The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-11-04
DRAwING-ROOM DRINKING.
The Love OF Strong Drink Inereaaln1
Among EnglishwOmen.
lLondon Truth.1

London TRUTH
Not long ago strange scene took
pace in pretty garden not hundred
miles from London. The tree-shaded
lawn was scattered over with seats, while
here and there bright-colored Persian
rug for the special behoof of any guests
who object to open-air amusements on
account of the "damp grass. To some
minds grass is always damp. 1t was
early in the afternoon, and the only ten
ants of the garden were the servants,
who were arranging refreshments upon
some tables under the trees. They
seemed full of mods and becks, and whis-
pers of apparently mysterious import
passed among them. A carriage drives
up to the gate, and two ladies, entering,
look around for their hostess. The ser
want who hns- admitted them goes IN
search of his mistress, and few moments
afterward young and beautifully dressed
woman issues from the house, her face
deeply flushed, her eyes half closed, and
her gait uncertain. just at this moment
another carriage drives up, gentleman
and lady being the occupants. They,
too, enter the garden gate and advance
toward the house across the lawn. As
they approach the uncertain, swaying
figure Of their hostess they look at each
other significantly, and the lady says,
In q low voice: 81 was afraid OF this.
Where can Mr.. Z. be to allow her to be
seen in this stateP" The Interpretation
of those wild looks, that disordered hair,
and these meaningless words, is that
Mrs x is intoxicated, though not sufi-
ciently 30 to be quite helpless. She wan
ders about among her guests, her con-
III
unmistakable, that the majority laugh
and litter, while the friendly few pity,
though they condemn. The painful
husband, whose look of misery, as he led
of gaily-dressed people into the house,
touched even the laughers with pity.
This is no exaggeration of facts. 1t il,
unfortunately, a scene from real life,
and, I fear, not an uncommon one. The
love of strong drinks appears to be in
creasing among the educated women of
our day. During the season just past,
instances of this were 90 frequent as to
lead to the conjecture that a kind of epi-
demic of drink was pervading those
classes of society in which culture, po-
sition, and possession of every comfort
in life would appear to be sufficient
guarantee against so degrading vice.
"Society" ladies, In fact, live too much
upon excitement not to suffer from the
inevitable reaction. For few months in
the year they endure continued fatigue
IN treading the social mill and for the
remainder they are prey to er,aui.
They try the first dose of chloral as an ex-
pertinent ''My eyes look so dull and heavy
this morning. So-and-so says chloral
is such capital thing; think I'll try it "
In this case, as In that of rouge, it is not
"the first step that COSTS" 1t is easy
enough. But, from an experiment it be-
comes practice, and from a practice it
develops into a necessity. 1t is no
longer servant, but master. My lady has
her half pint of champagne about an
hour after breakfast, another at luncheon,
glass of liquor instead of afternoon tea,
regular sequence of wines at dinner,
and brandy in her post-prandial coffee.
Her chloral in her dresssing-room is as
permanent and indispensable an arrange
nent as her bath, and much sooner
missed from its usual position than her
bible.