The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1886-01-20
Whiskey and Beer.

w nlShcy dno DcSIs
1t is within the observation and expe-
rience of most persons of middle age that
drunkenness is much less prevalent than
1T formerly was. The social customs and
easy-going ways of life of which drunk
enness and spreeing were results have
largely fallen into disuse with the devel
opment of the modern industrial type OF
buster, but 1t has also more diversions OF
an intellectual, sentimental or esthetic
character, the result being that the aver
age man is not driven nowadays to con-
VITALITY to kill time. Fortunes, too. are
harder to make and easier to dissipate
80 that ruin speedily overtakes the "hard
drinker" whose mind is incapaciated for
attention to business The Unfortunately
bad character of most of the whiskey at
present obtainable no doubt detracts also
from the charm that tipping once had
for multitudes OF people. But whatever
the cause, it is indisputable that the
average consumption of intoxicating H.
quors has greatly declined in the last As
years. Excluding wine and malt liquors
from the list of potables the use of which
the temperance man, as distinguished
from the teetotaler, would pronounce
fairly safe, it may be inferred from the
figures presented in the report of the
bureau of statistics for the quarter ended
September Both, 1885, that the operation
of natural causes is fast making us tenn
perance people. The consumption Of dis
titled spirits in the United States in 1910,
for a population of 17,069,453, was as
much as $4,000, 984 gallons, or over %
gallons per annum TO each man, woman,
and child, while in 1885, for popula-
ton of more than 100000 the con-
sumption of distilled spirits was but TO-
600,677, or but little over Ii gallons to
each man, woman, and child. In the
torty-fve years since 1910 our population
has much more than trebled, put our
consumption of spirits has not doubled
has in fact increased but 1889, 793 gal
Ions. The American citizen of to-day
drinks, it would appear, less than hall
the whiskey and brandy his grandfather
consumed, or if half our population drink
as much as their progenitors, the other
half has quit drinking distilled spirits
altogether. The truth probably lies be
tween these two cases. What has been
substituted for the disused "strong drink
is shown In another table published by
the bureau of statistics. From this table
it appears that while but S73 O96 gal
Ions of wine and 23.3l0 843 gallons OF
malt liquors were consumed in 1910, in
1885 the consumption of wine had been
raised to 2088l ,635 gallons, or nearly
quadl upled, and the consumption of ale
and beer had grown to 500 Isl 500 gal
Ions, the increase being over twenty FIVE
fold. Domestic and foreign wines, beers,
and ales have taken the place of the
dram so dear and fatal to the past gen
GRAFTON. There was, it was shown above,
decrease between 1910 and 1885 of ! !
gallons in the quantity OF spirits con-
sumed by each man, woman, and child
in the United States. For this ii gal
Ions of whiskey or brandy have been sub
stituted ll.2 gallons of beer and wine.
The result, it would seem, has been a
beneficial one, although wine and beer
drinking Is by no means to be regarded
as devoid of danger from abuse. But,
certainly, in the cities where their use is
more common, it would appear that So
briefly Is to-day more general than ever
before during the present century.
Baltimore Sun.
We merely publish the above on account o
the figures, but without by any means intend
ing to accept all the conclusions of the Sum-
EDS. CEN PRES.