Year: 1879

There is one violation of decency which
is recent and gross, and might be well
cited as a striking illustration of the de-
cay of manners. 1t is the practice OF
smoking in the society of ladies in public
places, whether driving, or walking, or
sailing, or sitting. There are prcuz chez
alters who would be honestly amazed II
they were told they did not behave like
gentlemen, who, sitting with lady on
hotel piazza, or strolling on public park,
whip ont cigarette, light it, and pun as
TRANQUILITY as if they were alone in their
rooms. Or young man comes alone upon
the deck of steamer. where throngs OF
ladies are sitting. and blows clouds OF
tobacco smoke in their faces, without even
remarking that tobacco is disagreeable to
some people. This is not, indeed. one
of the seven deadly sins, but a man who
unconcernedly sings false betrays that ne
has no ear for music, and the man who
smokes in this way shows that he IS not
quite gentleman.


But some ladies smoke? Yes, and some
ladies drink liquor Does that mend the
matter? The Easy Chair has seen a lady
at the head of her own table smoking
fine cigar. You will see a great many
highly-dressed women in Paris smoking
cigarettes. Does all this change the stu
alton Does this make it more gentle
manly to smoke with a lady beside you III
a carriage, or upon bench on the piazza!
But some ladies like the odOr of cigar!
Not many; and the taste of those who sin
cerely do so cannot Justify the habit Of
promiscuous putting in their presence.
The Easy Chair is no King James, and is
more likely to issue blasts Of tobacco than
blasts against it. But King James be-
longed to very selfish sex-a sex which
seems often to suppose that its indulgen-
cies and habits are to be tenderly toll
Grated, for no other reason than that they
are its habits Therefore the young wo-
man must defend herself by showing
plainly that she prohibits the intrusion OF
which, if suffered, she is really the victim.


In other times the Easy Chair has seen
the lovely Laura Matilda unwilling to re-
fuse to dance with the partner who had
bespoken her hand for the German, al
though when he presented himself he was
plainly flown with wine. The Easy Chair
has seen the hapless, foolish maid en-
circled by those Bacchic arms, and then a
headlong whirl and dash down the room,
ending in the promiscuous overthrow and
downfall of maid, Bacchus, and musicians.
If in the Grandisonian day the morals
were wanting, it was something to have
the manners. They were at least to the
imagination a memory and prophecy
They recalled the idylic age when fine
manners expressed fine feelings. and
they foretold the return of Astraa to her
ancient haunts. Here is young Adonis
dreaming of four-in-hand and yacht.
like any other gentleman. Let us hope
that he knows the test of the gentleman
not to be the ownership of blood-horses
and a unique drag, but perfect courtesy
founded upon fine human feeling-that
rare and indescribable gentleness and con-
sideration which rests upon manner as
lightly as the bloom upon a fruit. 1t may
be initiated as gold and diamonds are
But no counterfeit can harm it; and,
Adonis, it is incompatible with smoking
in ladys face, even if she acquiesce.-
Editors Easy char, IN Hmper's Maqa-
zine for September.