The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-03-09

WASHINGTON, D. c., March =.
What may prove to be the first battle
in the war against the use of tobacco
in the United States--paTticularly as
applied to women-has just been Waged
here in the newly organized Women
City club.
More than 1000 representative women
of the national capital belong TO TINS
club, the membership list including
wives of cabinet members, women OF
congressional circles, and promlnSlt
professional and society women. the
! club is housed in q beautiful residence
| overlooking Lafayette square, just
across from the White House, AT one
time during repairs on the executive
mansion the present club was the tenn
poary home of former President Roose-
welt and his family.
Immediately upon the opening OF the
clubhouse in. November pressure was
brought to bear upon the board OF a.
rectors for permission, not only for the
masculine guests of the club to smoke,
hut for the members themselves to en-
ioy this privilege. 1t was suggested
that IA smoking room be furnished
where members of the club ana their
feminine friends could lndulge them-
selves with puff at their faVorite rag;
In response to the demand the board
gave directions for the furnishing of
suitable quarters for the smokers,
designating a large front room on the
third floor as the prospective smoking
room The furnishings were purchased
and a notice posted on the club bulletin
board to the effect that in accordance
with the wishes of the members the
smoking room would be opened WITHIN
short time The notice was observed
by members who gasped and exclaimed
and then the battle was on
Outrage GUS" declared Mrs. Emma
. ChaIton president Of the District OF
| Coluntbia Womens Christian Temper
| ance Union. II am simply amazed that
/ they even contemplate such thing. l
, shall certainly oppose the move
| IT'S unwomaniy, declared M[s,
| Court f. Wood. former president. of the
! District of Columbia Federation OF
| Women's Clubs. Smoking is to be
! recommended neither for its cleanli-
ness nor it's thriftiness, | am sure the
majority of the members will oppose
! it, $500
81 believe in letting women do as
| they please" was the retort of the
/ o, position, voiced by Mrs. Nina G.. Van
| Wrinkle head of the woman's bureau,
of the District of Columbia police de-
partment and prominent in social work
/ among women, IF they want to smoke,
let EN-, | do not, but 1t is because l
/ don't like to do it,
IF this club is going to be either
! kindergarten or a Sunday school, |
shall send in my resignation declared
other members, who were deVotecs OF
/ the weed
For two months the argument be-
tween the opposing factions waXed hot
and furious, until the harried board of
directors decided to put the matter to
! A vote. setting an early date in jan
| uary for the decision. This meeting
was we'll attended. Friends and enc
| mics of My Lady Nicotine turned out
! i'm fun force There were so many ar
guments pro and con that final de-
| cisiOn was postponed until another
! meeting in February.
At the February meeting the smok-
! trs' won, and the board of directors
| were instructed to complete the prepa-
ration for the smoking room. But de-
spite the settlement of the dispute in
favor of the smokers. the other side
declared the war was not over. Mrs,
Theodore Moore, vice president of the
w. c. r. IT,. limited that the matter
might eliminate in nation wide cam
paign on the part of her organization
TO abolish the cigarette. The time is
not ripe as yet" she said ominously,
but
Possibly this incident will precipitate
the long threatened fight to-the"t lnisf
between the antitobacco forces of the
country and the tobacco interests
Alarmed by the reports Of the growth
Of the habit among young girls, the
Methodist Episcopal Board of Temper
auce has already fired the opening shot
particularly stressing the injurious eff
fects of the habit on the health OF
women. They deplore the habit as a
phase of the present day feminisn'
that claims for women every privilege
enjoyed by men. Concerning the JUS
tiCe Of this demand there can be nj
question. Concerning Its eXpediency
much can be said"
Women AS rule. they claim, OWNS
to their more sedentary life, yield tc
the habit with far greater abandon
than men, and the woman who enjoys
her cigaret can hardly endure being
separated from ii for any length OF
time.
/ The question of smoking in The
, Woman'S City club Is brought into tho
| Argument These women, they point
cut, were accus toned to smoking In
their own homes. and could not spend
, even a few hours away from that homt
without their tooacCo, while a man
even "A regular smoker. can and fire.
, quently does, go for hours without ever
: touching tobacco of any kind.
The nervous constitution of won
an" they argue, can be compared (
E that of an adolescent boy, and the eff
tects of tobacco upon her Is similar IL
9 It's effects on immature youth
i The most serious factor however, Il
} the innate physical difference between