When Worse Than a Woman Who Voted was One Who Smoked

This funny little Wall Street Journal article about attitudes towards women smokers in the early 20th century. I normally would not post, but they reference the rules around smoking at Smith in the early 1900's... plus there are some choice quotes from a NY alderman. Enjoy!

"Several women's colleges banned smoking. At Smith College, students seen smoking, even off campus, received a demerit. Three demerits meant expulsion. Bryn Mawr students were prohibited from smoking within 25 miles of the college except in private homes."

If this had been the rule when we were at school, I think half my house would have been gone in the first week.

This quote has to be the best. Who knew that simply seeing a woman smoke could cause such havoc.

In 1922, a New York alderman, Peter McGuinness, proposed a city ordinance that would prohibit women from smoking in hotels, restaurants or other public places. "Young fellows go into our restaurants to find women folks sucking cigarettes," the alderman argued. "What happens? The young fellows lose all respect for the women, and the next thing you know the young fellows, vampired by these smoking women, desert their homes, their wives and children, rob their employers and even commit murder so that they can get money to lavish on these smoking women."

Sucker for stories about older alums

At Smith I worked for the Alumnae Association, which included being a student representative at a table during volunteer dinners and luncheons. Basically, chat with the old ladies while they ate and talk about life on campus now. Most students tended to gravitate towards the younger alumnae class tables, but I always sought out the oldest classes in attendance. It took only one lunch experience to find out that not only did these wonderful ladies have interesting stories and worldly insight, they were by far the most fun ladies in the room*! So when I saw this news bit come through my email I just had to post it.

Tugboat Lucy gives lessons in boating, fear

HAINES -- For the 400-mile trip down the Inside Passage from Haines to Ketchikan in a 32-foot well-used Nordic tug, my captain wore canvas Carhartt work pants, a T-shirt with "Uff'Da" printed on the front (that's Norwegian for "darn it" and "oh well"), a porkpie hat and a pair of suede sneakers.

She has two pair in case one gets wet, because she doesn't like to wear rubber boots.

"She" is 82-year-old Lucy Harrell. We are heading south to pick up her friend Pat, 78, for their summer ladies-only "ancient mariner" cruise around Prince of Wales Island.

Although she dresses like a hired handyman, Lucy has manners befitting a 1946 graduate of Smith College in Massachusetts.
Read the rest here.

Happy Monday All!
Tiffany

** one of many examples to prove this is
the class of 1933 asked if i would please buy them some whiskey. when i said i was not yet 21, they began to discus whether sending me with a note or calling pretending to be my grandmother would get me past the clerk

Obviously not a math major...

This was posted by a Smithie, class of '07 on the Daily Jolt Alum Forum today:

"...someone who graduated in '99 seems old enough to be my mother..."

....awesome.