New-York tribune., 1922-11-28

said Capt. Peter Fitzurse recently,
: .'ia not only the most beautiful ana
most sensible woman in the world,
but she is also the strongest woman
In the world physically. She Is an
athlete, as q rule; she is able, phys
} ically, to cope with any situation IN
which she may find herself.
"This could not BIO said Of the
American girl Of thirty years age.
And impute the better mental,
nervous and physical condition of
tho American girl of to-day to her
consistent use Of tobacco"
We encouraged Capt. Fitzurse TO
proceed. He would have done 1T,
anyhow.
"All species Of deer native to
America said the Captain, "like
tobacco. They will eat 1T from your
hand If you give it to them. LII cap
tivisy they suffer for the lack OF it.
Animals in their wild state, guided
by what we call instinct, doctor
themselves consistently; and no
doubt it was through watching the
deer minister to themselves with the
benefcent tobacco weed that the
American Indian medicine men
learned of the uses Of this healing
herb.
"At first, probably, the indians
"ha''-nd tobacco. just as the deer
chewed it. They may have chewed
it for thousands Of years before they
began TO smoke 1t.
"Then, one day, as number Of
them were sitting about the embers
Of their camp fire, meditating and
Illuminating. some one threw into the
live Goals 8 quid Of tobacco. It dried,
and then it began to burn. Soon
delicious odor, pungent and aro-
matte, reached the keen nostrils Of
the Indians. Probably for hundreds
Of years after that they burned to-
bacco in quantities in their camp
fires and shifted the smoke before
some inspired genius invented the
first pipe.
"It is not necessary, I hope, to
dwell upon the fact that the Ameri-
can Indian as he was when the
whites settled first on this continent
was one of the hardest and most en-
during specimens Of humanity that
the world has ever known. He kept
his health largely through his use Of
tobacco. He used it tremendously
In his tribal rites. he used it medi-
cinally and he used it for pleasure.
He used so much Of it that it affect
ed the color Of his skin.
"His lungs were cleansed daily,
almost hourly. with che healing pro-
phylactic smoke Of this generous
weed. No germ Of disease could sur
vive the treatment that he gave him
self.
"The white settler took to tobacco
at once. And in the course Of a gem
Grafton or two Of the use Of tobacco
the white pioneer became almost as
hardy as the Indian whom he dis
placed and pushed westward.
"And the pioneers wives and
daughters cook to the weed. There
never has been anywhere at any time
a more splendid srecimen OF woman
hood than the pioneer woman Of
America. She accompsnie her llus-
| band into the wilderness and helped
u - ""~nre~ ~ There was moth
ing that he could do that she could
not do.
"She was kept strong and healthy
because she smoked her husbands
pipe, or a pipe of her own. Her
lungs knew the blessed healing and
strengthening quality of the gener-
Gus nicotine, one Of natures best
gifts to humanity. She could shoot,
ride, fight. work, run, jump and en-
dure with any man. 1t was she,
more than her husband, who built
this country. Her husband frivoled
away lot Of his time hunting and
fishing for pleasure. The wife was
needed to keep him down to realities
and domesticity.
"But rhen the country became
more settled, more prosperous. and
the pioneer days were over, false
estheticism, false sort Of culture,
became the fad among American
women. They laid aside the pipes
OF their mothers and 1raudmothers,
1T became fashionable for them TO
affect certain helplessness and
daintiness which was really foreign
to their natures. But by affecting
it In the course Of a few decades Il
became genuine.
81 can remember very well the
decades during which American
women did not smoke, and during
which they laced too tightly. thought
they were interesting if they pre-
tended to eat little and were pale,
and tainted, or pretended to faint,
at the slightest provocation.
"Tobacco, they thought. was
coarse, or said they thought so.
They thought athletics of all sorts
were unbecomine to women. They
even tried to deny that they had
such things as legs and feet, hid
ing these useful and beautiful
things under the monstrosities
known as hoop skirts.
"But thirty Of FORTY vaars auo