If you have friends who enjoy a cigar or cigarette in good company after dinner with a cognac or other drink, keep a lighter at hand to assist them when they bring the cigarette to their lips.

It is a small sign of consideration and courtesy that makes the person feel welcomed and respected. In the photo above, you see Prince Frederik of Denmark, the heir to the throne, lighting the cigarette of German ex-chancellor Helmut Schmidt at a reception. A small detail filled with significance: Frederik does not smoke, but always keeps a lighter with him so he can offer this courtesy to his friends.

I know that this advice will make radical ecologists fume. They are making a full-fledged campaign against smoking cigarettes and cigars - not against marijuana or crack, of course. However, I am not addressing ecologists who are trying to destroy what vestige of civilization remains. I am speaking to Catholics who want to rebuild a new civilization.

Here is a good way to apply charity in manners.

Do light the cigarettes of your friends.

Elaine M. Jordan

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