The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-09-08
British Boozers.
petroleum v. NAsBY's OBSERVATIONS AS TC
ENGLISH Drinking CUSTOMS,

British Boozers.
petroleum v. NAsBYs OBSERVATIONS AS T
ENGLISH Drinking CUSTOMS,
The quality of liquor used by the.bette
classes IN England is perhaps trife bette
IMAM lAat consumed in America-at least so
nave b-enllnformedi by those who use LIQUORS
i vast Quantities OF brandy are imported from
France, and it is so cheap that it doubtless an
proxinls.es to purity The whistles dranl
are entirely Scotch and Irish the English max
ing none whatever. Wines are consumed il
great quantities, and there is no question a.
70 the purity OF the cheaper grades, which is tt
say they are undoubtedly the pure Juice of til,
grape. The duty aon wine is SO small tina
there is no inducement, as in America for the
manufacture Of bogus varieties
! But the liquors used in London by the low
er classes are probable the most execrable anc
vie that the ingenuity of the haters of man
| KIND have ever invented, The brandy they
drink is liquid lightning chain lightning
which goes crashing through the system
destroying every pulsatIon toward anything
good. The gin--well, their gin is the sYer1
acme, the absolute summit of vileness There
Is quarrel in every gill Of it, wife beating
In every pint and murder IN every quart % 7
And vet. they, all drink il, and especially the
women. The most disgusting sight the world
can produce is London gin. dfinking woman nan
standMs 81 Bar WaIffhs fetafisTiH III s bsf
fdrain,p with unkempt chair, small but IN.
tensely dirty shawl, with stockingless feet and
shoes down at the heel, with eyes rheumy and
Watery, that twinkle with gin light out from
the obscuritF ofgin-swelled flesh, with face
on which the scorching fingers of depraved
appetite have set red lines, as inefaceable as
thOnDh ho hoo, v>1o f6or<o 49,
hot iron, every one of which is the unayailing
protest OF long-outraged stomach. There
she stands, "a blotch upon the face. ofnature
and satire upon Womanhood
In America this sort of being exists, but it is
herded somewhere out of sight 1t does not
stand at the bars in the best streets to- offend
the eyes OF, decent people. But it is, every
where here. 1t is on the Strand and on Plea
dilly and Regent streets. "a s'as 'e
The average Englishman of the lower and
even of the middle class dearly love to booze.
Drunkenness isnot the result of conyiyiality or
desperation, as it is in other countries. It is
the one thing longed for and set deliberately |
about. Trfrfq Bs.ff.47 r
While am about it may say that alcoho- |
lization is not confined to the lower order by |
any means. Everybody drinks. The trades |
man who can afford it has claret at his table,
and during the day his drinks of brandy are I
very frequent. The gentry and nobility drink |
more costly wines and better brandy, but IL
luor is everywhere. Nothing is done without
he accompanying drink it is universal and in
II places. The climate prevents the injury
hat would visit the same man in America,
,ut it hurts. If the English could only live
$ temporarily as the Americans they would
'e the greatest race of people on earth. The
xclusiVeness of the English is manifest in
heir vices as in their virtues. Every bar is
ivided in the front by partitions, one for
ach class. Over the one designated as the
private bar" you get precisely the same Ii
uors as at the others, only you have to pay
lore for it. because laborers and the like are
ot admitted. One compartment exacts 4
ence, the next three pence, and the last and
)west two pence. But all are served out of
be same wood.
But very few men are employed behind
,nglish bars, women filling those places
The London bar maid is an institution to be
tudied. To begin with, she must by pretty,
)r being pretty is part of her qualifications.
IS her feet cannot be seen standing behind the
ar, she is generally pretty. Then they are
equired to dress well, and all in one establish
lent dress their hair alike In one place the
laids part their hair on one side, in another
n the other, and third in the middle. They
re alike in each shop. ...3fg a ~
They are required to make themselves pleas
Mt to customers, for each one is expected
} influence an amount of trade to the
0use -qsr "a a7
The, EngEshman takes his liquor straight
neat, as they call it. Mixed drinks are en-
rely unknown. The sherry cobbler, the mint
llep, the fragrant cocktail are never heard of
I regular English bars, but the droughty man
Tho drinks, and they all do, takes either bran
Y Or Scotch or Irish whisky raw from bar
FL, andsWallOws his potion and walks away
stisfied. Drinking does not have the effect
pom an Englishman that it does upon an
.merican. The Englishman is a more stolid
nd phlegmatic man anyhow, and the climate
less exciting. There is not the exhilaration
| the atmosphere that there is in America, and
le moist humility that you exist in is very IA
Orable to the consumption OF alcoholic
rinks tf $
The prices of liquors average quite as high
) in America, and tobacco and everything
lade of it is much higher and the quality is
lie. A decent cigar, or one counted decent
ere, costs 25 cents, it being of the grade that
| New York sell for 10 cents.
In London no liquor can be procured after I
o'clock at night. Every bar, big and little, G
closed, and this law is not evaded, for the l
SIX is too great. A mans license would be
AIKEN from him Immediately and without c
emedy. I
Persons are not licensed to sell liquor in
ngland, 1t is the premises that are licensed. !
he board havingit in charge license one pub I
c house in a district, basing it upon the sup :
osed necessity, and these premises hold this
cense till deprived of it by violation of law. I
you desire to sell liquor you cannot go and
mt room and open your bar you are COM
eled to buy the lease of place which car
es the license with it. Consequently
censed place is valuable piece OF property. =
Sunday is an especially droughty. day in
ondon. All the bars are closed till O'Clock 7
NJ, and are then open but an hour. Then =
ley are closed till 6, and are permitted to =
eep open till IL, And let it be remembered q
lat law in England is law. You can't laugh .
1t as you do in America. There is no eva .
on of this law attempted. The houses are q
quired to be closed, and they are closed. !,
here are no side doors, there is no selling on :,
e sly, u