The Shasta courier., 1868-11-28
Asking Friends to Drink--The Evil Of 1t


writer in the New York Leader 81 Slo-
kum1 thus expatiates upon the folly and eFli
- ~ r;d;cnlnns American fashion of asking
vo.r friends to take drink with you
The Ridiculous. absurd American custom
of ..sk;noD is responsible for seven eIghths
,,,;nd Va saw seven-eighths, and mean it
o"of au the liquor consumed in this coun-
~ Abolisf, that custom to-day. and where
there are eight barrels of liquor drank now.
tbere would only be one. we Dellese tins
and believe it can't be gainsayed- we appeal
~ any number of frst-class drinkers for
their opinions in the matter. We think they
will agree with and corroborate our state
ment in the matter. To tins custom we owe
onr 8. drinking between drinks" which some
80, with more truth than poetry in his soul,
sid was the only thing that hurt, or words
- that effect. What a ridiculous piece of
slIy Il is to 90 into place, if in the mood
sor l;ouor. to ask five or six acquaintance
nm 10 drink with you yet it is done all tie
time and by parties vino perhaps want the
money for stockings but not to do it when
vour acauaintanc-s are about, Is to be looked
nnon as small potatoes and few in hill.
Take the following illustration of a delight
fnI !. 6x'' liable to arise from this absurd
custom:
You feel in the mood for a glass. You 60
for il. You have, perhaps, dollar about
YOU. Meet a friend just as you are about to
enter a gin mill, and you $ ask him. Enter,
and he comes upon group of four or five OF
his friends. who have just entered, and are
conyersipe for a moment. You are intro
duced all round by your friend. Where are
Won now? With a dollar in your pocket and
five or six fellows on your hands, only one of
whom YOU ever saw before, and morally
bound by custom and impelled by false pride
to ask them to join you in social glass;
You can't get out Of it they know you came
in for same liquor. aud as your friend intro
duced you and did't invite, why you must do
the honors, and you say you are glad to see
them ian internal lie, by the way), and ask
them up. If you are known at the bar, all
right, if not, you must borrow OF your friend.
How is that? Perhaps some of the party
might ask you some other time, but the
chances are that thev won't know you next
day from baked apple. A most absurd,
dead fraud, this - asking in connection
with liquor. Do we ask, coax. prevail on
acquantances to go in and have neck ties
gloves or boots with US? Come in and take
a bottle Of wine with me, men will say, aud
take you by the arm and IN you 60. Do they
Are YOU continually urged to eat things? Do
they ask you to take pocket knives, lead pen
ellis. hair dye. to ,th powder. paper collars.
or umbrellas. with them? No, this asking
business is confined to liquor. 1t is liquor
liberalitv, or "a custom, rather, that extends
itself to no other article, if we except oysters
aud cigars, but in these it is limited.
Take party of six Germans who 60 in
for their lager. They sit down and each one
drinks what he wants and pays for wha he
drinks He isn't forced and hantered be
cause he don't drink more. The same with
Enslishmen, Frenchmen, and all other peo-
pie on the face Of the globe but Americans.
You know how it would be with six of the
latter did they 90 in for lager. There would
be thirty six glasses drank, or paid for. if not
drank, because each one must ask the
others. Hurrah Folly!
Imagine a case like this, did the " ask
ing" business extend beyond the confines of
liquor. Two gentlemen walking up Broad
way One is attracted by fine display of
bottles-no, boots. shoes. etc., in window
Bob let US 20 in and have some boots"
In they go.
Take hold. Bob What's your fancy"
Thank you, Tom, but I'm not taking
boots just now.
"Oh, get in. Take hold. One pair Won't
hurt you"
NO, excuse me, Tom"
"Take something, Bob. Have pair of
boots, shoes, boot,jack, CATERS. Take home
pair of boots for your wife. Don't see me
do this thing alne.'
Bob comes down and takes pair Of boots.
It's 10 use Who could Withstand Toms
appeal
Can't this thing be extended to boots,
coats, umbrellas, tooth brushes, nutmegs.
shirts, eye glasses, carpet-5ags, butter, etc.
How cheap some could get along, if it could
be. Give it start. gentlemen. D.n't let it
he limited to liquor. If not. let US say: =
Teetotalers. if you would curtail the con-
sumption of liquor. make an assault on this
absurd - asking custom in vogue among Us;
until YOU can do this. you needn't expect any
let up in liquor drinking. II you, Parton,
were liquor -drinker, we should appeal to
you to start a society-a non-asking-to drink
society-all Of whose members should pledge
themselves never to ask any man to drink
Drinking would then so out of fashion speed
lily but as you not in the drinking line,
we fear your society wouldn't flourish. The
same with Us, as we don't take anything SO
that nobody need be afraid IF asking us.