OCR Text |
Show THE ANCIENTS SMOKED PIPES. (Hnrper's Weekly.) The plpp is not a mo-lorn creation. Some years ago Lieutenant Colonel Dahni, of the Prussian army, while excavating within the walls of the old Roman fort of Alls", near Halfeni. found fragments of ceriain pipes that had been ued by smokers. Some had been artistically made and decorated, nnd all showed the mark "f expert coloring. The p1p-a could not have been used for smoking tobacco, because be-cause tobacco plant was not known In Europe when they w-en fashioned. Possibly the barbarians of that epoch smoked hemp leaves and the heads of poppies. The origin of the pipe is thus very ancient, but the tobacco pipe Is of modern use. Tobacco did not mak-? its way Into general favor until well Into the eighteenth century, People of elegant ele-gant taste, people of higher soela classes, took smuff from handsome snuff boxes, but no one smoked. At the beginning of thf nineteenth century cen-tury no one dard to ennfoss to pipe smoking, although the habit was secretly se-cretly Indulged in by many. At that period, as at present, the cafes fre-rpipntert fre-rpipntert by the aristocracy prescribed the pipe. Toward th end of thf empire Wal-deck Wal-deck Rousseau was exrellod from the Cafe Rlche for smok'ng a pipe In direct di-rect defiance of the ruls of the place. Rousseau carried the cans' to court, 1 but the result was nut made public. ' The pipe was ostracised in Rerlin as well as In Frnnoe The pooplo of Rerun Rer-un have enjoved the right to smrke pipes publicly only within the last el?hty years. On May 2. 1SS2. the king of Prussia signed a decree permitting per-mitting the Inhabitants of R--rl!n to smoke pipes in the streets a m d In the Thlergarten. Vnfll then their u-e !n public was forbl-bVn. "out of rccard for public propriety." and the delinquent delin-quent who was caught, pip hi moith. In any place outside his own home or the house of a friend, was punished bv a fine of 2 thalers; If Treated the offense was expiated by a term In prls-. on. The old Kaiser Wilhe'm whose cigars were specially made for him In Havana, smoked nothing but a pipe when on his hunting trips The emperor's em-peror's pipe was guarded by an Im- ! portant functionary. It wn a fine piece of workmanship, due to the skill of a turner who worked from a pattern sketched by the kaiser's own hands, In the center of the mer-schanm mer-schanm head of the pipe stood a black j grouse of chiseled silver, perched (wings pprend on a boutrh. On the ' stem of the pire was n W formed j from brilliant nebMe found in (lie ; craws of grouse. Th knisr-r stuff. , ed his pipe with tolnecn mlved with I the wet leaves "f certnln trf,es unfed unf-ed for their odors The p'ro cave ' out ?reat clouds of frngrmt smoke. nn ripe that will not figure In ary collection Is the pine that nsd to be smoked by the shoh of Persln, who ; lost his throne recently. It dero-nd-; ed to Its present owner from bis father, fath-er, who reccived.lt from his brother. I This ernamentol object Is set wU'i dla-' dla-' mond and rubies valued at anprrxf-nisteh- SGOO.OoO. When the shah w.n not using it the pipe was guarded bv onp of the court officials whorp task It ,vhs to wntch If nltht nnd day, ince a grand vher was caught when he was as he supposed alone, making a tempts to eick out sie of the jewel jew-el with the fine point of his poniard. I Of, |