The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-01-21
DRINKING WOMEN.
They Ought to he Entirely Unknown to
Civilization.
The tempter's spell,
To keep my mind serene.

Civilization.
Drinking women! Alas! that there
can be such combination of words
in the English language, A drinking
woman ought to be entirely unknown
to civilization. 1t is true that there is
no sex in purity and truth, neither is
there any sex in vice and moral pu-
trescence A good man is az much de-
graded by glass of whisky or beer as
a woman is, but we expect better
things of her who should be the human
representative of purity and truth.
In making woman "the mother of all
living" God has given into her keep
ing the nurture and guardianship of
the race While his character is form
ing, man is almost entirely under her
care and training, into her hands and
into her heart has been given noble
task, from which an angel well might
shrink. When woman comes down
from the high pedestal on which God
has placed her, and becomes the
tempter Of man, she loses all that
makes her sacred. When, instead of
wooing him on to nobler thoughts. and
teaching him the sweet pure lessons
of self-denial, she offers to his lips the
cup Of qualification, she becomes
the serpent in earth's Eden. When
she urges him to live for selfish pur-
pose. or holds out to him a glass of
WINE, she insensibly lowers his stand
ard of purity and truth.
In the years that are gone-and God
grant that all of them may be gone
the New Year was ushered in with
sort of dissipation which was discredit-
able to every one concerned in it, and
especially to the ladies who furnished
their friends with Intoxicating liquors
Wine was considered almost as essen
tial to q Widespread table as cake, and
he who failed to drink it, in calling
upon a lady, was guilty of discourtesy
TO the jeweled hand that offered the
golden cup of denominations. The
consequence was that many mans
stomach might be appropriately
labeled "miXed liquors" and many y
hopeless drunkard of to-day can date
his ruin to the influence of bright eyes
and graceful forms But in all the
walks of good society, the best and
grandest women came to the front,
and banished wine from their tables.
Wealth and position, intellect and
morality, joined hands in the good
work, and the best elements of society
to-day stand pledged to the grand re-
form. To be sure, there are some who
have never found out that it is unfash-
ionable, who will still poison them
selves and their neighbors with their
favoritc beverages. But women who
occupy high social positions will no
longer degrade themselves and their
friends by pandering to low appetites.
There is another eature Of the dis
ease, however, which among certain
classes still obtains, and that is, per-
haps, the growing use of malt liquors.
There is many an ignorant over
worked woman, who fancies she could
not keep up without her beer; she
mistakes its momentary exhilaration
for strength, and. knowing nothing OF
the chemistry of the compound, and
very little of her own physiology, she
applies the whip instead of nourish-
meat to her poor, exhausted frame.
Any honest, intelligent physician will
tell her that there is more real strength
and nourishment in slice of bread
than in quart of beer; but if she
loves stimulants, it would be very
useless piece of information. 1t il
claimed that some of the lady clerks
in our own city (Chicago), and those,
too, who are employed in respectable
business houses, are in the habit OF
ordering ale or beer at the restaurants.
They probably claim that they are
"tired," and no one who sees theii
| faithful devotion TO customers all day
will doubt their assertions. But they
should not mistake beer for blessing
or stimulus for strength A careful
examination of statistics will prove
that men and women who do not drinl