Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-10
ABSlyTHE DRINKING.
GROWTH OF THE HABIT AMONG
FASHIONABLE YOUNG AMERICA.


How the Seductive Liquor is Msde-Ef-
,oc,s Imam IN, priuker-Tb. Terrible
-, a..
French army-A curse
Absiutbe is SUPPOSED to be made in France
and Switzerland and this supuosition is based
mon the fact that Somebody ct fiIs" appears
amid A lot of French on the label, with the
name Paris and a red seal with French in
s,.riutinn oruamenting the cork. Swiss alb
sinthe is said to lie the best, but whether any
Of the good kind ever gets to this country is
unknown. The ahsinthe is made by pound
ing up the leaves and Towering tops of diff
fcrrnt sr.ecies of wnrmwood and maCerating
them in alcohol. After soaking, the mixture
is distilled, a little anise oil is added and the
emerald Huuor obtained is the real al,Snthe.
When tumeric and indigo and blue vitriol en.
ter into its comp sition. rs it does i'll adultera,
tions, then it is really splendid drink Any
man who would drink it would surely Iut an
enemy into his mouth to steal away his
brains, hut il would be only very petty lar
ceny after all
A TINGE OF oRIENrALsM
The American drinking custom is hardly
favorable to the Use of abSinthe. Its d
dolce far niente drink. II mustn't he got
ten away with in a gulp, like a man bolts hi
whisky when be wants TO catch a street car
II wants surroundings that smack of the Ian.
guid south; a nice room, quiet set Of com
nanions. 1t must be slipped, Us it is dripped
slowly, like a connoiSseur sips his sherry. II
must be held UP in the glass, 80 that the light
will catch it and give it beautiful topaz hue
80 one can imagine he is slipping nectar.
The exhilaration steals over the frame
gradually, little more with each sip, anc
the drinker sliIs slowly, easily, dreamily int
that condition when all jokes are brilliant
and rank truiSIis develop into original fiashe:
Of philosophic knowledge, and the worlC
seems good and life seems worth the living
Then the drinker remembers all his .warII
poetry, and his mind takes on a tinge o.
orientalism Ii is delightful, indeed, bu
Americans can hardly get up, or rather CONT
down, TO that style. In New Orleans anC
through the far south this is possible, bu
above the line time is more nearly synonym
for money, and people want their pleasure al
in heap.
Ii appears that absinthe drinking is on tn
increase in st. Louis Of late, the only reasOl
to account for it being the fact that il is
foreign drink and that swells drink it on east
Its chief quality is that of exhilaratiOn; i
really resembles in its direct action nothing
N much as cocaine II acts almost instan
,ansnusly The Iiouid. As il pas~es down tn
.,s,nbsgps- seems TO smooth the kinks out o
tho h,rkhona on the way down. Ii straigthen
the drinker m The ewes dilate and il give
n feeling of strength to the muscles. Ii vii
ha seen what temporary eodsend il is to tn
rsp who after dehauch. Is afflicted wit
nervousness
Powerful As a stimulant, il has its culmir
,tes in a terrible reaction. and like ever
dr,,g II is r,sorted to to cure the evil it ha
caus,d and eventually enslaves the man O
woman who TOYS with it too freely. O
course. all men do not become slaves to it, a
all men do not ecome opium fiends who hit
the nine But its a bad thing to become az
custom.-d to The drip is the fashionabl
WAY tn drink il. but fashion becomes forgot
ten by the atrsinthe slave, and he soon drift
into taking il undiIuted and in enormou
doses inst ms the morphine victim become
accustomed 10 taking enough of the sleep
drug TO lall half dozen men. Its terribl
results have never become in this city,
matter of scientific observation or of restri,
tive legislation, and, Judging from the drinl
ing paculiarities of Americans, it never wi
ba
TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES.
In the eastern cities, however, importe
victims of the drug are often seen, and
France, Italy and Switzerland it is regarde
a. the greatest curse. Its use in the arm
and navy of France is prohibited by law.
first came into notice at the time of the A
gerian war, from 1874 to ls47, when it WI
recommended for Use by the soldiers III the
liquor rs preventive of fever. 1t develope
in few years that it was running the army
Observation by meiical men resulted in di
coveries that deadly as it was when pure,
was rendered even more so by adulteration
Its use, in the first place, impaired the d
| gcstive organs and spoiled the appetite. As
necessary consequence, sleepleSsncss followeC
with all the terrible torture that that imPlie
| The minds of the abSinthe fiends became d
ranged. They saw beautiful visions such 1
it is alleged the hasheesh eaters only know
They became exalted and pitched to a hig
key, and then there came the most terrib
depression, ending often in suicide, an
oftener still in imbecility. Loss of brain an
nerve power, degeneration of the muscle
| .,,,,,,, ,,o,, o,n,,,y its atfacts
Physical decay of the most disgusting kin
WAS no,iceul in the victims. and they had
| he kent from public view. These in one gel