The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-23 00:00:00

DRAWING-ROOM ALCIIOLISM.

The Saturday _Review observes there is an increasing
evil under the sun, one of pressing importance, but so
contrary to our English traditions, and to our notion of
the fitness of things, that we are unwisely inclined to hush
it up. Now and then a whispered scandal reminds our
Pharisees that a Pharisee's wife indulges in alcholic
stimulants, " has been taken away from some
ball by her friends, quite drunk, poor thing.
How shocking !" or " Really she should not have
been allowed to ride when she could hardly sit
on her horse." But such stories we agree to get rid of as
quickly as possible. Yet some sincere effort should be
made to check habits which are notoriously on the in-
crease, and which threaten to degrade women even of the
well-born and educated classes beyond the help of theories,
however brilliant, of their rights. It is honest and prudent
to confess that drunkenness is no longer quite unknown
even in the most charming drawing-rooms, be it under
the form of dipsomania or oinomania, habitual or occa-
sional excess. The increasing prevalence of what is
considered allowable stimulation is the evil especially to
be remarked. Marguerite dallying with Faust's gifts is but
the prelude to Marguerite's suicide, and it is more useful
to check her as she opens the glittering casket than when
she is the helpless.prey of passion. Women seldom drink
for the gratification of their palate, and the pitiable
dram-drinker sometimes loathes the spirit she gulps down.
Good or bad wine, potato-brandy, curacoa, or gin will
satirfy her if only her nervous organization be sufficiently
saturated. The volume of light wine or beer
sometimes taken is almost incredible. One important
step will be gained if the use of stimulants between meals
is sedulously checked. The test of safety in the moderate
use of alcoholic drinks seems to be the power in persons of
fair health to leave off their accustomed beer or sherry
without inconvenience or moral effort. This test might
be occasionally applied by rational women to themselves
or insisted on by their mankind, and a sensible improve-
ment in both moral and physic;al wellbeing would generally
surprise the fair abstainer.

CABINET COUNClL.—Summonses have been issued
for a Cabinet Council to be held on Wednesday next, in
Downing-street, at three o'clock.
We understand no day has been fixed for her
Royal Highness Princess Louise's marriage, but that it
will not be celebrated so early a,s.the 9th of March, as has
been stated.

THE QUEEN'S SPEECH.—The Address, in reply

to the Queen's Speech, will be moved in the House of
Lords by the Marquis of Westminster, and seconded by
the Earl of Rosebery.

The editorship of the Morning Advertiser being
held on condition that the editor does not exercise his pro-

fession as an author, Colonel Richards will tell his last
story in the Gentleman's Magazine for February, under the
title of " The Irish Reporter."

Tier Majesty the Queen, says the Court Journal,
upon the occasion of the marriage will, it is understood,
occupy the Royal oloset over the altar, as at the nuptials
of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of
Wales.

The very mention of the name of Mr. Forster as
the probable fnture First Lord of the Admiralty, observes
the Army and Navy Gazette, " has caused the utmost
astonishment in professional circles. No man may be
fitter for his present post, and certainly few men could be
be more unfit to direct the naval affairs of this country."
The Stamford Mercury hears that the extensive
stud of Lord Henry Bentinck, with harness, &c., was
left by the deceased to Captain Chaplin, Mr. Cecil Chap-
lin, and Major Hutton, and that the whole will shortly
be brought to the hammer. His stables at Lincoln
lapse to the Mainwaring family. A portion of his pro-
perty the deceased sank in an annuity, but the residue
goes to his heir.

The Church Review, a Ritualist organ, hears that
"the Archbishop of York has lately made authoritatively
a statement of some importance, to the effect that in the
recent judgments in " Martin v. Mackonochie," the
Judicial Committee have implicitly followed the prin-
ciples laid down in the judgments of " Liddell v. Wes-
terton. These principles most distinctly cover the Eucha-
ristic Vestments, among ether things."
The Vienna correspondent of the Cross Gazette of
Berlin states that, at the preliminary meeting of the
London Conference, the Austrian Plenipotentiary pro-
posed that a protocol should be signed by all the Powers
condemning the principle of onesided repudiation or
denunciation of a treaty. Russia demurred to this,
but was induced by Prussia and England to give in its
adhesion.

A. somewhat amusing action, involving the rights
of " cats," is (we learn from the North British Mail) pend-
ing in the Aberdeen Sheriff Court. The pursuer sued
for £1 of damages in respect of the death of two fantailed
pigeons which had been killed by a cat belonging to the
defender. For the defence it was argued that, under
an old statute, which was still law, it was illegal to keep
pigeons ; and this cat must have been unconsciously ful-
filling the purposes of legislation by ridding the country
of these pests. The Sheriff took the case to avizandum.

THE COST OF RAILWAY ACCIDENTS. —lt is some
small satisfaction to know that Railway companies do not
maim, mutilate, and kill their passengers gratuitously.
During the past year a total sum of £333,715 was expended
by railway Companies in the United Kingdom as compen-
sation for personal injury,—of which the Great Northern
paid £28,000; the Great Western, £20,000 ; the
Lancashire and Yorkshire, £19,380; the Midland,
£24,988; the London and North-Western, £73,804; and
the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway, £47,457.
It would be interesting, but impossible, to collect particu-
lars as to the injuries inflicted upon their victims, whose
hurts are supposed to have been healed by the applica-
tion of more than a quarter of a million of money.—The
Lancet.