An interesting discussion on smoking preferences which may, or may not, have
anything to do with Mark Twain, but I'm going to wade in all the same:

>On Sun, 20 Aug 1995, mlarry wrote:
>
>> A cigar is just a cigar(?)--an addictive, smelly route to a death enjoyed
>> by Twain's idol, General Grant, among others.  Sometimes the reality is
>> more horrible than the symbolism.
>
>Addictive? Simple answer -- no, not cigars.
>
>Smelly? Perhaps in MTs case. He was known to prefer stogies to the finer
>products of the cigar rollers are. Beyond that, beauty is in the nose of
>the beholder.

So is smell.  I know a woman who prefers cheap cigar smoke to the $20
Havanas available in my country.

You know, when Freud said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," it wasn't as
tho' he didn't have a personal stake in the discussion.  He was not, as we
would say, a disinterested observer.

>Route to death? Absolutely not. Most studies of smokers that bother to
>include cigar smokers show that cigar smokers actually live on average
>LONGER (and better, I might add) than those who do not smoke anything at
>all. And most insurance companies grant cigar smokers the same rates as
>non-smokers.

Ahh, yes, but cancer of the jaw, which attacked Twain's beloved ex-Prez
Grant and, I might add, Sigmond himself, is a dastardly way to go.