The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-06-18
From the Cincinnati Gazette.l
"Is Beer Injurious 2"

SGF1CGlY
true. Although beer, with per cent. of
alcohol, drank in moderation. may be
less injurious than whisky, with so per
cent, yet it IS injurious and in some
respects peculiarly injurious. A simple
statement of facts will show this L.
There is very little, if any, pure beer
and the materials with which it is adul-
terated are injurious. 2 Beer causes
drunkenness, as we'll as whisky g.
There is no care to limit moderation
What is moderation in drinking beer {?
A pint, quart, or gallon2
Now | don't propose to argue such
questions with anybody, but to submit
facts, which will enlighten some of your
readers at least, and go to make up that
human experience by which at last all
such questions will be settled.
l. 1 put in evidence that l have seen "a
half dozen young men go out, buy ale,
and get outright drunk upon it. There
is one fact.
2. I put in evidence some statistics
which are undeniable. In Massachu-
sets, after the prohibition act they fell
back on "beer shops" and that depend
ed on vote. l will cite case or two
In 1871 the city of Taunton voted mo
beer" The number of arrests for drunk
enness from May l to December 81, 1871,
was 290. In 1872 the city voted in favor
of the sale of beer, etc. The number of
arrests for drunkenness from May l to
December 81, 1872, was 1872 being an in
crease over the previous year of 202, or
about 70 per cent. That will do for one
example, but here is another: In the
great emergency of the Boston fire every
precaution against disorder and riot be-
came necessary. An edict of absolute
prohibition against beer and all intoxi-
eating drinks was made The Chief of
Police, Mr.. Savage, says: For the ten
days preceding the order-viz. from Nov
2 to Nov. IL, inclusive, the records show
the whole number of arrests to be ,l69.
For the ten days in which the order was
in force from Nov. u to Nov. 81, inclu-
sive the records show the whole number
of arrests to be 675." That is only 60
per cent of the former number. That
was short time but very instructive
one.
3. Beer. as formerly made, was much
adulterated with poisonous matter IT,
was charged with strichnine and cocolus
indicQs. | am neither chemist nor de-
tective, and, therefore, cannot say wheth-
er such is the practice now or not; but it
is not very probable the brewers have
improved in their ways, especially as it
would not be profitable. Some years
ago, in New York, number of gentle |
men thought as your correspondent does, |
and they went to work to make pure |
beer, as they supposed all beer was pure. |
They made a dead failure and enlighten- |
ed their minds by finding that they |
could not compete with men who made |
cheaper beer by. adulteration I think !
that before beer is recommended as an |
innocent, not injurious article, it would |
be worth while to inquire what it is made |
out Of 1t used to bel don't say now
the practice of brewers to make beer |
out of the dirtiest water they could find,
on the principle that the dirtiest water |
made the best beer.
f. Now, suppose we take the human
reason as another of our facts. Let your
correspondent think of the relative mer-
it's of beer and whisky. Let him sup
pose that whisky has the most alcohol |
and inharnes the brain the most. Then
let him turn to the other organs and
tissues of the body, and see how they
work. There are the kidneys for exam
pie, which secrete and carry off the
waste fluids. The kidneys are sensi-
tive organ, and diseases of the kidneys |
are growing very common Which in
lures the kidneys most, beer or whisky ? |
Take the blood which has to be gathered |
up through heart, liver or lungs-is it |
likely to run any easier, or smoother for
potations of thick beer? On the contra
ry, whisky and gin are beneficial to the
kidneys in certain states However all
this may be, it is certain that beer, with
its malt and its dirty water is not likely
to improve the kidneys or the heart.
Byron wrote his poetry with gin, but
whoever heard of poetry emerging from
a beer keg2 The ladies OF England,
hundreds of years ago, made their own
beer and then it was pure beer. 1T that
was the case now we might, perhaps, ex-
tend the argument, but in the present
condition of things all argument is
ended by the actual state of fact Real
ly, cannot imagine anything more ri1
diculous than to set up beer as temper
ate drink
The reference to theorists and doctors
are Of no avail; for they are divided in