The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-09-16
USE OF ABSINTHE.
GROWING POPULARITY OF THE
DEADLY BEVERAGE.
The Kind of People Who Cain for It-ob-
servations of a Physician the
Seductive Liquor L.
Prepared.
wheeling Register.l

wheeling Register.J
A well dressed stranger of middle age,
wearing haggard, care worn look on his
rather handsome countenance, walked
into a popular Market street sample-room.
He bore the indescribable air of a man
who had "put in the night, aud exhib-
tied restless irHpatience In waiting on
the pleasure of the bar tender. His order
when given was almost whispered, &C
companied by significant nod. The bar
tender took an ordinary sized flask from
the shelf behind him and picking up a
tiny spiral glass, holding about dram,
carefully filled it. This glass was in turn
emptied into an ordinary wine glass filed
with water On the top of the compound
a greenish sediment accumulated,
which was carefully removed with
spoon The beverage was then handed
to the customer, who eagerly gulped it
down, and paying the charges left the
room In answer to a question from
reporter the bartender said the drink was
absinthe, a French liquor, which is
rapidly growing into popularity in this
country.
In answer to a query, as to the amount
drank in Wheeling, the bartender an
ticular beverage. or any other fancy drink
of kindred nature, were comparatively
few; straight drinks having a tenacious
grip on the appetites of the greater
portion of our Wheeling people.
ave fill an occasional order for
absinthe for theatrical people and
fast women, the eXalting quality of the
strong stimulant making it excessively
popular among all reckless classes of So
ciety. / know of number of ladies in
Wheeling who daily make use of the
stimulant and who, in order to deceive
outsiders, drink alternately at several
sample-Fooms. There is a strong fascina-
-, \ Il
gets into the habit of drinking it daily
he rarely breaks off. The gentleman who
just left the room is jewelry drummer
from New York, and for the past few days
has paid me two or three visits a day,
always drinking the same beverage
He told me he had first begun to use the
drug eighteen months ago, having it pre-
forming the habit from daily use of the
stimulant he had gradually increased the
amount till he had become slave to the
practice He said he had attempted on
several occasions to break off from the
habit. but had been forced back by ex-
cessive nervousness, giddiness, loss of ap-
petite and sleep. He added that he knew
the drug would cause his death in time,
but that he could not refrain from its use.
Later in the day the reporter met
prominent young physician, and finding
him at leisure secured the following in
formation In reference to the origin of
the liquor: AbSinthe Is prepared by
pounding the leaves and Towering tops of
various species of wOrmwocd along with
angelica root, sweet f1ag-root and star
anise fruit, and maceratlng therein al
cohol After soaking for eight days the
compound Is distilled, yielding an emer-
aid color liquor, to which a quantity of
anise oil is added. The liquor thus
formed constitutes the genuine French
An inferior quality of abginthe
is made with other herbs and es-
sential oils, while the adultera-
tons practiced are numerous and de-
leterioua In the adulterated liquor the
green color Is usually produced BY tu-
commonly used. The varieties especially
noted in commerce are divided into two
classes, the common and the Swiss, the
latter being genuine. The chief seat of
its manufacture is in the canton Neuf-
chatel in Switzerland. The liquor Is
chiefly consumed in France, but there is
also large quantities exported to this
country. In addition to the large guam
titles manufactured in France for home
consumption, the amount imported from
Switzerland averages 1900, 600 gallons
yearly.
The drinking of absinthe was intro
duced into France during the Algerian
war, 1S444f. The soldiers were advised
to mix absinthe with their wine as
febrifuge. On their return they brought
with them the habit of drinking it, which
is now so widely disseminated in French
society, aud with such disastrous conse-
quences that the custom is justly consid-
cred great national evil The appetite
is often formed by prescriptions given by
physicians as the drug is often given as
tonic for flatulent dyspepsia; but in my
opinion there is as little danger of a man
forming the habit if he is possessed of
ordinary self. control, as that if a pre-
scriptioh of brandy should cause him to
become an habitual drunkard. The
powerful nature of the stimuIant is such
that excessive drinking viii prove far
more deleterious than the use of brandy
or strong whistles.