7. Palgrave
smoking short clay pipe on one OF
the cane benches by the Athenaum
door. This must have been some time
after Or. Hawtree, on behalf OF the
club committee, announced that mo
gentleman smoked" Even at the Gar
rick Club" says Mr.. Apperson, pipes
were not considered gentlemsnly at the
beginning Of the present century. lie
would find a change II he were to visit
the Garrick now; but perhaps, after the
"even," it is safer to keep away.
And that is already one OF the
changes Of tho war; it is displacing
the cigar by the pipe. Who now dsres
call a pipe vulgar? In Victorian times
il was the black mark of the Bohemian.
Mr.. Apperson refers to Tom Stylus in
Robertson's Society" (1s65). who az
ter dropping his pipe In the ballroom,
was ashamed 70 claim IL. But let us
render unto Cesar Robertson stole
his incident from Act " of Augier's
"Efrontes" (1s6D. Even in dark
est days of the pipe the universities
seem to have preserved the sacred ira
dition, as they did with port in like
circumstances. "VitaY lsmpsda ira
dunt." From Milton through Newton
and Gray to Tennyson is not a bad
record for Cambridge; Addison and
Tom Warton were, like Mr.. Foker, of
"the other shop" It might have been
better for Swift II he had smoked. in
stead of sending tobacco TO Mrs. Ding
ley to be grated into snuff. Quakers
took naturally to the pipe Of peace.
Mr.. Apperson has a pleasant story OF
George Fox, who did not smoke, but
was once offered pipe in derision by
an impudent youth. 81 lookt upon him
to bee forwarde bolde lad" says
Fox, "end tobacco did not takei butt
saw hee had flashy empty notion
Of religion: soc | took his pipe and
putt it to my mouth and gave IL to
him again TO st5ppe him lest his rude
tongue should say had not unity with
ye creation" In this sense of "unity
with ye creation" lies a whole philoso-
ply Of tobacco. The Bishop of Here
ford should ponder il.
Perhaps, next 70 war, literature has
done most for tobacco. Mr.. Apperson
calls his book social history, and so
il is, but il is compendium of Eng
lish literature as well. All the freside
authors, the Waltons, the Lambs, were
smokers. When Parr asked Lamb how
he could smoke so much and so fast, the
answer was: 81 toiled after it, sir, as
some men toll after virtue" The non-
smokers, the Swifts, the Horace Val
poles, the Macaulays, will all be found
10 have some literary kink in them. and
their works are condemned to be school
prizes. Johnson, it may be urged, up
sets this dichotomy. True, he diI no
smoke, but he had kindly and ensiblc
word for the habit. Hawkins heard him
say that insanity had grown more FIRE.
quent since smoking had gone out Of
fashion. That should give us pause to
day. Mr.. Apperson's agreeable little
book will help US out Of Bedlam and in