Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-09-29
DRAwING.ROOM DRINKING.
The Love OF Strong Drink Increasing Amo
EnSllshwOmen.

The Love Oh Strong DRInk increasing Am0DK
EDSllShwOmen.
London Truth in recent number says !:
Not long ago strange scene took place in
q pretty garden not hundred miles from
London. The tree shaded lawn was scat
tered over with seats, with here and there
q bright-cOlOred Persian rug for the spe-
cial behoOf of any guests who object to
open air amusemehts on account Of damp
grass To some minds grass is always
damp. It was early in the afternoon, and
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. 4 carriage drives
up to the gate, and two ladies, enter
ing, look round for their hostess.
The servant who has admitted
them goes in search of his mistress,
and few moments afterward a 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,
a gentleman and lady being the occupants.
They, too, enter the garden gate, and ad-
vance 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 a
low voice Il was afraid of this. Where
can Mr.. X. be to allow her to
be seen in this state?' The inter-
probation of those wild looks, that
disordered hair, and those meaningless
words, is that Mrs. X. is intoxicated,
though not sufficiently SO to be quite help
less. She wanders about among her
guests, her condition, however, being SO
palpable, SC unmistakable, that the major
ity laugh and litter, while the friendly
few pity, though they condemn her. The
painful scene was ended by the arrival Of
her husband, whose look of misery, as he
led his wife ON his arm through the groups
of gayly dressed people into the house,
touched even the laughers with pity.
This is no exaggeratiOn of facts. 1t is,
unfortunately, scene from real life, and,
fear, not an uncommon one. The love
| of strong drinks appears increasing among
the educated women Of our day. Dur
ing the season just passed, instances of
this were SO frequent as to lead to the con-
lecture that a kind of epidemic Of drink
was pervading those classes Of society in
which culture, position and the possession
of every comfort of life would appear to be
sufficient guarantee against so degrad-
! ing 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 ennui. They try the first
dose of choral as an experiment. MY
eyes look SO dull and heavy this morning.
So-and-so says chloral is such a capital
thing; think I'll try it." In this case,
as in rouge, it is not "the first step that
COSTS" 1t is easy enough. But, from be-
ing an experiment it becomes practice,
and from practice it develops into ne
cessity. 1t is NO longer servant, but mas
ter. My lady has her half pint Of cham
pagne about an hour after breakfast,
another at luncheon, a glass Of liquor in
stead of afternoon tea, Il regular sequence
of wines at dinner. and brandy in her post
prandial coffee. Her chloral in her dress
ing room is as permanent and indispensable
an arrangement as her bath, and much
sooner missed from its usual position than
her Bible.