Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-05-19
HORRORS OF ABSINTHE.
A Beverage Far Worse In tn h
foct0 Than Other IntoxicantA


RarAlys0s Ita Victims.
Boobies, who recently came into suoh
an unexpected pile Of money that he
has been seeking fantastic forms Of dis
sipation ever since, was drinking his
sixth absinthe cocktail in succession at
the Platypus Club Thursday night.
says the Washington Star, when Sniff
kins, who has lived in Paris for 80
many years, you know, ohided him
gently.
''My dear fellow" said he, ''if you 60
on drinking that stuff in such q reckless
way you'll be in your grave within two
years at the outside"
Don't be too witty, Smifkins. At
all events I can say that I have never
drank enough absinthe yet to intoxi-
cate me. You don't observe, do you,
that my utterance is not distinct at this
moment, or that my ideas seem oon'
fused?"
mot in tho slightest And the fact
illustrates the most remarkable Pc
culiArity of abisinthe. 1t doesn't intox-
icate in the ordinary way at all. A man
may be in an advanced state Of exhilar-
alton from its effects and yet he will not
show the slightest symptoms of drunk
enness. That IN one thing that has
made this distillation from wormwood
80 dangerously popular. You can drink
glass after glass Of 1t, maintaining your
self at . high pitch OF mental and
nervous excitement and exaltation for
hours and yet not feel nor. exhibit the
slightest confusion of intellect or the
least locomotive difficulty. Under such
influence you will be able to 60 to .
dinner party and shine conversationaly
with . brilliancy unusual 10 you. or you
may take part in q public debate with
success you could not achieve without
the aid Of this extraordinary brain stim-
ulant The exhilarataon 1t produces.
too, - far more agreeable than that OBJ
tanned from any other intoxtcAnt Men
never learn to like whisky; 1t u always
Abhorrent 10 the palate, a. you may sec
by Watching drinkers at bar gulp 1t
down so as not to taste 1t any more than
they can help. But absinthe has Q
favor that is exquisite to its habitual
consumers. Moreover, Its pleasant slim
ulstion does not lapse into subsequent
dullness and drowsiness, and it never
occasions nausea"
"All Of which," said Boobies, "leads
up, I suppose, to something dreadful at
the end"
"Well, was going to say that If you
drink another Of those absinthe cock
tails, oil right as you feel now, you will,
as like as not, fall over at once on
the floor, like dead man, and remain
unconscious for many hours, at the end
of which you will experience all the
pains which are apt to follow q pro-
longed spree. That is the way absinthe
acts, so take my advice and don't drink
any more Of it tonight. Ihave learned
| great deal about its effects in Q general
way during the years 1 have spent in
France, where the absinthe vice has
grown so within the past generation
as to seriously demoralize the race. TIC
| it is attributed by the authorities in
large part the decrease in the French
population. Over there it is drunk
| usually in this way: AS much absinthe
as would fill two pony brandy glasses
| put into an ordinary tall, thin tumbler
and some sugar syrup Is put in 1t, water
being th0n poured in from q height very
slowly. Instead of sugar syrup lump
sugar is often used, placed on top OF 9
little sieve covering the mouth of the
tumbler; the sugar is moistened with
water and drips through the sieve intc
the absinthe.
1.-The process takes about fifteen min
utes, during which, while he waits, the
customer sits at table and reads the
Petite Journal, or the Journal Pou-Rire
may be. A man l once knew had II
mildly and described to me the prelim
mary symptoms.
HE was lying in bed At night read.
ing by the gaslight, when he Jaw the
door swing open and large baboon en-
tered. The beast looked ct him once
sorrowfully, and then withdrew, but the
door opened again almost Immediately
and in came . second baboon. The frst
one followed, and the two proceeded tt
stretch q slack rope across the room
above the bed; and then on the slack
rope began to walk over, coming II
through one wall and going out through
the other. all the animals that evel
came out Of the ark, beginning with ths
little ones, suoh as squirrels and rabbitA
and getting bigger and bigger, up K
the bears, tigers and rhinooerosss
When tho elephant came along my
i friend broke loose, and his yells soor
brought assistance and subsequently,
Doctor. He never tasted absinthe afte
that. Pray accept my counsel, Boobies
and don't you"