The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-06-03
OTHER EDITORS
A CORN SILK CIGARETTE
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER
By CARLTON MORRIS
in the Gates County Index

Inc Otuer Jay saw yOuuSStCI
walking along the street putting
away on a king size cigarette and
it occurred to me that kids of the
present day, miss out on a lot of
the fun that we old timers enjoy
ed so much.
Just a few years ago it was con-
sidered a serious thing for a
youngster to smoke. Smoking was
supposedly limited to grown men
and girls just didn't do it-at least
not in public or around their par
ents. But many a youngster would
slip off around the barn and smoke
some of the tobacco that he had
SWITCHED from his dad or cigar
cite butt he had picked up. Despite
all this, smoking by kids was con-
sidered right next to drinking.
In my grammar school days, /
was introduced to smoking by all
the other kids and many a day we
would slip off during school recess
and roll a cigarette out of corn
silk or oak leaves. Very often our
matches would be limited to two
or three and a leaf or silk cigar
cite will not burn unless you puff
on it continually. And if you do
this, then pretty soon your tongue
becomes red hot. So to keep our
smoke going we would build a
small fires with leaves and twigs
and smoke until we had acquired
a dark brown taste that no amount
of water could dispel.
Later on l was almost complete
ly deprived of smoking for all
time. On a Sunday afternoon, a
boyhood pal and l followed along
the road behind group of older
boys and with deep envy admired
them as they puffed away on aye
old Virginny Cheroots.' When
they tossed away the stump ends
of these villainous strong cigars,
we Owed on them like hawks. Then
to be sure no one caught us in the
act, we took them into the woods
and lit up. l remember how we lay
back on a large gum log and | also
remember how a pleasant glow be-
gan to permeate my entire being.
This lasted as my cigar got short
er and shorter and the first l
noticed something was wrong
when the gum long on which l
was ensconced began to ride up
and down much as small boat
will do in heavy sea. / glanced
at my companion and while l
couldn't see him very well, l
thought his face had turned a dark
green. l lay on my big log and
wept and lost my bountiful lunch.
felt sure | was sick unto death.
When my dad learned of my
smoking venture, as he did learn
of all my escapades, he was wise
beyond the capacity of most par
ents. He told me that he did not
want me to smoke, but if I should
find that l wished to do, he would
buy the tobacco for me as he didn't
want me begging others for it. Due
to the confidence he placed in me,
l was % years old before l took
up smoking and then of all things,
I learned to smoke cigars first.
During the depression years,
good cigars sold two for a nickle
and group of my companions and
l, forced by circumstances beyond
our control, to live together, took
up bridge playing and cigar smok-
ing. In a few short weeks, had
accumulated taste for cigar
each evening and soon began to
smoke them daily. A few years
later, l was graduated to a pipe
and have seldom been without one
in my mouth when awake, since
that time.
Once when I was 20, visited
relatives in the big city and was
introduced to an old lady who ina
mediately began to inquire into
my history past and future. She
asked if I drank and I told her l
didn't. Then she asked if 1 smoked.
A relative quickly informed her
that l didn't and that l didn't and
that / didn't even drink coffee.
"Why," exclaimed the old lady,
"you amt worth dern to start
with"
l still say that. man who has
never smoked a corn silk cigarette
missed a great deal in life.
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