The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-06-27
STARTLING STATISTICS.
What We Pay for Drink Food and
Clothing.

Some authentic loficial) figures, covering
the sale of drink throughout the whole country
have been obtained, and can be given. They
are indeed startling. Mr.. Joseph Nimmo,
chief of the bureau of statistics in the treasury
department, estimates the sale of liquors in
the United States for a single fiscal gear at
$500, 900, 900, distributed as follows:
Whiskey 10000, 900 gallons. $500, 600 600
Imported spirits 100000 gallons. 25,O00,0 900
Imported wines. 10. zoe, ooo gallons. 53,500,000
Native brandies, wines and cordials.. 3l,5o0,000
Total...................... 5000, DOC, 600
Here are some comparisons that are, indeed
''odious." The value of the manufacturing in
dustries for the same fiscal year were:
Flour and grist mill products. S444, 1856, LAB
Molasses and sugars (raw and refned) 1I9,335,379
CotIon goods .--..................- AZ 49, 39
MooAeh goous... loo, 405,30S
Boots and shoes. ......,.........,.. 146,7o4 ,655
1t appears by the same census that the az
gregate wages paid by all the manufacturing
establishments of the country for the same
year were Sl75 ,564 ,333-not 80 per cent. in ex-
cess of the drink bill
The total income of all the schools OF learn
ing, public and private, from every source for
the year is given S95, 402, z 6, not one-sixth
of the sum spent on liquors.
The whole printing and publishing bill is bat
$66, 662, AL.
All the libraries in the scountry, public and
private. are said to contain 45, 527 1888 volumes
Broken the average value at 81 volume and
1t will give as the value sol 057, S76, that we
drink up our books in less than two months.
The entire church property of the United
States is valued at 1854 ,4S3 5S1. II it were ali
to burn up about six months of abstinence
would replace it.
At Meeting recently clergyman told how
ne had become total abstainer. He had pre-
viously been connected with a moderation
society, and having one evening presided at
one OF its meetings, he was accosted, while
walking along the street next morning, by one
OF his parishioners, who endeavoring to put
his arms round his neck, hiccupped out, " do
SO love you, good Mr.. Vicar; I goes with you
for moderation" The good vicar became
total abstainer the following day. He wanted
better company.
Emerson talks in the Century for February
concerning the superlative, introducing his
quaint discourse with this sentence. THE
doctrine of temperance is one OF many degrees.
1t is usually taught on a low platform, bat one
Of great .necessity-that of meats and drinks.
and its importance cannot be denied and hard
ly exaggerated. But it is long way from the
Maine Law to the heights OF absolute self
command which respect the conservation OF
the entire energies of the body, the mind, and
the SOUL
A new book called 1.-THE Practical Steam
Engineers Guide, for the Use of Engineers,
has for us the first question: "What qualifca
lions are necessary for an engineer. Answer
THE very first qualification is sobriety. No
man who drinks Intoxicating liquors to excess
is fit to be an engineer, fireman, or in fact, any
thing else about steam engine and the law
should be amended so as to prohibit under the
severest penalty the employment OF such man.
A drunken engineer or fireman may not only
destroy himself, but hundreds of innocent
men, women, and children.