Back in the day....
May 20, 2018 0:26:54 GMT -5
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www.phillytrib.com/lifestyle/back-in-the-day-pipe-smoking-was-social-and-intellectual/article_d716d1b8-87ec-5ac6-9214-bad3ee761230.html
Back in the Day: Pipe smoking was social and intellectual
Alonzo Kittrels May 19, 2018
Back in the Day: Pipe smoking was social and intellectual
Alonzo Kittrels May 19, 2018
Over the past several years, we have seen a concerted effort to curtail, if not eliminate smoking. The Surgeon General’s 1964 report raised the concerns regarding the dangers of smoking, yet people, young and old, male and female, continue to smoke.
According to Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, lung cancer, heart attack, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sudden infant death syndrome are some of the catastrophic results of tobacco use. During my teenage years, many of my friends smoked and some continue to smoke to today, in spite of the warnings. I tried smoking when I was 13; it lasted just a few days as I concluded that it made little sense. Inhaling and blowing smoke from my mouth was silly and resulted in the objectionable smell of smoke in my clothing. Thus, I gave it up and never tried it again.
Like many of you, I observe people leaving their non-smoking offices or other facilities to go outside to smoke. But, the smoking I observe involves cigarettes. How many of you recall when pipe smoking was popular, back in the day?
I made a conscious effort to identify pipe smokers in my travels, as soon as I decided on this focus for today’s column. While many pipe smokers came to mind from the past, I could not find anyone and could not identify anyone that I knew who smoked a pipe today. My memories of pipe smokers go back to the ‘50s and’60s when pipe smoking was very popular. You may have seen pictures, movies or television shows of some notable people smoking pipes. For me, Bing Crosby immediately comes to mind.
Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, a blues musician was known as an avid pipe smoker. It is reported that he often sold his own proprietary blend of pipe tobacco. Albert Einstein was known to be a pipe smoker. Several United States presidents such as Gerald Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover were also avid pipe smokers. Other notables such as Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Hugh Hefner, Burl Ives, Albert King, Douglas MacArthur, Joseph Stalin and Mark Twain were often shown smoking pipes. These were are all men, however, there were a handful of females that smoked pipes in the past.
We must also recognize that fictional characters, Popeye, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus were associated with pipe smoking. In the late ‘70s, a Newark, New Jersey school superintendent, with whom I worked, was the last person with whom I interacted that smoked a pipe.
So, it has been many years since I had a personal relationship with anyone that smoked a pipe. This is quite a difference from my involvement with pipe smokers, back in the day.
During my young adult and college years, there were large numbers of pipe smokers. Interestingly, many of these pipe smokers were of college age. An article by Marcus Jones titled “Why Don’t People Smoke Pipes Any More,” appeared in the June 19, 2014 EA Carey (Europe) Ltd newsletter and provided some insight into pipe smoking back then and its decline today. Jones points out that in the early part of the last century, pipe smoking was the norm. Men viewed their pipes as part of their haberdashery. Tobacconists would design the pipe to complement a gentleman’s face structure and his choice of clothing. Many high-class stores carried pipes as a distinct fashion statement and not just for smoking pleasure.
The 1964 Surgeon General’s report referenced earlier resulted in a boom in pipe smoking as the report claimed that pipe smokers actually lived longer than other smokers.
My generation turned to pipe smoking, not for this claim, but because “brothers” thought that pipe smoking was cool. I make this point based on conversations I have had with friends and colleagues that smoked pipes in the past. To a person, they indicated that they turned to pipe smoking upon entering college because pipe smokers appeared to be intelligence and cool.
Jones’ article makes this same claim. He stated that some college students were saying after becoming involved with pipe smoking, “Now, I am an intellectual college lad.” Jones added, “Oh, how wonderful it must have been for these fraternity brats, clad in cardigan sweaters and bow ties, to stand around the piano with pipes in hand, gleefully singing their schools theme song. While I have no image of any of my friends being in this type of setting, I do have an appropriate and relevant statement related to pipe smoking that comes from a piece I read some time ago which I have paraphrased as follows, “I smoke pipes because it makes me appear to look intelligent even if I cannot recall where I left my automobile keys.”
Now, think back in time to those days when smoking was permissible in bars and clubs. Some of you recall sitting around, having a drink, bonding with your friends, and yes, with a pipe in your mouth. In your mind, smoking a pipe was the ultimate of being cool. But, as most of you realize, this was not yesterday, it was back in the day.
When writing my columns, it is not uncommon for me to turn to relatives, friends and associates to solicit their memories, of the subject, from their past. On some occasions, I conduct internet searches to locate postings on the subject of interest. Such was the case for today’s column.
A colleague and a church member, the son of a pastor, displayed a broad smile when I asked him if he had ever smoked a pipe. While he had not, his smile apparently brought to mind his father whom he described as a big pipe smoker. He shared with me that he and his brothers loved to be around their father when he smoked his pipe as the aroma from the tobacco was very pleasant.
