Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-07-28
Ice-W ater.

Every one except the amateur or profess
siOnal drunkard admits that ardent spirits
ought not TO be used as a beverage in hot
weather. They simply increase the heat OF
the system and thus give aid and comfort
10 the thermometer in its Summer assaults
on the lives and collars of the human race.
The English troops in the torrid zone were
formerly addicted to the excessive use Of
brandy as a supposed prophylactc against
malarial diseases. Experience, however,
demonstrated that the brandy-drinkers did
not withstand the climate nearly as well as
did the men Of more temperate habits. 1t
is true that one English Temperance Socie
ty, which had undertaken TO collect stalis
tics on this subject, was recently shocked
by the official statement that OF the "teeto-
talers" belonging to regiment stationed
at Sierra Leone, fifty per cent had died aud
fifty per cent had been nvalided. Further
inquiry, however, showed that the whole
II umber Of ."ieetotalers" in question was
two, and that one had died Of snake bite
and the other had broken his leg while
the statistics concerning the mortality of
brandy drinkers were such as to ill the tee
total" mind with joy and triumph.
1t is an abuse of language TO style man
temperate merely because he does not
drink ardent spirits. The truth is that ma
ny so-called temperate people, who decline
TO look upon tho wine not only when it is
red, but also when it is yellow, as in the
case of egg-nogg, are extremely intemper-
ate. While there Is no doubt that intem-
perance in the use of ardent spirits is one
of the most deadly evils incident to civili-
zation, it is equally true that intemperance
in the use of ice-water is rapidly under
mining the constitution of American men
aud women. AS nation, we are feariully
addicted to cold drinks, and there is impor-
ative need of an organized movement to
fight tho demon of ice water.
Strange as il may seem to the consclen-
tious man who compreheuds the deleteri-
ands of our best and noblest citizens who
are victims TO the cold.water habit. They
begin the day with one or more glasses of
ice-waler before breakfast. During that
meal they frequently turn from the coffee
which cheers but does not Inebriate-in
case II is sufficiently adulterated with the
simple and healthful bean-and satisfy
their depraved taste for water. On their
way to their business they stop al the nu-
merous drug stores which shamelessly
fiaunt their soda water fountains in the face
of the public, and hastily pour down the
deadly ice water which perverted ingenui-
ty makes paatable with cream and syrups.
In the Office or store, the water cooler, fill
ed with the stomach and tooth destroying
beverage is always at hand, and when the
water-drinkers return home amer a day
of constant drinking, they too olen spend
tho greater part of the night iu solitary and
aquarial debauchery.
The result Of this pernicious practice has
been TO fill the country with a class ol
stomschs that are incapable of any earnest
digestive efforts, and TO crowd the chairs o
busy dentists. American stomachs and
American teeth are daily growing feebler,
and the time is apparently at hand when q
set of false teeth will be presented to every
new born infant at the same time that her
celves his first indla-rubber ring, aud when
all sorts of stomach bitters aud digestive
pills will invariably supplement his daily
meals. For this state Of things ice-water,
| either la its undlsguised form, or Ia ID