Except for the matter of brittleness unglazed 

 clay is a most excellent pipe stem. Clay is 

 usually cool and very absorbent of the acrid 

 oils occurring in the distillation of tobacco. 

 When the end of a clay stem is protected by a 

 rubber band, it forms a very good mouthpiece. 

 Bone and other materials are also used as 

 mouthpieces. Ebonite is used, but is objec- 

 tionable because it spoils the flavor of the to- 

 bacco. Celluloid is a dangerous substance and 

 should not be used as a pipe stem. 



The smoker should avoid biting the mouth- 

 piece as it roughens it. It is far better to dis- 

 card a mouthpiece when it becomes indented, 

 rough or worn in any way. A damaged mouth- 

 piece should on no account be used when the 

 lips are chapped or lacerated because the irrita- 

 tion may, if continued, lead to ulceration and 

 tobacco juice is not beneficial to skin lesions. 



SPECIAL PIPES 



German pipes are, as might be expected, the 

 most correct in scientific principle. The pipe 

 has two bowls the upper of which is for the 

 tobacco. This fits into a socket which allows 

 the oils and aqueous solutions due to the dis- 

 tillation to pass into the lower bowl, very little 

 getting into the stem. The bowls are usually 

 of porcelain and the long curved stem is of wood 

 mostly cherry. 



164 



