The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-06-29
Drinking in England.
SAturtiAH Review.

duced the total amount drunk, have portioned it out among a much smaller proportionate number of peo- pie. In the amiable, if not exhilarat- ing picture which MT. ThAckeray drew of the er-dinner moments of an average middle class Briton some forty years ago, Mrs. Briton "had had two glasses" (old ones, ten or twelve to the bottle), Mrs. Briton's mamma four and Mir. Briton himself the remainder. In row of thirty such houses 1t may be we'll that, while thirty bottles were so drunk then, only twenty are drunk none, is drunk in half of them, the actual consumption per drinking head is increased, not decreased. Again, do the eeople who drink SO little after dinner drink as little at other times? We trow not. Their fathers, who would have regularly consumed three or four glasses of port, and at feast day perhaps have managed each his bottle or more of claret, had probably not touched anything alcoholic before dinner at all, unless it was glass of light beer or light sherry at luncheon. The model man, a joy to temperance persons, who scarcely touches a single round of claret before hurrying to his cigarette, has not only drunk cham pagne at dinner, but has not impos- sibly opened the day with 8 brandy and soda, has consumed various nips of spirits and liquors, has imbibed not & little champagne at luncheon, and perhaps at odd times as well, while he will very likely return to whisky and potash, or brandy and soda once, or a good deal more than once, before he goes to bed.
 The drinks of the time are beyond all doubt champagne Cor at least sparkling wine of some sorO and spirits mingled with (for the most effervescing) waters, liquors and non- descript drinks of various kinds being thrown in quite freely. In the poorer ranks, at any rate, and in that not inconsiderable portion of the richer which have no taste, the spirits are often exceedingly bad, from the worst kind, which is merely the "plain Ger man" aforesaid, diluted and favored, to that which consists of not exactly bad, but insufficiently matured, whisky and brandy. To this kind of stuff mixed with soda water may per- haps be awarded the palm over all other liquids for achieving two appa- rent contradictions. It seems to quench the thirst, and it makes you horribly thirsty it does not seem to get you any forrader, and 1t by degrees makes man simply drunk. Then for champagne. Champagne properly and sparingly used-that is to say, not sparingly at time, but at spare ing times-is, as every body knows, a most admirable eXhilarator, stimulant and tonic. Taken constantly, 1t ruins the!nerves by constantly jogging them, and inviting the use of stronger liquors to quiet them, not to mention Gan evil which, from our own point of view, we think considerable) that the reckless drinking of it when it is new and not fit to drink by tasteless per- sons leaves persons of taste none of 1t to drink when it is old and fit to drink, unless they are millionaires. Both brandy and soda and champagne can be, and are drunk at any time, and when you begin you go on. They can be drunk standing, sitting, loafing, pretending to work (scarcely work ing), before breakfast, after dinner, and they are drunk at all times. Except an utter barbarian, nobody could ever reconcile himself to drink ing good port or claret in such 6 man.