Omaha daily bee., 1883-07-20
DELUGE OF DRINKS.
Curiosities and Varieties of Summer
Drinking-Bottled Beverages.

81 have been amusing myself by TAX
ing q census of the occupations of 0
people whom / met consecutively to-
"Could you find any 800 consecutive
people in Boston who were occupied
81 took 500 who were doing some
thing"
what were the resultsl'
'The way / came to do it was through
seeing nine men, all in a lump, going in
to take a drink. l wondered what pro-
portion of the crowds could go along the
streets without guiding on the way.
OF the 800 and odd people who were do
ing something besides walking and talk
ing, 217 were drinking"
"That seems incredible"
81 know it does, but it has been a very
hot day, and | was in IN unusually favor
able locality for taking a guzzling CEN
sus.n
The above conversation and a glimpse
at the immense shipments from an ex-
tensive bottling establishment suggested
an inquiry, not only into the drinking
tendencies of the day, but more particu-
larly into the quantity and variety of
drinks consumed in this vicinity during
the warm season. One gentleman inter
viewed said: There are well marked
eras in this business, and while it may
not be said that the progress OF civiliza-
ton in America has been indicated by
the drinking habits of the people, it is n
fact that society and industry and the
general health have beer considerably
affected by the prevalent drinking
habits Iof each generation. And
then, there are the eras referred to, well
defined, interesting, and even amusing.
The drinking habits of early colonial days
in New England were characterized by
that abstemiousness which accorded with
the severity of discipline and sobriety of
life which made the future America pos
sible. In The southern colonies convivial
habits were more prevalent, although
quality, rather than quantity, regulated
the consumption, AS near as can be
learned, for the first century of colonial
life in New England, the forefathers
drank very little of anything save water,
and sparingly of that. In the early days
of the last century the West In.
dia trade revolutienized the drink
question and the inhabitants of New En-
gland became a rum-drinking people. 1t
was plain rum, not whisky, not brandy,
not much wine until after the revolution,
when the fancy alcoholic beverage came
into use wherever luxury prevailed. An
other century epoch came when the
Washingtonian movement almost de-
stroyed rum drinking. But alcoholic
drinks revived, and since the war lager,
ales, ETC.. in various forms, have had an
amazing consumption. Almost every
thing drinkable is now in demand, and
those who drink at all drink a great deal.
Americans are said to be fast becoming a
nation of guzzlers, and there is some
basis of fact for the assertion.
Some one has said that in the days of
the Pilgrims two drinks a day sutficed;
at the time of the revolution men drank
five times a day, while Immediately after
the war of the rebellion the American
people averaged thirteen drinksper diem.
How far the accelerating ratio will go the
govt and dyspepsia of the future will
doubtless determine. On one of the
scorching days a little more than a week
ago, n Boston man drank forty-one
times, and that is ''small potatoes" of a
story when set beside the marvellous alb
sorbing power of a New York Dutchman.
Certain it is that drinking or not drink
ing is pretty much a matter of habit.
The writer knows persons who take not
IA drop of fluid from the morning to the
evening meal, and who are in perfect
health. 1t is no question of control nor
self-denial, for the question of drink is
often not thought of throughout the day.
The growth of the drinking habits of the
American people is evidenced by the sta
tistics covering tea and coffee. The i'm
%portation and use of these articles have
increased rapidly. In 1860, 2 1896, 928
pounds of tea and 1872, 095, 206 pounds of
coffee were consumed in the United
States. In 1882, the consumption was
", 191 ,060 pounds of tea and 49,
579,2S9 pounds of coffee. That is,
thirteen years ago, tea drinking in
this country amounted to seven
Fights of a pound a year for each adult
and infant, while five and t~hree-quarters
pounds of coffee per capita was the allow
ance. One year ago each person in the
land used one and one-half pounds of tea
and eight and one-fourthpounds of coffee.
From 1860 to 1865 the consumption of
both tea and coffee decreased each year,
OH account ol Tile nlSn prices liciuenC 10
the war, but since then they have yearly
jumps in figures, In one year after the
war the consumption of tea and coffee
more than doubled.
AS an evidence of the remarkable in
crease in lager beer drinking may be
stated the fact that in the month of June
1876, a leading firm in Boston sold sew
enty-eight barrels of lager. During the
same month of the next year 1900 bar
rels were sold, and the trade has been in
creasing ever since. This firm is now
bottling fifty barrels of lager per day.
The expenditure of Boston during the
last year for simply intoxicating drinks
indicates the immensely of this drinking
capacity. The OUTLAY was S5l. 600, 900.