New-York tribune., 1880-04-03

Mr. John B. Cough made melancholy statement
In the course of temperance speech, the other day.
in Providence, X. |. II is the opinion of Mr. Cough
that drunkenness In this country has increased in
the last quarter of century, and is greater than it
was thirty-slx years ago. Mr. Cough complains
that railway cars to-day are made regular grog-
shops and that women are often seen drinking ont
Of TASKS while upon their travels. Possibly Mr..
Cough has indulged in the amiable but great de-
lusion that, through the Influence of temperance
societies and prohibitory laws, drinking was to be
stopped altogether: but the cold water millennium is
q good way of yet. What should console this emi-
nent lecturer is the vast dminutOn of the drinking
habits of the present aS compared to those OF from
dfty to sixty years ago. What has been accom-
Dlshed has been tho placing of temperance in the
positive category OF the virtues. There are men
still living who can remember the time when drum.
kenness was no great disgrace; when every
body, or almost everybody, was in the daily
habit OF drinking; when intoxicating liquors were
sold with scarcely any restraint whatever. The tenn
porance mon have done great work. even IL they
have done than make society thoughtful
aud careful upon the subject. Allowance, too, must
be made for tho increase of population Moreover.
statistics would probably show a much larger num-
ber Of towns and villages now in which there are
no grog shops than existed even twenty years ago.
In 1920 it was pretty small and q pretty poor
town which did not havo tavern and its bar-the
bar usually being the reason for keeping the tavern.
Once thcre was sort of fostivity without plen-
tiful supply of spirits and wines, and these were
also always provided for funerals. Weddings ordi-
nations house raisngs and Fourth of July celebra-
tions. 1t ought to console Mr.. Cough that such
work in the way OF increased sObrety has been ac-
compished There has been much done, although
there is yet. and probably always will be, much to
do.
The managers of tho New-Yorh Diet Kitchen AS
sOciatiOn advertise benefit for their helpful and
beautiful charity They give it the enticing name
Of Children's Merry making" and hope that it
will gladden. not only the children present. but the
weary hearts of sick little ones in the tgnement-
houses. This Institution for supplying food to the
sick poor has been doing its noble work for four
years Physicians agree that it is not disease
which decimates this helpless population but the
lack OF proper nourlshmcnt. This lack tho Diet
Kitchens seek to supply, and il is tho testimony of
the profession that their is already seen In
the alleyiatcd suffering and decreased mortality
which the records show. As the hot weather aD-
proaches the demand upon these kitchens increases.
and tue managers wish to secure funds enough 10
keep the three open for tho Summer they having
been obliged to close one last year. They have.
therefore, arranged an entertainment at Lyric Hall.
as Will be seen reference to our advertising
columns The afternoons of Friday and Saturday
will be devoted to the little folks. while tho even
ings will offer dramatic and pictorial attractions to
the children Of larger growth. If shadow pictures,
conjurers tricks, magic lanterns, music, plays and
dancing are not enough to draw a crowd and be-
guile coin from comfortable pockets then the hon.
orabc claim of this worthy society 10 be sustained
on It's own merits should be sufficient.
Tho doors of the Metropolitan Museum were
opened to the general public yesterday. for the first
time when they were closed. in the afternoon,
1907 ,isors had been admitted. That seems to
indicate that the people going to find the
Museum, oven if 1t is tOlerably far up
town. But they ought to leave their tobacco
qnids behind them Whom the crowd had
disappeared the beautiful marble floors wore every
where disfgurcd with tobacco juice and poor General
Cesnoa, greatly against hiS wishes was forced to
send of m instant order for of spit
toons in sef-Acfcncc. Some Of these tObacco-chew-
ing gentry ought to be caught and labelled for the
Museum. that the world may have an opportunity
,.b, tfcrrl look Itl,p