Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-07-25
DRINKING HABITS.
,,.,-.s in Them since the Days e our
Grandfatners.

s-.trre of the centennial cele-
st+rac.sd more general attention
~. small amount of drunkenness IN
iAaA a. crowds. The streets " re pack-
tn5 In ,eople all day long day after
~ ~ vet cases at intox cation we're
90! f-eo1ent that they at racted atten-
bg rneir yerJ rarIty. 1t can fairly
liol - remarks the Examiner, jour
O5 7-.,rasenting the Baptist denomi-
,that the city during the three
n. was remarkably tree from drunk
The saloons were all open and it
"a that they did large business.
u, .sg.r that may be, tue fact is certain
- .,aro were very few signs of intOica-
- The remark Is now made oontantly
'e.o,la Who were about the streets for
u! IN every one of the three days that
- ala not see single person under
Isiranencg of liquor. This also Is ex-
LINT evidence that the people at large
lifted with good sense and know hog
5orage themselves, even IN strange
.G,'-soD3 on gala days, ana 1t may be
s,,-ly said to show that 6ney have 10 this
cot made great advances over the
,trIe of one hundred years ago.
mr.. is no doubt that the Examiner
d. s1+irely right in the opinion that in
cot of self-control the American
a,Ia of 1889 are superior TO those of
l-sa and tlat there Is consequently less
,4,orkepness and of disorder which
--tr,,s from drunkenness on a gala
,,,osion now than in the days of our
+gran5fathers. Those were the
5s,s when people drank strong liquors,
al we're expected TO get drunk on them,
and did not suffer for getting drunk;
,.b.r ministers and deaSons went from
t,a .xamiuation of a theological Students
ortbodox s.. and his consequent fitness TO
bacome A pastor, to a dinner where the
nosr5 WAS graoed with brandy and rum
good old New England rum"-when the
yTess of teddy was religiously presented
tba Young pastor a the house of every
Darishioner on whom ne called; when
minis ers occasionally get intoxicated
vitbout mourning Dismissal; and when
ppblic men of the highest standing
might slip under the table at a banquet
without forfeitlng the confidence of their
constituents In those days tens and
hundreds of thousands of people could
NOT have assembled and shown only a
rare case of drunkenness.
The change is in part due to the growth
the people. 1t no longer provokes crit
icism, or ever causes remark if gentle
man does not drink wine at public din
uer. Society recognises that 1t Is per-
soual question, about which others have
no right to concern themselves. There
were plenty of people in last weeks crowds
VII are in the habit of drinking liquor
o. some kind and who did drink during
ths days of the celebration. The point
is that they did not get drunk, ane the
chief reason for this undoubtedly was
that they generally did not drink the
more intoxicating kinds of liquor. The
Introduction of lager beer in the United
States has Switched Off a large proper
ton of drinkers from "hard" liquors to
malt The man who years ago would
take two or three glasses of whiskey ana
get lighting" drunk on them, now taxes
two or three mugs of beer and does not
get drunk at all.
These changes in drinking habits are
not confined TO the United States. They
are hardly less noticeable in Great Britain.
lu recently presenting the budget to the
house of commons the councillor of the
eEchequer called attention to the fact
that during the last quarter of a century
there has been a great, q material, and
striking fall in the consumption OF
spirituous liquors, as shown by the re-
csipts from the excise tax. II have good
news again for the friends of the TEN
perauce cause" he said Thought it
has made and continues 10 make a GAP
III the receipts or the exchequer. This
great revenue does not grow in proper
ton TO poulation. 1t might be thought,
now that We are at critical moment in
The revival of trade, that this would again
lead to an increase in the revenue from
drink. But in has not done so.' He pro-
coded 70 show in detail that spirituous
drinks have fallen more and more behind
for the lest dCzan years; that CORE
poudiug change has gone on in wines,
So that more than half the vine now con
s1med belongs 10 the lighter kinds, while
formerly the lighter kinds were only one.
third OF the whole; that since 1876 Jue to
'al consumption of wine has sunk from
100000 gallons TO 100000 gallOns,
while The total couumption of the lighter
kinds of wines has risen from 100000
gallons 10 100000 gallons; that less wine
VI e.l kinds vas consumed last year than
III previous years, and that the total drink
revenue last year showed a falling off des
despite increase in population, the sole
increase being in beer, ana that increase
only .~othi-ds of l per cent
Such facts show conclusjvely that in
both Crest Britain and the United States
mo Iumoero of people who abstain entirely
from 'ae u-s OF liquor is steadily increas-
ing and 'aat those who use liquor of any
sort are more and more inclined TO drop
'oLA' N1isseg and brandy for the lighter
wines, a.e aud beer. That these changes
'0 Dsot have already gene far enoug TO
produce noticeable effects is demonstrated
,J 'le sotrrty of last weeks vast crowds.
4-"le opinion now frowns on drunken
-5-- and man suffers serious harm who
-t'"- himself TO be overcome by liquor.
1'- lr7' rep should be the organizing
~ % P1oIc sentiment which will suppress
saloon by masking it disreputable for
"-1 'o enter such a place. That the
4'A centennial celebration will find the
--'..l states q nation of total abstsners
ae highest degree improbable, but
'L"' TOO much 20 hope hat it may
--' .ae country although consuming a
s. amount Of liquor, free from the
'.a. Eng influences of stand up