Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-02-05
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
Contributed by Ladies Of Washington Temper
ance UniOn.l
Beer.
Matte NJ. BOteler in jamestown Tribune.

choose for subject something that |
have seldom seen, never tasted, and as
! far as personal knowledge is concerned,
know nothing, save of the sour sloppy
odOr which greets my olfactOries when
| chance to pass the dens where it is
sold. But be assured that have not
chosen a subject of which am totally
! ignorant. Certain facts, lately come
| under my notice, have led me to study
the antecedents and characteristics of
this delightful American beverage.
Beer is one of the latest-born as we'll
as most deceitful of the evil spirits that
find their way in mems souls through
the agency of the stomach. | have
never regarded it as aught else than a
dangerous foe to society, and, suppos-
ing that such was the general opinion
of the world, have heretofore given the
subject little thought. But when it ar
arys itself in false cOlOrs and claims to
be healthful nOnintoxicant, for one,
am ready to show fight against it.
NOn-intoxcant indeed Did chemistry
throw no light upon the subject my
mind would be thoroughly satisfied as
to the falsity Of such a statement.
| carry from childhood the memory
of man whose sole drink was beer;
and to-day recall with shudder his
horrible, blOated face and drunken stag
ger. Beer always contains alcohol, and
he can not lay claims to sobriety who
uses it. If there is one thing above
another that makes American aristoc-
racy ridiculous it is its pitiable attempt
h. e., r. nj I-ipos 50 Por
eign custom; hence, people return from
aboard, with a greater stock of solid
dollars than of solid sense, in order to
show how thoroughly foreign they have
become, make boast of their free beer
drinking. In addition to this, some
sharper has conceived the idea that a
change Of name might make a saloon
trife more respectable; hence beer
gardens have sprung up in city and
town. For can not any one readily see
that beer-garden is infinitely higher
and more respectable than beer sa-
loon? | have never gaZed upon the
wonders of such a garden, however;
have often seen the fruit produced
there displayed outside. One of the
strong points of the beer-drinker is ex-
treme healthfulnesS of the drink. But
here the beer-drinker and the chemist
disagree. In pint of beer there are
fourteen ounces of water, often dirty
water, an ounce and half of alcohol
and less than half an ounce of sedi-
ment, and this sickly-loOking stuff is
all the nourishment it contains.
If it is health and vigor you are seek
nd vsvyd fFco1f
has been cursed by the black hand of
Satan. Beer makes people fat; now fat
is a good thing when it is plump mus
Gle and pure blood. But the fat of
which the beer drinker boasts is of
different Sort 1t takes away from the
muscles and clogs up the system with
a substance which interferes with its |
yigor. Our fat beer-drinker has never
vet distinguished himself for great
mental or physical endurance. have
in my mind an eminent Traveller and |
historian, whose massive frame and |
powerful brain should have blessed the |
world many years hence, but he was an
inveterate beer-drinker, and without |
warning his great strength gave way
and premature death was the result.
We have many examples of beer drink
ers dying of apoplexy in the midst of
their boasted strength. Apoplexy does
not come suddenly upon healthy per-
son. The beer-drinker spends years in
getting ready for it; but his senses are
so stepped in alcohol that he is not
aware of his danger.
We temperance workers have talked
much of the wine glass and wind bot
tie. We had better spend some of our
upon the beer glass
and the beer kegs that are
pouring their foul streams into our
homes. The serpent in the wine cup is
not hard to discover, but the venOmOus
creature that imparts poison to a glass
Of beer, many persons deem not worth
lighting.
/ tell you that the beer-kegs that
are weekly rolled into our town will
make the expenditure of public money
necessary to keep in repair Jail, peni-
entiary, poor-hOuse and asylum. No
loubt the demons Of the pit laugh in
chorus when they see respectable peO-
de shutting their eyes to the facts in
his case. Well they know that this
Indifference means recruits for the
enemy of souls.
In going from Cincinnati to st. LOuis
asst summer, an incident came under
nv notice that aroused me to the inn |
Mediate danger to which the beer traf-
lc is exposing us. There was on the {
,oat a family, consisting of father, {
mother and two little boys. The par {
nts were most repulsive looking pair,
,ut the little boys were happily unlike {
winsome little fellows e
hat won the attention of everyone. r
)ne afternoon when the boat had stop
ed for landing, the father, who had
urned a deaf ear to the appeals of the n
title ones for fruits and dainties, step v
ed off the boat and returned by and S
Y with pitcher of beer. With her l.
wn hands the mother held the glass to 4
he lips of her boys and filed it re- Z
eatedly at their request. Sitting some n
istance from them, you may imagine 2
nth what indignation l witnessed I
he proceedings. Seeing the displeas- Il
re written on our faces, she turned to C
lady of our party, remarking, "Some a
eople don't believe in drinking beer;
ut we are never without it at home"
he lack of her favorite stimulus ac- f,
ounted for her sour, peevish face. @
My boys would rather have beer than b
-ater, and 1 amt afraid of them ever b
eing drunkards, either" she added. 0