Omaha daily bee., 1916-01-05
The Bees Home Magazine page
BY ANITA STEWART.
,pyriFht. iel5 lnterl News Service.

Copyright. 1915 Interl News Service.
''Have cigarette Anitae What You
don't smoke? Oh. you poor little day
before yesterday girl"
That's whct lots Of my friends Say to
me- and they are nice girls. too. Some
times ! think they are tho hest girls IN
the world because they have come un-
scathed through all the fire ~ tempts-
ton that tho devil himself lights around
the feet Of pretty poor girl In hig
city.
But so many OF them use cigarettes,
and they tell me that don't know what
I'm missing when I don't Join them In
a smoke or two after trying mornings
work In the studio,
"Oh. yes. l do know what I'm missing
In not smoking cigarettes" l say to
them. Il am missing bad case OF
nerves" And that. II seems to me, Ia
the real answer to the question OF why
women shouldn't smoke.
We women are jumpy enough anyway
We are nothing hut bundles OF nerves,
and why we should add TO our over sup
ply by cultivating the cigarette habit,
have never been able TO understand. II
husky and phlegmatic men find that
cigarettes are coffin nails. their effect
Is even more deadly on a delicate, high
strung girl.
Aside, however. from the physical ef-
fects OF cigarettes. l am personally fas-
tidious, and II revolts me to smell girls
breath reeking OF tobacco, and see her
fingers stained with nicotine II were
a man, l shouldn't like to kiss that kind
of lips, nor hold that kind of hand.
| never smoke cigarettes, and I never
touch liquor in any form. not even
cocktail or a glass of champagne at
dinner. although at times Il Is embaras-
sing to refuse.
But it seems 70 me that the water
route is the only safe route for a girl
to travel. for young as l am. I have al
ready noticed that nearly every woman
I who makes a wreck OF her life runs her
craft aground when she IL befuddled with
liquor.
Everybody knows this, and that's what
makes them suspicious OF the girl who
drinks at all. and that's why you hear
men say-and they say II with reverence
when they are discussing a girl. "Oh'
! she's all right Straight as string.
/ Never touches anything but water"
! lust as they'll say with leer of another
girl. Fond OF the drink. That kind you
know"
OF course this Judgment Ia often very
unjust. girl who takes a drink with
men may never drink too much. But she
is always in danger, whereas the girl
who doesn't drink at all is perfectly
| safe so why run the risk9
More than that, there's a lot In avoid
ing the appearance OF evil. We girls are
emotional creatures. easily excited, and
just the thrill of dining In a gay res
taurant. with the music, and the lights,
and the flowers. and all the beautifully
dressed women coming IN, runs through
cur veins like wine. and brings a flush
! TO our cheeks and a sparkle to our eyes,
/ and keys our voices up to concert pitch.
We may not have had a single drop
Of liquor to drink, but II there are q lot
of wine glasses ut our plates. and II we
have taken even a sip OF champagne, thu
chances are that every one about us will
think that we are intoxicated.
! Driak ruins a woman's looks quicker
than anything else in the world. II dina
! her eyes, II washes out the roses In her
cheeks, Il puts fat on her figure. II puts
! folly In her heart, and makes her do the
things that she would give her life TO
undo. 1t Is a curse to men. but II is a
| curse and ruination to women. and that's
why urge all girls to Join me on the
water wagon.