The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-05-24
HOW TO EAT, DRINK AND DRESS.
Blossoms Of Philosophy Gathered Along the
Pathway of Experience by an 0ld-Timer.


cult to determine just how to dress. pre-
cisely how to eat. and by eating 1 mean
drinking quite as much. / had occasion a
few nights since to be up very late. and in
q very noisy place, where excited men were
drinking, and smoking. and gesticulatine.
and shouting vehomently. Excited some
what myself, and very much interested
in q discussion which approached the
verge OF physical encounter more than
once, L unconsciously partook more
frequently than common sense or pru-
dence would indorse of iced champagne
and of q delicate concoction known IS O
whisky smash.
A whisky smash, when properly prepared,
is the most seductive beverage known to
mortal throat. You take q half spoonful
of granulated sugar and pour upon it a
half spoonful of water. Into the glass
put q half dozen sprigs of fresh mint, from
which you mash the Juice by dexterous
jerk a few drops of absinthe or bitters.
pour in perhaps q wineglass of good whisky
and just enough water to say so. STRAIN
this into q delicate cocktail glass. and you
have a refreshing stimulant which, taken
In moderation, aud well iced, is not only
~ u
of them. however. mixed with iced cham
payne. on q hot summer night, with q glass
of beer. are not calculated to improve the
tone of ones stomach.
That's where the beauty OF temperance
comes in. Temperance means that subtle
something which decides that the point Is
reached and moderation is satisfied and no
more must be- taken. Total abstinence,
save In the case of men who have no con-
troll over themselves. is as much q farce as
n~naaa IS an 90 N nrtnn 2 Infan mar.
ance on either hand should be avoided.
Well. there was a large company present,
and. arm in arm with q man well known IN
the realm of letters, ! started homeward.
parting with him at 3 o'clock in the morn
ing at the corner of Fifth avenue and
Twenty-third street. / came home, took a
water and went to bed. 1 slept like a
top, woke headachy, took a cold
bath, shaved and dressed myself with clean
fresh linen from top to bottom: never
suffered such agony in my head in my life:
with hysterical addenda. as / did from III
in the morning until 8 In the afternoon.
Then after a few doses OF Ola p0drlda the
pain disappeared, and l went to work as
bright as a button, my head as clear as a
bell.
This morning 1 met the gentleman from
whom | had parted at 3. He was q perfect
wreck. He looked like the stalk of the last
rose of summer. His eyes were bloodshot
he was unshaven and not particularly clean:
The contrast between us was SO marked
that we both spoke of it.
why. how we'll you look" said he.
what in the name of common sense is
the matter with youi" said l..
Mutual explanations followed. You
know what / did now | will tell you what
he did. He went home, and tumbled into
bed just as he was. l mean without q bath
or anything of that sort. The next mern-
ing he had a headache. He was too tired
and sick to battle and shave. He couldn't
eat. but he braced up on the theory that
the hair of the dog was good to culc the
bite of the eur. he braced up regretting
that he had unconsclously taken too mucb
the night before. but foolishly thinking
that the way to aid his stomach was to load
it still deeper and to push 1T still
deeper. Now it would have been
much better if the discussion we both had
had taken place in the open air,
and that hospitality had not reigned su-
preme, or that common sense had suggested
to us In the very heat Of what was really a
fierce and unpleasant discussion, that mod
GRAFTON and temperance were the best
friends to all concerned. But, as l say, at
such times one is not apt to think, and aft
er a mistake is made, the proper thing to
do is the best. If no refreshments had
been offered, all right, but there were.
Cleanliness, however. is next to ~godliness.
and in this hot weather, when you are
overcome mentally and physically, the
very best thing to bring you back to a nor.
NAL status Is cold ,wa~ter-plenty of
Gus care of the external as well as
the lnternalitIes. A dirty face and unshaven
beard are to me like a soiled collar. or q
runpled shirt front, or unpublished shoes.
Start right in the morning, close right at
night and half the battle is won. New
York is a city of drinkers. The rich here.
the poor there. In the magniticently-dec-
Grated saloons. with pictures costing from
$4,000 to $4,000 each, sit men of wealth
and moderate means slipping champagne
OF swilling whisky. In less conspicuous
places, but with equal tendencies and COM
and swilllng beer. So it is from one end of
Mauhattau island to the other, and that,
too, in a season of the year when nOdera-
ton and temperance would seem to be the
guide-p0st to health aud comfort.
Well, what should we drink? / think it
is a good scheme to drink coffee with break
fast, good coffee with boiled milk and q lit
tie iced water. At dinner, assuming dinner
to be at $50 or z, a glass or two of claret.
and if you can afford it q glass or two of
champagne, and then during the evening if
hospitality is extended by you or pressed
upon tou, there is no harm done to any one
if the dinner dose is repeated. But, bless
my heart. that isn't what | mean by drink
ing. The first thing in the morning when
YOU get to your office is the suggestion by
jill tOh0 Il @ Va - A4n hhV Il
has become q fad among a certain class of
men nowadays to go to the Astor House
about IL and drink q milk punch. Well,
now, a milk punch would do you no harm.
but the dickens of it is this is the United
States of America, where it is customary
for Tom to say to Dick. "Have q drinkfo
and. having taken it, then Dick is expected
To say to Tom. Have another"
There Is no such thing as moderation.
There is no such thing as temperance
among men of business and men of affairs.
The ordinary man isn't contented with q
glass of beer. He wants a pail of it, as if
he was a hog. or a horse, or a COW. Why,
read the story of Tracy, formerly the hus-
band of Agnes Ethel. the actress. 1t was
champagne before breakfast. and top off at
night with a quart of brandy. Heaven only
knows what he took between times. No
wonder he died. All sorts of patent medi-
cines are resorted to by the same people.
All sorts of bitters have their friends and
indOrsers, and as for soda-water, there is
hardly a mill-pond large enough TO hold the
quantity of this beastly stuff that is taken
every day during the hot summer months.
Obviously man is a drinking animal.
Somebody gave hin the appetite, as we all
have it. You who drink iced-water fifty
times a day are just as incorporate as the
man who drinks whisky twenty times a
day. l remember a great many years ago.
over In Brooklyn. a popular preacher
workingman's prayer-meeting at z o'clock
in the morning. a working girls prayer
meeting at 1850 In the morning, q regular
prayer-meeting at 8, a conference at IL. a
Drayer-meeting at 3, a prayer-meetlng at
7:30 and a lecture at 8, with q pastors talk
with the people at the close of the lecture,
And i had friends who literally and abso-
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