New-York tribune., 1874-04-11
CHEAP FRUIT AND TEMPERANCE.

INTEMPERANCE LESS COMMON IN DISTRICTS WHERE
FEUIT Is PLENTIFUL AND CHBAP-CRAvING FOR
LIQUOR PREVENTED BY A FREE USE or FRUIT
SLOW REFORM.
TO the Bditor Of The Tribune.
SIR: | am admonished by the 'WOmen's
Temperance Movement that the hour has to put
forth new hypothesis old subject. Two three
wears ago Phadelpha paper stated that during that
Summer the receipts of retail liquor stores there
diminished twohrds whenever the price Of peaches
very low. statement was soon afterward made bv
traveller that while there very little drunkenness
any part Of Hungary the amount cOrresponded with the
price Of wine which, though cheap and abundant IN all
parts OF that country much more so In some dis
tcts than in others. II has long been claimed that
wine districts comparatively free from ntemper-
ance and with due allowance for exaggeraton 1t will
probably be generally admitted that in the fruitgrow-
inc portions OF France Span, Italy, Germany, &e.,
alcoholic ntempeTance is much less frequent than in
portions Of Northern Europe where fruit during most
Of the year, Is dear, inferior. 10 has heen
said that cold climate induces intemperance because
excess in Russia Sweden. &C. and sO,rare
Italy, SPAIN and the south OF France. But when we
turn to the United States find just the opposite phe
nonena. Out OF the large cities there is bat little in.
temperance IN NewEngland, NewYorK, Michigan, Wis
consin, &c, but great deal in the warm Southern
States, still more IN most metallic mining regions
whether hot or cold. al well in regions in zen.
eral In NewEngland, alcohol is Outcast, while in
the remOter portions OF California, Nevada, Arizona
Texas, New-Me1cO &c, II Is king. Climate, then il
but Of small account. Warm Italy temperate; so is
cold New gland, while alcohol good creature az
God" on the frozen seppes OF Russia and the burning
uesas OF Arizona
Let us see il there be not some common feature in
which temperate and Incorporate countries respect
iyely resemble each other. In New-Lnglaud the
greater portion Of NewYOTk State, Northern ohio
Northern Indiana. and Michigan, the people will have
frit IL constitutes large portion OF their diet a. u
does ln hpaln Italy and the south OF France In the
greater portions of South and in large portions OF
the west hog and hominy" Is the staple, while fruit
is helu OF little account; IN California, though fruit Is
largely grown and consumed lis price is high even i'm
frult growing sections. as personally know; while I'm
the mining regions OF the whole Pacific coast fruit is
Practically out OF reach. IL there not. then general
correspondence between cheap fruit and Temperance ON
the one hand and dear or bad fruit al ALL and
intemperance on the other Aud does not this eorre
spOndence suggest relation OF and
~ cheap fruit one of the efficient remedies for
ntemperancei | know that the facts are az yet mas
ger but as far as they 90, they point way Look
dieteic, persons who use fruit literally at every meal
are, other things being equal much less thirsty than
those whose staples are salt meat and greasy biscuits
Now there Is nothing which yields larger return
for labor than fruit mean 10y return" hot so mucn
return In cash or wealth as 10 actual value An ex
psndure by cities and towns OF small amount i'm
lie purchase and care of fruit seeds and fruit trees for
public fruit gardens would he the best of an
Improvement" and far better than Jalis, hospitals
p0Orhouses asylums. etc. Fruit-grOwiug. temperate
Nneland has crime within It's limits worth mention
ing Clean sOus and hearts more important than
clean WAYS and far less costly but We can have both by
saving the cost of ntempeTance.
am OF opinion that free of fruit tends To pre-
vent the formation a craving for liquor aud might
the means Uf diminishing such craving when formed
know that pre- udioe, Oseted by many medical men.
exists against free OF fruit IN bumner but
also know that. far ripe ruI II concerned II II
utterly unOunded Even hogs VIII not use unrpo fruit,
II they can get better; neither would children Tue