The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-09-19
WHOLESALE RUIN.
How. Women and Children Are Destroyed,
Body and Soul.


Body and Soul.
/. NJ Hall, Superintendent of the
Women's Reformatory Prison, Sher-
born, Mass, has recently issued some
startling statistics gathered from many
years experience among the criminal
classes. We give the following ex-
tracts:
Out of an examination of 2Ol inebri-
ate women, | have found that lbs be-
gan their drinking by the use of beer;
81 by drinking whisky Gas punch at
first, uSually); 20 began with wine; $
with GIN and II could not remember
what beverage was first used. These
young girls, mill and shop girls, largely
began by going to some sQ-Called refresh
ment saloon with their friends. and the
debHtante usually began by slipping q
Il little tonic (made of hops, sugar and
water, charged with carbonic-acid Gas
and colored with burnt sugar.; beer
soon followed, and soon riotng, other
kinds Of intUXicants, reck'essncsS and
crime: and what was an innocent, fool
ish girl yesterday, is to-day a branded
criminal, and all for q glass Of beer.
Beer is the trap which the drunkard-
maker sets for the feet of the unwarv.
And he usually makes sure of his prey,
because OF it. A glass of raw whisk Ky
would have presented but slight attrac-
ton to these over worked, half-fed
girls had it been offered them at first.
After that sleeping devil, the appetite
for intOXicants, had been aroused by
beer, it became altogether different
matter, and at last, in many cases,
chloroform or peppermint oil was
added to the drink of these maddened
creatures, so furious had the appetite
become for something stronger
1t may be of interest to note that
of the POI inebriate women, 1926 had
been guilty of other crimes, and vet in
but Is instances did the first commit
ment Of crime antc-date the habit of
drinking.
Several hopeless drmkards, far gone
toward insanity, had never drank any
other intOXicant than beer
One hundred and thirty-two were
committed to the prison for drunken
ness; IS for oilenses against chastity
and public order, and II for crimes
against property. Their ages when
last committed averaged 3O5. Sixty
five were between so and Il years of
age, 40 between % and 81 years Of age,
3 between 20 and 26 years of age, 30
between 10 and q. The remainder
We're over Al years of age.
Many of the older ones could not
tell how many sentences they have re-
ceiycd, showing the absolute useless
ness of furnishing these poor creatures
while the temptations are left in their
way.
To show the effect upon the children
of inebriate parentage, | collected the
following:
Oflll inebrate mothers, SO of whom
had inebriate husbands, 40S children
were born. OF these 227 persisted in in
fancy and early childhood, and of the
survivors many are doomed evidently
to an early death. In many cases the
death of these children was Indirectly
due to the inebriety of the parents, as
| cold, deprivation, etc. AgeS:-2z of
| the 204 women began TO drink intoNi-
/ Giants before they We're 10 years of age,
| II between the ages of and 10, a be-
/ tween II and u, 81 between 70 and 26.
33 between % and 81, 10 between 80
and Al, between 40 and 81.
Average age 49, years. More than
one-half had formed habits of intem-
perance before they were p years Of
! ace. and more than one-third at the
/ giddy age of from - to ~ inclusive.
One hundred and thjrty-two began
TO drink socially and with female
friends.