Pipes 



155 



house. But a whole book would be required to 

 deal adequately with the curious decorated pipes of 

 France, Germany, and Holland, 



In Latin countries, as we have already pointed 

 out, the pipe is the exception rather than the rule. 

 The monopoly of the Cuban and Manila tobacco 

 crops until recently possessed by Spain accounts for 

 the absence of the pipe from the Peninsula. The 

 apology for tobacco supplied by the Regies of France 

 and Italy suffices in a cigarette, but is impossible in 

 a pipe, though the effervescent, gay papelitos suits 

 the lively Latin temperament more than the stolid, 

 philosophical pipe. 



Smoking has been defined as the medium through 

 which the German introduces the external air into 

 his lungs. Tom Hood declared he should be afraid 

 to trust a sentimental Prussian to himself without 

 a pipe and tobacco. No nation has experimented 

 more in pipes than have the Germans, The pipe 

 at which they have arrived consists of four parts — 

 the kopf, to hold the tobacco ; the abguss, or reser- 

 voir, to catch the nicotine secretions ; the stem, and 

 the mouthpiece. The reservoir is an absolute neces- 

 sity, as the china bowl is impervious to the oils 

 distilled by smoking. The German, with a charac- 

 teristic carefulness English smokers might well copy, 

 regularly cleans his pipes. Most of the pipes hold 

 from an ounce to a quarter of a pound of the weak, 

 hay-like tobacco. The long bowl is decorated with 

 a carving or gaudy picture ; wealthy smokers lavish 

 gold and gems upon its embellishment, frequently to 

 the value of ;£'ioo. In no way does the German 



