Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-19
Where Men
Tobacco
Like Tea

-w~HE world has been smoking tobacco almost 400
years and during put the cultivated weed
hundred strange uses only the mysterious
Matte Crosse the great woods or jungle OF inland Brazil
do drink it.
Mr. Howard Creighor of Richmond Virginia, has just
returned from years tmbercrusng expedition into the
interior of the Matte Crosse where millions Of
board feet of timber grow with the story Of this strange
custom
In the southeast in a region called by explorers
Terra Saguk Dark Lands he upon small native
tribe living the Iotta River.
These people of whom there only a few hundred
themselves the Guerrayu. They served his expedition
guides and pack carriers Nest Matte Crosse
idea OF the value of their services and
generally satisfied with the white gives them
the Guerrayu Their chief insisted fixing rates
with Mr.. creighor before single man lifted a hand.
Although in proportion to what most Brazilian natives
get their these rates high what really
stumped Mr. Creghor was the condition that payment must
be made in tobacco tobacco work Mr. Creighor
500 miles to the north for this tobacco and wait
almost 80 days for IL TO arrive
When the weed appeared every native insisted on
small piece services to be rendered The
tobacco distributed large pots of water set
boil and handcarved wooden cups were brought
Of the huts Each pot contained about four gal
Ions this water handful of tobacco was
dropped this brewing like tea and the natives
dipped their little cups into the steamng amber stuff and
slipped with marked satisfaction None says Mr. Creighor
than three most of them drank onyt"o
and few but one.
These people know that tobacco is smoked pipes be-
Creighor did considerable pipe smoking but the
for this custom They know that to-
bacco grown their territory but the uerrayu look
their chief Ihey prefer
travel hundreds of miles by dugout canoe up the ota
River into the Trapaoz River trading post where
tobacco be bought or bartered.
In exchange for tobacco they want the Guerrayus
bring curious bird feathers go ladies hats the
world over skins OF small monkeys from which are
made various military shakoes dress-capes for EU
ropean American army officers They also bring
with them great baskets filled with strange, redeyed
blackberry from which the Brazilians dsti potent
brandy
Almost az strange as the Guerrayu custom drinking
like the Of it by the Chinese in the late
Eighteenth Century spice. Reduced to powder form
mixed with ginger used on rice roast pork and
in wines Millions followed the fad without enjoyment until
When tobacco first reached England in 1865 put
10 strange all of superstons invented
about H. People believed that smoking would keep one
from growing used to insure male succession
and general Doctors whose patients could
afford pay S37 pound for tobacco sprnked about
rooms 70 tone down fever
During the plague 1664-1665. tobacco chewing became
part Of English life The passing of the plague did
not end and children kept right on
chewing perfect dandy carried silver spittoon
his early Nineteenth Century descendants carried
mouocle
In the l6oos French military surgeons particularly ia
vored liquid of tobacco for washing wounds The
the snuff for colds and they used
tobaccopowdcr on skin erpuons Contemporary records
claim many cures but modern medicine just guns al The
practice
seventeenth Century Scotland passed several laws
against but everywhere people persisted
smoking their overriding churchwarden pipes and women
took snuff on the v preached against the evil
weed bat In private inhaled the fragrant drug with relish
and exhaled smoke up the chimney When Scotsmen
were caught their homes they told the auth
critics 10 wash the pigs and sheep as protection
against insect bites and ticks.
In Holland tobacco was burned as incense Little bags
n fine tobacco the neck 20 ward off nfec
headaches cured by placing bit Of tobacco
napkin and tying u about the head Bad toothaches
stopped tv filling tho cavity with tobacco practice
st many parts Of the world including our own
country.
Because when fired tobacco went mp in smoke Seven
,scr,r century Polish scientist thought ne had solved
problem of er-navgaton, Hc built winged vehicle
hugo prc filled with tobacco that cost him almost
$50 pound. a bellows mado thc pipe emit huge clouds
Of smoke into lhe bot the vehicle refused 20 bulge