The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1888-09-05
RUINED BY BEER.
The Malt Liquor Responsible for Large
Share of Female Inebriety.

Share of Female Inebriety.
"Beer does il"
"Does what?, asked the reporter
at starts Them replied the police
sergeant. ado you see that woman"
1t would have been impossible not
to see her, and having seen her once
it would be even more difficult to for
get her. She was not old, yet she was
bent and crooked as a scrub oak. Her
dress was of the poorest quality, be-
dragglcd, soiled and ragged. Her face
was scanned with lines or dissipation,
and her brown hair hung down her
back in matted and tangled coil She
leaned heavily against the sergeant S
desk, and looked deiiantly around her.
MARY" said the sergeant, "what is
it this time?'
"Nothin'." responded the woman.
"What is it, oflicer?"
Drunk and disorderly," replied the
officer. "She was singing There
is a better land to the tune of we
won't go home till morning on Tenth
avenue about an hour ago, and when
went to take her in she laid down in
the gutter and l had to get a truck to
haul her to the station house, and the
officer wiped his face as though the re-
collection even made him warm.
Take her downstairs, remarked
the sergeant. mo need of question
ing her. l know her pedigree. Ten
years ago. continued the sergeant,
addressing the reporter, MARY was
as pretty girl as lived in this ward
once thought of marrying her myself,
but friend of mine was ahead of me
and the wedding was the event of the
season."
What is the cause of her down
fallP'
Beer started her. John, her hus
band-he was divorced from her five
years ACCUSED to bring home beer il
the evening, and she got to like it Toe
well. Now she drinks stale beer in til
cans when she can't get whisky o.
rum. l tell you, beer starts most o
them. Out of fifty women arrested
here last summer | learned that thirt,
of them got their first taste for liquo
from beer"
The reporter questioned a promi
ment physician of this city, who wa
for several years connected with tn
staff of the Fort Hamilton Home TO
Incbriates, regarding the way wome
begin to drink.
II have studied rather carefully int
this subject" replied the doctor, IAN
have a few figures which may be in
teresting. Out of 200 imebriated won
en-, some of whom belong to our sc
called first society," found that II
began their drinking by the use {
beer, 81 by drinking whisky Gas pune
at first usually, 90 began with wine,
with gin, and II could not remembe
what beverage was first used. OF tn
beverages first used, while in but 8
cases it began with whisky, in Is
it had become the favorite be-
} eragc. Several hopeless drunl
ards, have gone toward insanit,
had never drank any other intox
cant than beer. One hundred an
twenty-five We're committed to prise
for drunkenness. Sc for otfens'
against chastity and public order an
l6 for crimes against property. The
ages when last committed average
| 500 years. Sixty-five were betwee
80 and Il years of age, 40 between
, and 81 years of age, "a between 20 al
% years of age. 80 between 10 and
years of age. The remainder We
t over IL years of age"
How did this drinking affect the
children?'
: Il have some statistics on this su
D feet, too. OF Ill inebriate mother
80 of whom had inebriate husband
: l0S children were born. OF these
4 persisted in infancy and early chill
4 hood. and of the survivors many a
5 doomed evidently to an sarly deaf
D In many cases the death of these CHI
! dren was indirectly due to the inebr
, ty of the parents, as cold, deprivatio
t etc. Ages: Twenty-seven of the :
: women began to drink intoxicants
! fore they were ten years Of agei IL