While his memory of his father’s pipe smoking was more than 40 years ago, he quickly identified Captain Black as one of his father’s favorite smoking tobaccos. Another friend’s memories of cigar smoking were also tied to the aroma of the tobacco. It was his view that females loved to be around men that smoked pipes because of the smell of the tobacco. Then there was the friend that considered himself to be a “spediock” someone that is cool, sophisticated and mannerly. He, too, spoke through a big smile about how he and his other spediok friends, all males, would go into his basement, each wearing his favorite smoking jacket and smoked their pipes as they passed the evening away.
Another friend asked how I could forget about my high school classmate who smoked pipes. He was right; he was the epitome of a pipe smoker. This was evidenced by the words he wrote in my yearbook next to his photograph. His words were, “I am an intellectual.” These are words describe the way most pipe smokers saw themselves, back in the day.
Here is an educational moment relative to pipe smoking. You may recall movies and television shows of Native Americans smoking pipes. Well, Native Americans had pipe-smoking traditions before the arrival of Europeans in America. They were used for ceremonial purposes.
Also, according to Alfred Dunhill, Africans had a long tradition of pipe smoking asserting that by 1884, the King of the Baluka tribe of the Congo had established a hemp-smoking cult in place of fetish worship. Extremely large gourd pipes were used. Pipes that used tobacco have a history that spans most of recorded human history.
Also, pipes are made from various materials such as briar, clay, ceramics, corncob, glass, meerschaum, metal, gourd, stone, wood, bog oak and calabash. Pipes were and continue to be made of various sizes depending on what would be placed in the pipe. Because of the long history of pipes and the materials that were used to make them, they have become quite collectible.
I have come across several thoughts regarding the decline in pipe smoking. Some of you former pipe smokers may have abandoned its use because of medical concerns.
Pipe smoking requires thought, dedication and patience for loading the pipe, lighting and tamping to produce a wonderful experience. Many former pipe smokers simply do not have time for this. Others find it much easier to take a quick trip to the convenience store to pick up a pack of cigarettes.
It has been argued that the decline in pipe smoking may be related to its lack of appeal on the part of women. One internet post said that pipe smoking declined as many pipe smokers were purchasing the wrong pipes; those that were cheap and were being filled with inferior tobacco.
I wonder if there will be an increase in pipe smoking with the trend towards the use of medical marijuana
An internet article that I read some years ago offers advice that is relevant for today’s column. It suggested that today’s generation should go out and purchase a pipe and some good tobacco.
While you may lose all of your social network friends, you are likely to improve your image; you might be perceived as having a high IQ. As this article pointed out, you could single-handedly incite a resurgence of pipe smoking, an experience enjoyed by our elders, back in the day.
Alonzo Kittrels can be reached at backintheday@phillytrib.com or The Philadelphia Tribune, Back In The Day, 520 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
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According to Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, lung cancer, heart attack, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sudden infant death syndrome are some of the catastrophic results of tobacco use. During my teenage years, many of my friends smoked and some continue to smoke to today, in spite of the warnings. I tried smoking when I was 13; it lasted just a few days as I concluded that it made little sense. Inhaling and blowing smoke from my mouth was silly and resulted in the objectionable smell of smoke in my clothing. Thus, I gave it up and never tried it again.
Like many of you, I observe people leaving their non-smoking offices or other facilities to go outside to smoke. But, the smoking I observe involves cigarettes. How many of you recall when pipe smoking was popular, back in the day?
I made a conscious effort to identify pipe smokers in my travels, as soon as I decided on this focus for today’s column. While many pipe smokers came to mind from the past, I could not find anyone and could not identify anyone that I knew who smoked a pipe today. My memories of pipe smokers go back to the ‘50s and’60s when pipe smoking was very popular. You may have seen pictures, movies or television shows of some notable people smoking pipes. For me, Bing Crosby immediately comes to mind.
Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, a blues musician was known as an avid pipe smoker. It is reported that he often sold his own proprietary blend of pipe tobacco. Albert Einstein was known to be a pipe smoker. Several United States presidents such as Gerald Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover were also avid pipe smokers. Other notables such as Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Hugh Hefner, Burl Ives, Albert King, Douglas MacArthur, Joseph Stalin and Mark Twain were often shown smoking pipes. These were are all men, however, there were a handful of females that smoked pipes in the past.
We must also recognize that fictional characters, Popeye, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus were associated with pipe smoking. In the late ‘70s, a Newark, New Jersey school superintendent, with whom I worked, was the last person with whom I interacted that smoked a pipe.
So, it has been many years since I had a personal relationship with anyone that smoked a pipe. This is quite a difference from my involvement with pipe smokers, back in the day.
