The daily gazette., 1876-07-18
ICE WATER.
.om the New York Times.

ioh Vic tNoW lOiA AihhCo.
Every one except the amateur or
professional drunkard admits that ar
dent spirits ought not 10 be used as a
beverage in hot weather. They simp4
ly increase the heat of the system, aud
thus give aid and comfort to the thers
mometer 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 prophylac-
tic against malarial diseases. Experts
ence, 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 Society,
which had undertaken TO collect statis-
tics on this subject, was recently
shocked by the official statement that
of the "teetotalers" belonging to rev
giment stationed at Sierra Leone, fifty
per cent. had died and fifty per cent.
had been invalided. Further inquiry,
however, showed that the whole num-
Der of ''teetotalers" in question was
two, and that one had died of snake
bite and the other had broken his leg; /;
while the statistics concerning brandy
drinkers were such as to fill the "tceto-
tai" mind with joy and triumph.
1t is an abuse of language to style a
man temperate merely because he does
not drink ardent spirits. The truth is
that many SO called temperate people,
who decline to look upon the wine not
only when it is red, but also when it
is yellow. as in the case OF egg>nogg,
are extremely Incorporate. While
there is no doubt that intemperance in
the use of ardent spirits is one of the
most deadly evils incident to civillza,
tion, it is equally true that intcmper.
ance in the use of ice-water is rapidly
undermining the constitution of Ameri.
can men and women. AS nation, we
are fearfully addicted to cold drinks,
and there is imperative need of an or.
ganized movement to fight the demon
of ice-water.
Strange as it may seem to the con.
scientiouS man who comprehends the
deleterious effects of cold drinks, there
are thousands of our best and noblest
citizens who are victims to the cold.
water habit. They begin the day with
one ore more glasses OF ice water before
breakfast. During that meal they
frequently turn from the coffee which
cheers but does not inebriate-in case
it is sufficiently adulterated with the
simple and healthful bean-and satisfy
their depraved thirst for water. On
their way to their business they stop
at the numerous drug stores which
shamelessly faunt their soda.water
fountains in the face of the public, and
hastily pour down the deadly ice-water
which perverted ingenuity makes pala.
table with cream and syrups. In the
office or the store. the water.c cooler,
filled with the stomach and tooth de-
| stroying beverage, is always at hand,
and when the water drinkers return
home after day of constant drinking,
they too often spend the greater part
of the night in solitary and aquarial
debauchery.
The result of this pernicous practice
has been to FIJI the country with a class
of stomachs that are incapable of any
earnest digestive efforts, aud to crowd
the chairs of busy dentists. American
stomachs and American teeth are
daily growing eecbler, and the me is