ative labor.

Before following the tobacco furher, let us look at the remaining
portion of the cigarette, the wrapper. The original envelope for the
tobacco was doubtless composed of leaves, the followers of Columbus
carrying back to Spain accounts of the strange custom existing among
the natives of San Salvador, the smoking of tobacco wrapped in the
leaves of the palm, which was doubtless the primitive cigarette. In
France to this day new straws are much used, but generally paper has
become the popular envelope. This paper must be specially manufactured.
Most of it comes from Barcelona, where the making of cigarette paper
constitutes an important industry. All of that used at the "Honoradez"
factory, after inspection, is carefully stamped with the name "Susini."
By unrolling any of this brand of cigarettes this mark can be readily
seen, and serves as the readiest means of detecting counterfeits. A
portion of the paper is sprinkled with various preparations to give to
it the flavor of tea, licorice, or such other taste as may suit certain
consumers. This explains the variation in the color of the wrapper,
which is sometimes straw-color, sometimes brown, but more usually
white, the latter color distinguishing the paper which has not been
artificially flavored. In the cutting machine the paper is rapidly
converted into the proper size for envelopes, while another machine
close at hand is turning out little bits of pasteboard for such of the
cigarettes as are to be made with a mouthpiece.

Both tobacco and paper are now ready to be given out to the "rollers."
Let us go down and watch them as they come pouring in. Both sexes and
all ages have representations here. Each one awaits his turn, and then
receives, after it has been carefully weighed, his or her allowance of
tobacco, some five thousand papers, and a large wooden hoop. The hoop
serves as a rude but very accurate gauge, its circumference being of
such a size as to properly encompass five thousand cigarettes of such
size as will contain the entire amount of tobacco issued. A slight
excess of both tobacco and paper, say sufficient to make forty or fifty
cigarettes, is usually given, intended for the personal consumption of
the employee. When their work is completed and returned to the factory,
they receive in exchange therefor a small copper check payable on
demand. So common are these checks in Havana that a few years
since--possibly it may be so still--they were co