Evening star., 1922-07-09
A Page for Girls: Flappers and Otherwise
Conducted by Helen Fl. Fetter

There are many indoor az we'll -
outdoor sports once monopolizeo oy
men and boys that women ana slris
are now taking up extensiveiy-ln
some cases too extensiveiy-to oo
themselves or anybody else any soou'
Ono of the indoor variety wnicn "o
have especially in mind Is cigarette
smoking. Tho old tradition OF tno
girl, the box Of bonbons and moon
light, is one Of tho prettiest, sweet
est" pictures that many OF the pres
ent generation have in their memory
gallery. The new version OF the GIRL
the cigarette and the parked roadster
Is neither as artistic nor as IN
triguing, There has been no little
trouble in local high schools, as wen
as elsewhere, in keeping fappers from
smoking during and after school. w
course, If she really wants to do IT,
there is no law against girls smok-
ing her head off when she Is on ter
ritory the proprietors of which Will
tolerate 1t. But the point is that, at
heart, so few girls really want TO 90
1t or enjoy the taste of the singing
smoke AS far as being used. In place
of perfume. the cigearette Is certainty
nuch the cheaper odor, but 1t little
fits the girlish. frilly summer frocks'
and 1t certainly gives no individuality
to the girl as a dainty. elusive scent
does. Noted beauties Of history who
were acclaimed far and wide as
charmers of men never smoked In
their moments Of charming. and even
in the sordid vampire movies, which
have Just passed into the discard OF
the public mental trash heap, you
will remember that few of them
smoked until after they had their
man we'll ensnared. They generally
reserved the cigarette and the indlf-
ferent eyebrow for the scene with the
beautiful little deserted ingenue wife:
We found some very interesting
passages in an old history of the
social art of smoking which shows
that the flapper is not the Columbus
of smoking for women tnat she
thinks she is. A minister by the
name of Rev. Giles Moore, rector OF
in his journal and account book OF
1865 of Tobacco for my wife, three
pence" Another seventeenth CEN
tury matron, the second wife Of Isaac
Appleton of Buckman Vail, Norfolk'
in writing to her husband at Grayes
Inn, says: II have done all the to-
bakcre you left NEE; l pray send NEE
sum this weeke; and some angelleco
ceedd and sum cerret sed.' This lady,
couldn't evidently spell any better than
herself your afextinat wife,"
Yet women have, as majority
never liked smoking either for them
selves or their men-folks, because
they have never cared for the door:
Probably no woman who has smoked
has really enjoyed her first cigarette.
but has cultivated penchant for TINS
vice Just as she has cultivated a taste
for olives, and often for the same
reason-to appear congenlal, obllg1ng
and a good sport. 1t is also doubtful
If most boys could frankly say that
they enjoyed their first smoke taken
out in the barn or in the cellar, where
their mothers wouldn't find them out
They doubtless did enjoy, however.
the sensation of doing something
grown men did and doing 1t on the
sly.
Queen Elizabeth did not like smok-
ing. She became so sick after taking
the first few whiffs of a pipe sent
her as a gift that she made her gig
Cling ladies' waiting all smoke. too,
in punishment for their undue levity
at her plight. Also. Queen Victoria
did not care for smoking or approve
1t for ladies. Even the men had TO
fight for place to smoke In in the
early days. and the great Charles
Dickens admitted that he smoked
when by himself Few houses had
smoking rooms and the gentlemen at
a house party had to get as far from
the drawing rooms as possible when
indulging. Historical instances show
that it was quite customary for them
to adjourn to the kitchen or stables
in order to smoke and not offend the
ladies.
A very old copy of Punch Gin 1850
contains a sketch showing a gentle
man of smoking tastes giving little
dinner in the absence of friend wife.
Beside him sits his small son and on
either side of the table are two OF
his comrades indulging in the gentle
art of smoking. A maid who is serv-
ing has an expression of deep dis
gust on her face. The small boy. as
Is the way of small boys, remarks:
'Lor. Pa. are you going to smoke?
My eye, won't you catch it when ma
comes home for making the curtains
smell"'
And nowadays it is the men who
are grumbling because the girls and
women are smoking openly just as
the men do. My, but it's a funny
world, isn't it?