Smoke Scream

Those of us still hooked on cigarettes and bored of being reminded they’re bad for us can take heart. The surgeon general’s warnings clearly haven’t reached Europe yet.

We’re just back from a long stay in Europe, and we’re glad to report that virtually everyone there still happily puffs away. You can still relax in almost any restaurant or pub and enjoy your cigarettes without someone frowning at you like they do here. The bracing smell of second-hand smoke is everywhere.

France, especially, is worth a longer stay. The tangy aroma of the Gauloise can be savored even in their sidewalk cafes. Already a nucleus of a second Lost Generation--this time the cigarette smokers--is forming on the Left Bank, seeking to escape the constant disapproval of health nuts back home.

If you’re a smoker, that’s the place to be. In Paris--as in the rest of Europe--you are still free to do with your lungs as you please!

R. W. de VRIES

Redondo Beach