Year: 1864

luasd to the prevalence Of dipping and


snufiing as practiced by the women down
here. In travelling by railroad every


one has chances onough 10 see women


smoking. They do il openly, sitting Of


ten, with their chairs tipped back at the


doors Of their houses. The pipes that


these daughters Of the South delight to


patronize are frequently, think gener-


ally. made out of corn cob Whitfield


down; for stems they use canes and


goose, quilts. The custom is not merely


common, it is universal among the lower


classes. | walked from Decator, Ala


bama, to Athens, twelve or fifteen miles,


and during this trip first saw for myself


the apparatus and practice of dipping.


As this is an indoor pastime, the travel


Ter has less chance to see it than its twin


sister smoking. 1t was at McDonald's


station. went into house, large log


cabin, and asked If they would get me


dinner. There were two girls and a few


children in the house. One of the girls


seemed about eighteen years OF age +; the
other about fifteen. But found that
they were each three years younger than
my estimate. They called the woman of
the house the sister of the elder girl
She came in, aud said might dine there
if | would wait, and lay down on bed
in that one of the two rooms that served
for kitchen and dining apartment. / will
not stop to describe either room. 1t is
enough to say that il and everything in it
was chr less and rude and dirty that it
had no cellar or Closets and only thin
floor; and that through both. sides and
floor the wind might enter, and the rain
might enter, even although the King of
England could not enter. The woman
was really sick. She spat blood-and
snuff'y saliva. When she wanted to spit
and this desire she had great many


imes-she slightly raised her lank form
and spat against the sides of the house.
Sometimes she missed il and spat against
the head board of the bed. After my
dinaer-bacon, corn bread and butter
milk-was eaten, the girl who cookedit,
quite pretty young creature, before GO
ing out for some water, went to her sis
ter's bed and tried to slide tin box | saw
under the pillow beneath her apron. /
playfully protested, and asked her if she
dipped snuff. The sweet sisters seemed
TO take ii as matter Of course, and were
rot at all hurt by the insinuation. They
both defended the practce-said it saved
the teeth that all the women in their
country either dipped, or smoked, or
chewed, and sometimes all three.


But do the rich folks do so 2 asked.


'HooL ! said the younger girl, 1 guess
they do--and get drunk at home, too 7


Notwithstanding that broadside, | still
protested againgst young girls indulging
in dipping.


Did you notice that girl that was in
little while since !? asked the recumbent
matrou. She can dip as well as any of
Them


Now the girl referred to was not thir-
teen years of age--a sickly yellow skim
ned child, in the last stages of consump-
ton, disease Of which her father lay
dying. Inquiries since that time have
shown that the woman spoke the truth
that the practices Of dipping, chewing
and smoking are almost universal here
among the women. A gentleman who
had been a music teacher in the "best
society" said that dipping is almost uni
versal among the weather. classes and
hat, although the young ladies practiced
il slyly when in company not tolerant or
familiar with the custom, as soon as they
became tolerably well acquainted with
lin, they openly put their boxes on the
piano, and use d it as they practiced
heir lessons. A northern lady now liv-
ng in Alabama said that many of her
emae visitors kept themselves in con-
tant state of semi-iutoxication with
nuf, whenever they called on her, and
bat if would move the sofas and loun-
les at houses where ladies visited, /
would see evidences enough of the prac-
ice on the floors and walls behind them.
rhe poor whites whom have met in
his state admit, without the least hesi-
alton that all their women dip and smoke
nd chew. Perhaps some Of your read
rs do not know how dipping is done.
| little rag Is tied on the end of stick
bout the size of penholder. The rag
moistened in the mouth of the fair,
ipped in the snuff, and then the teeth or
ums are rubbed with it.


We have great many things to learn
ct before we clock peddlers,' and mud
Ills and greasy mechanics and cur