Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-12-30
rHE INrLuENcE or CUSTOM.

Temperance is good doctrine IN ITS
place, especially on Christmas and New
Years days. when the conventional
standard recognized by society all the
rest of the year is put aside and every
individual given sufficient latitude to oc-
cupy two sides of front hall or side
walk at one time, thereby putting to
fight the theory taught in school books
that body cannot be in two places at
once any more than two bodies can at
one time occupy the same place. When
people are disposed to make remarks
about nice young men, or old ones either,
who show evidences of weakness in the
legs or unusual activity of mind and
tongue on Christmas day or New Years,
they should remember that society coun-
tenances these things, and that man
can do what he pleases with impunity on
such occasions, provided he does not
break the queensware or hang his hat
up in the bowl of champagne cocktails.
If nice, fashionable people, who regu-
late morals as well as manners, will
set a first class bar onNew Years day,
and with jeweled fingers pour out the
luscious wine and present it with seduc-
tive sweetness of mannergand voice to
the young man whose ambition it is to
be known as a good fellow in that social
coterie, which is to blame the most, he
who sips and sips again, or those who
provide the temptatation? 1t is useless
to lecture society or hang out the banner
of social reform from a newspaper office,
for in the first place refornfers seldom
live to see their work accomplished; and
secondly, it is too well known that most
journalists are judges of fine wine them
selves, and, save an occasional Horace
Greeley, are not tetotallers, however
temperate" they may be; but in behalf
of the misled and the over-tempted we
appeal, asserting that they are sinned
against more than SHINING. When a
young gentleman has whetted his appe-
tite on New Years day by drinking
whisky, brandy and wines in the gilded
parlors of the elite, where an atmos-
phere Of loneliness and beauty bewilders
his senses, without the other artificial
stimulants, how much is he to
be censured if he steps into a
drinking saloon next day, and next, TO
crafty thirst for the sparkling wine
or the hot whisky punch which society
in formal manner will not offer again
for another year? From the standpoint
of public custom be is barely an aces
sorry; society is the principal. The
scenes of a New Years day in cities
like New York are often ludicrous, and
the victims Of too many fashionable po-
tatioRs sometimes present a pitiable
aspect. What young man would dare
apply for a situation in a bank or a store
when half tipsy; and with how much !
courtesy would he be treated2 Yet he
would not fear so much, in the same
plight on the afternoon Of January lst, to
send in his card and present himself at
the residence of the merchant or other
business man if only slightly acquainted.
The only practical deduction from all I
this to the mind Of the caller is that IL
it is respectable to drink moderately on !
one day in the year, there is no particu-
lar violation of the social code in pri-
vately taking glass any other day. The
custom viii not change materially, Of
course, but when society continues to
tempt its more susceptible members into
irregularities, it should have charity
enough to excuse those who yield too far
for their own good ltl