What Is A Pipe?
by Perry S. Fuller
How do you define a pipe? Renowned pipe maker Alfred Baier always referred to his own handiwork as "functional art." That's much better than saying a briar is merely some hollowed-out hunk of root wherein we smoke nicotine leaf. Although this definition is true enough, it entirely misses the essence of the thing. A pipe should not be defined quite so objectively, but rather by its subjective associations. Consider these suggestive examples, and you'll see exactly what I mean:
1. A pipe is a means of relaxation. Pipe smoking often provides us with the necessary stress reducing retreat from our daily affairs. On particularly rough days I make sure to burn a bowlful whenever I can. The resulting difference in attitude and perspective is often remarkable.
2. A briar is a help to clear thinking. Usually, when I'm puzzling over an important issue, I'll light up my pipe. Those habitual activities which accompany the act of smoking�such as lighting, tamping and relighting� effectively obscure distractions, and facilitate a philosophical attitude conducive to profitable thought.
3. A pipe is an excellent insect repellent. Any fishermen who hasn't succumbed wholesale to stogies will gladly testify to the blood saving value of puffing pipe weed while casting flies to rising rainbows.
4. A briar is an aid to theological reflection. Great theologians like Karl Barth, Herman Hoeksema, and C.S. Lewis kept their Bible in one hand, and a lit pipe in the other.
5. A pipe is fountain of nostalgia. So many fond memories of people or places are typically linked to particular pipes in our collection. I have a certain Stanwell, deliberately bought to remind me of my father who died in February. His influence back when I was a kid led to my love for pipes, now, as an adult.
6. Finally, a pipe is a symbol of friendship. Cigarettes can be given to anybody with no personal investment in their life whatsoever. Cigars are typically used for all sorts of occasions, from celebrating a child's birth to sealing a deal: They don't necessarily represent genuine camaraderie. But do you commonly share fellowship over a bowl of pipe tobacco with somebody who's simply an acquaintance? Probably not. I certainly don't, either.
Perhaps a briar pipe really is just a drilled-out block of wood, however fancy or beautiful. Nevertheless, given human context and touch, a pipe immediately becomes something much greater. "Functional art" isn't a bad description; no, not at all.
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