Weekly Trinity journal., 1868-12-12
A Fashionable Folly and EVIL.

Wlieer III Tue new Ork Ledder (Ol OiOkumJ
thus expatiates upon the folly ana evil of the
ridiculous American fashion of asking your
friends to take drink with you:
The ridiculous, absurd American custom OF
"asking" is responsible for ighths-mind,
we say seven-eighths, and mean it to-of all the
liquor consumed in this country Abolish that
custom to-day, and where there are eight barrels
Of liquor drank now, there would only be one
We believe this, and believe it can't be gam
sayed. We appeal to any number of frst-class
drinkers for their opinion in the matter. we
think they will agree and corroborate our state
ment in the matter. To this custom we owe our
drinking between drinks" which some wag,
with more truth than poetry in his soul, SAID
was the only thing that hurt, or words to tnat
effect. What ridiculous piece of folly it is to
go into place, if in the mood for liquor, to ask
five or six acquaintances up to drink with you
yet 1t Is done all the time, and by parties who
perhaps want the money for stockings; but not
to do it when your acquaintance are about, is
to be looked upon as q small potatoes" and few
in hill. Take the following illustration of q
delightful /" fix" liable to arise from this absurd
custom You feel in the mood for q glass You
go for it. You have, perhaps, dollar about
you. Meet friend just as you about to
enter gin mill, and you task him." Enter,
and he comes upon group of four or five of his
friends, who have just entered, and are convers-
by your friend. Where are you now? With
dollar in your pocket and five or six fellows on
your hands, only one of whom you ever saw be-
fore, and morally bound by custom and impelled
by false pride to ask them to join you in a social
glass. You can't get out of it ; they know you
came In for some liquor, and your friend in
troduced you and didn'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 otbertime, but the chances are that they
won't know you next day from baked apple.
A most absurd, dead fraud, this ''asking'' in
connection with liquor. Do we ask, coax, pre-
vail on acquaintances to 60 in and have neck
ties, gloves or boots with us? "Come in and
take bottle of wine with me-" men will say,
and take you by the arm and in you go. Do
they ever say, " Come in and have hat with
mer! Are you continually urged to eat things
Do they ask you to take pocket-knives, lead-pen-
ellis, hair-dye, tooth-powder, paper-collars, or
umbrellas with them? No, this asking business
is confined to liquor 1t is liquor lberaity, or
custom, rather, that extends itself to no other
article, if we except oysters and cigars, but in
these it is limited.
Take party of six Germans who go in for
their lager. They sit down and each one drinks
what he wants and pays for what he drinks. He
more. The same with Englishmen, Frenchmen,
and all other people on the face of the globe but
Americans. You know how it would be with
six of the latter did they go in for lager. There
would be thrty-six glasses drank, or paid for, if
not drank, because each must " ask" the |
others. Hurrah Folly!
Imagine a case like this, did the "asking"
business extend beyond the confines of liquor
Two gentlemen walking up Broadway. One is
attracted by fine display OF bottles-no, boots,
shoes, ETC., in a window. Bob, let US go in
and have some boots" In they go. stake
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,
CATERS. Take home pair of boots for your
wife. Don't see me do this thing alone" Bob
comes down and takes pair of boots. It's no
use. Who could withstand Toms appeal?
Can't this thing be extended to boots, coats,
umbrellas, tooth-brushes, nutmegs, shirts, eye
glasses, carpet-bags, butter, etc? How cheap
some could get along, if it could be. Give it a
start, gentlemen. Don't let it be limited to
liquor. If not, let say Teetotalers, if you
would curtail the consumption of liquor, make
an assault on this absurd "asking" custom In
vogue among US until you can do this, you
need not expect any let up in liquor drinking
If Parton of the Ledger were liquor-drinker,
we should appeal to him to start a society-a
non-asking-to-drink society-all Of whose mem
bers should pledge themselves never to ask any
man to drink, Drinking would then go out OF
fashion speedily bnt as he is not in the drink
ing line, we fear such society wouldn't -four
ish. The same with US, as we don't take any
thing so that nobody need be afraid of asking
US.
TIE DRuSKARD's DAILY LIFE.-The Atlantic
Monthly for October gives the following graphic