"ADOLPHUS"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3037, 26 March 1917, Page 3

"ADOLPHUS"

v THE PERPETUAL SMOKER. The happiest tobacco smoker in England has permanent quarters in a West End tobacconist's shop. He smokes all dby without ceasing except to take in his lips a refilled, pipe. He can smoke any mixture, any pipe. He knows nothing of burnt tongue, smoker! s nerves,, smoker's heart) and smoker's vision. He has, indeed, no tongue, nerves, heart, or vision to

worry about—he is eimply a pair of lips for the eternal inhalation of the divine incense. ~ ; .'.' i-.- . . ..-. _■'.-

v The happy smoker is simply.'a , clever, eerie, and rather mirthful invention of his tobacconist owner. All smokers know how unpleasant are the first few smokes of a new pipe, until. it is •'broken in." : The happy, smoker a: a mechanical "breaker-in of- customers' new pipes. He is unassuming and retiring in, appearance, his facial features are merely an electric'switek' and a pair of rubber lips. He is, in fact, only an oxidised plate, about the size of a' door plate, on the wall of ■jhe tobacconists shop "I hate, new pipes," says' a: customer, "That's soon remedied," says the master-toFacconist. Hβ charges the new pipe with tobacco,' hands it to an assistant, says cryptically, "Let Adolphus smoke this pip* three times,"' and. to the. customer, "Come back ; n an hour, please."

"Adolphus" is' worked by a,, piston and bellows, arrangement, driven by electricity. The sight of a plaque in a wall, with a pair of mbber lips, puffing away with apparent gusto at a briar pip, making tho smoker's wheezy inspirations and exhalations of serene enjoyment, is tne funniest and most uncanny of sights. . ' ;: , "■-.... —-y ■■_ j