Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-09

From 10 Brother of Hon. II. b. WitSOf.
Red Wing Advance

|
following extract from a private letter
just received from my brother. 1t was
written with no thought, on the part of the
writer, of its being published: but as il
contains information not generally known
to the general public of this country, and
which will be quite Rpropos at the present
time, when everybody is discussing the
matter of regulating the traffic in into xi-
eating liquors, I feel justified in making
it public. The careful observations of one
| whose only desire was to draw correc: con-
rect conclusions in reference to the man.
ners and customs of the people whom he
visited, ought to have much weight with
all candid persOns.-H. B. W.
You ask me question about the drink
| ing habits Of European people, I can add
nothing to what l have already said on this
subject in my varIons letters. I might
say, that with respect to what is drank and
its general effect, Europe may be divided
by lines running east and west into three
great belts or zones. In the southern one
embracing Spain and Portugal, southern
France and Italy, Greece and the islands
of the Mediterranean, wine is the most uni.
versal drink of all classes; and drunken
person is rarely, if ever seen. When in
Palermo, Sicily, did see two men intoxi-
Gated upon the street, but upon inquiry,
found they were American sailors from
the y. S. man of war, Gettysburg, then ly-
ing in harbor. 1t was Sunday; they had
obtained leave to come ashore for the af-
ternoon, and in true American sailor style,
they resolved to enjoy their holiday by get
ting gloricusly drunk. l also once saw an
English tar tight at Venice. These are the
only instances of real intoxication I ever
saw in this southern wine-drinking belt of
Europe.
The second belt embraces northern
France, Belgium, Holland. Switzerland,
Germany, including Austria. and the Dan
ubian provinces, The drinks of this por-
ton of Europe are considerable wine. es-
pecially along its southern border, i'm
mense quantities of beer and a moderate
amount of distilled spirits along the north
ern line. The prevailing drink is beer.
This seems to be drank by nearly all class
es, and in immense quantities. l have
seen some cases of drunkenness in this
part Of Europe, but not many. The in
moderate use Of beer see ms to have the eff
feet of rendering the people heavy, stu
pid and taciturn, and this about all. They
don't get tight: jolly and noisy, but swig
their beer, smoke their pipes, and like Pc
ter the Silent in Knickerb ecker, enjoy life
except from undue agitation and excite
ment.
The third or northern belt embraces the
British islands, Denmark, Norway, Swe-
den, Finland, Russia and the better parts
of Poland. Here the general drink is dis
titled spirits: in England, Scotland and
Ireland, Whistles; in Denmark, schnaps
or gin mostly; in Scandinavia, Finland and
Russia, kind of spirits distilled from the
potatoes-sharp, fiery and ardent.
Throughout this belt, drunkenness is COM
mon. In the larger cities of England and
Scotland, notably in Liverpool and Glas-
gov, you may see scores of men, and wom
Ell too, drunk upon the streets, almost any
hour. The same is true of st. Petersburg
and Moscow, and I saw many cases
of drunkenness in Copenhagen,
Christiana and Stockholm.
In the cold countries of the north they
seem to need and they USE great quantities
o. fiery spirits. And they do not seem the
worse i'll health and strength in conse
quence. In the south they drink light
wines and are satisfied; spirits would Kill
if used, while a Russian would regard Ital-
ian wine as old Falstaff did the Stops Civ
en- minstead of his mullee sac.
Ny observation, not only abroad, but
during my whole life, satisfies me that in
all lands and among all peoples,
there exists the appetite for
some form of stimulant-tea, coffee, to-
bacco, opium, wine, spirits, etc., ETC., and
that this appetite, taking one of these
many forms, will have, with the great ma
jority of men, some degree of indulgence.
1t is as general, this appetite, as the desire
of sexual intercourse, weak with some.
strong with others, and utterly uncontroll-
able with few. What is the proper course
for law makers? Manifestly, to do all they
can to properly regulate and moderate the
indulgence of this appetite. You cannot
extinguish it but you can regulate it in
great measure. Total abstinence is as far
removed from temperance on the one hand.
as habitual drunkenness is on the other.
l am opposed to both, in theory and in
practice, and I cannot condemn in others
what l practice myself. The greatest
stickler ever knew for total abstinence
Gen. Sam Cary, who lived several years
next door to me-was the most constant.
immoderate and offensive consumer of
tobacco have ever met. fused to like to
take good drink of old rye whisky, and
then get as directly in front of him as l
could, where the potency of my breath
could catch his sense of smell, and discuss
with him the comparative objectionable
ness of whisky drinking and tobacco chew
ing. 1 dare say we inspired in each other,
for the time, greater charity for the infrm
tiles of each other.