The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-01-30
About Drinks and Drinking.


PRESIDENT and Mrs. Hayes continue to
exclude wine from their table i'm the
Nhlte House. Mr.. Evarts, the Secre-
taFy OF state, has secured an execution
10 thls rule at the diplomatic dinners.
although Mr.. and Mrs. HAYES will pre-
side without glasses before them.
The French statesmen use wine mod
erately, and spirits almost never. They
prefer their own light wines. leaving
champagne 10 the last; nearly ain their
public dinners are ended without
speeches.
Tie cultivated English are far more
temperate than i'm former days At
State dinners, which are costly aud lux
urious, the ministry are pr0verbially
frugal, though Lord Derby, the late
Chief Of the Foreign Office, was inordi-
nately fond of sherry. Nobody smokes
IN a private house, unless il is i'm the bill
liard-room. But the English club men
are hearty drinkers. There are over
seventy clubs in London alone. Gamb-
ling is not as common as il was in the
DAYS Of Chares James Fox, who often
lost 81 600 a night while in the zenith
Of his paria mentaTy fame, and thought
nothing of 10. The Raleigh in the Pail
Mall is still believed TO indulge in cards
for money, hut modern John Ball pre-
fars whist, brandy and soda, and hot
Scotch or Irish whisky. Excessive dis
sipatiOn is confined To London gin pal
aces, which abound in frightful proper
tiOn, where men and women drink fire.
water and bad beer till they are sOdden;
and it is no iufrequent sight to see
child made stupid by the milk Of a
drunken mother.
The Russians bear the palm. They
purchase most of the costly French
champagues, and they prefer ''a mixed
drink" Of their owu-a fearful compound
after dinner, which is something like
the English claret cup, that Charles
Dickens loved 10 compose, with fiery
liquids added.
President and Mrs. Hayes are not al
together alone. They are doubtless
more rigid than other rulers; but Queen
Victoria is a model in her own house,
like the good Prince Albert, and / hap
pen to know that Gambetta, LabOulaye,
Leon Say, Louis Blanc, Victor Hugo,
the Orleans princes, and the Bourbon
pretenders are moderate and careful
men; and il is hut just to say the same
Of the Emperor Of Germany, the Rus
sian Gar, the young King of Italy, and
the widOwer monarch of Spain.
Deep drinking is not so much the
custom as 10 was, at least let Us hope so.
There is no better way to cure the abuse
than 20 make it questionable. A good
example is better than an angry sermon,
Gerritt Smith, who died at q great age
rs 1 think, sat in Congress two years,
from 1853 TO 1850, and was one OF the
most genial, generous and hOspitable
Of men. He gave many splendid enter
taiuments, aud never had drop of wine
on his table. The jolly men were
amazed at his course, but he never apOl-
ogized for it.
Ny other good friend, Horace Geeeley,
was not so successful when he became
a candidate for President in 1872. He
vas an extreme temperance leader, as
pure as cool water, even in his blunders;
but as much out of place as a Demo-
cratic nominee as Bishop Simpson in
the Vatican. After he agreed tu stand
for that high Office the Southern pOliti-
clans called ON him at ChappaQua, his
country seat on the Harlem road, and he
heuevolentiy asked them 10 drink from
his famous spring. They were surprised
but submissive, until he offered them
second draught, at which Governor
- of Louisiana somewhat testify de-
clined, with the remark that "Ihis was
"a beverage he never internally applied. "
The legend runs, that when the party left
the white-haired editor, the Governor
sadly observed that he had TO drink sew
eral cocktails to keep the nomination
down -FOTHeJS Progress.