During my young adult and college years, there were large numbers of pipe smokers. Interestingly, many of these pipe smokers were of college age. An article by Marcus Jones titled “Why Don’t People Smoke Pipes Any More,” appeared in the June 19, 2014 EA Carey (Europe) Ltd newsletter and provided some insight into pipe smoking back then and its decline today. Jones points out that in the early part of the last century, pipe smoking was the norm. Men viewed their pipes as part of their haberdashery. Tobacconists would design the pipe to complement a gentleman’s face structure and his choice of clothing. Many high-class stores carried pipes as a distinct fashion statement and not just for smoking pleasure.
The 1964 Surgeon General’s report referenced earlier resulted in a boom in pipe smoking as the report claimed that pipe smokers actually lived longer than other smokers.
My generation turned to pipe smoking, not for this claim, but because “brothers” thought that pipe smoking was cool. I make this point based on conversations I have had with friends and colleagues that smoked pipes in the past. To a person, they indicated that they turned to pipe smoking upon entering college because pipe smokers appeared to be intelligence and cool.
Jones’ article makes this same claim. He stated that some college students were saying after becoming involved with pipe smoking, “Now, I am an intellectual college lad.” Jones added, “Oh, how wonderful it must have been for these fraternity brats, clad in cardigan sweaters and bow ties, to stand around the piano with pipes in hand, gleefully singing their schools theme song. While I have no image of any of my friends being in this type of setting, I do have an appropriate and relevant statement related to pipe smoking that comes from a piece I read some time ago which I have paraphrased as follows, “I smoke pipes because it makes me appear to look intelligent even if I cannot recall where I left my automobile keys.”
Now, think back in time to those days when smoking was permissible in bars and clubs. Some of you recall sitting around, having a drink, bonding with your friends, and yes, with a pipe in your mouth. In your mind, smoking a pipe was the ultimate of being cool. But, as most of you realize, this was not yesterday, it was back in the day.
When writing my columns, it is not uncommon for me to turn to relatives, friends and associates to solicit their memories, of the subject, from their past. On some occasions, I conduct internet searches to locate postings on the subject of interest. Such was the case for today’s column.
A colleague and a church member, the son of a pastor, displayed a broad smile when I asked him if he had ever smoked a pipe. While he had not, his smile apparently brought to mind his father whom he described as a big pipe smoker. He shared with me that he and his brothers loved to be around their father when he smoked his pipe as the aroma from the tobacco was very pleasant.
While his memory of his father’s pipe smoking was more than 40 years ago, he quickly identified Captain Black as one of his father’s favorite smoking tobaccos. Another friend’s memories of cigar smoking were also tied to the aroma of the tobacco. It was his view that females loved to be around men that smoked pipes because of the smell of the tobacco. Then there was the friend that considered himself to be a “spediock” someone that is cool, sophisticated and mannerly. He, too, spoke through a big smile about how he and his other spediok friends, all males, would go into his basement, each wearing his favorite smoking jacket and smoked their pipes as they passed the evening away.
Another friend asked how I could forget about my high school classmate who smoked pipes. He was right; he was the epitome of a pipe smoker. This was evidenced by the words he wrote in my yearbook next to his photograph. His words were, “I am an intellectual.” These are words describe the way most pipe smokers saw themselves, back in the day.
Here is an educational moment relative to pipe smoking. You may recall movies and television shows of Native Americans smoking pipes. Well, Native Americans had pipe-smoking traditions before the arrival of Europeans in America. They were used for ceremonial purposes.
Also, according to Alfred Dunhill, Africans had a long tradition of pipe smoking asserting that by 1884, the King of the Baluka tribe of the Congo had established a hemp-smoking cult in place of fetish worship. Extremely large gourd pipes were used. Pipes that used tobacco have a history that spans most of recorded human history.
Also, pipes are made from various materials such as briar, clay, ceramics, corncob, glass, meerschaum, metal, gourd, stone, wood, bog oak and calabash. Pipes were and continue to be made of various sizes depending on what would be placed in the pipe. Because of the long history of pipes and the materials that were used to make them, they have become quite collectible.
I have come across several thoughts regarding the decline in pipe smoking. Some of you former pipe smokers may have abandoned its use because of medical concerns.
Pipe smoking requires thought, dedication and patience for loading the pipe, lighting and tamping to produce a wonderful experience. Many former pipe smokers simply do not have time for this. Others find it much easier to take a quick trip to the convenience store to pick up a pack of cigarettes.
It has been argued that the decline in pipe smoking may be related to its lack of appeal on the part of women. One internet post said that pipe smoking declined as many pipe smokers were purchasing the wrong pipes; those that were cheap and were being filled with inferior tobacco.
I wonder if there will be an increase in pipe smoking with the trend towards the use of medical marijuana
An internet article that I read some years ago offers advice that is relevant for today’s column. It suggested that today’s generation should go out and purchase a pipe and some good tobacco.
While you may lose all of your social network friends, you are likely to improve your image; you might be perceived as having a high IQ. As this article pointed out, you could single-handedly incite a resurgence of pipe smoking, an experience enjoyed by our elders, back in the day.
Alonzo Kittrels can be reached at backintheday@phillytrib.com or The Philadelphia Tribune, Back In The Day, 520 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
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