The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-02-20
Prohibition and Bock-Beer.

has precpitatcd upon the Posi- food OF
communications, both pro and con, from
which We shrink in dsmay, and which
we can never hope to 10y before our read
crs until pulp factory and y paper mill
are established in Big Stone Gap and put
in running order.
We have opinions on the subject, OF
course. We have opinions on all subjects.
True, we ask no one to adopt them. All
the reader is asked to do is, pay for his
paper This done, we allow him the ut
most latitude We would not abridgc his
freedom of conscience if we could We
do not assume to regulate his morals. All
we want is, his money. He may differ
from US on every subject from brewing to
banking, from protection to poker-play-
ing. We give him our best advice; we
study I'D questions for him; We throw on
them such light as we can, even when the
electric machinery is out of order, but we
do not command obedience. The rest is
all left with the individual. All he orshc
has to do is, put up the tritiinS sum OF
81 .25 per annum and we throw in both
the postage and our opinions free.
But ii looks 10 us that the present move
ment is sinister step 10 compel the bar
keepers to get some of a certain subtle
and potent dccoction of malt and hops,
known rs bock-beer.
Those who are best informed in the mat
ter concur in their testimony, that this
species Of liquor offers superior induce
mcnts to the man who makes it his bust
ness to get periodically or habitually
drunk The right to get drunk once a
year, monthly, weekly or permanently, is
something that laws never have been, and
probably never will be able to deny man.
Montaigne relates that san excellent ply
stefan of Paris said, lest the digestive
faculties of the stomach should grow idle,
it was not amiss once month TO rouse
and spur them on BY this excess, or they
should grow dull and rusty. Thus it is
possible for a man to fortify himself be-
hind his book beer with science. and as
he advances in his drink lie will be able
to cope with the entire faculty OF disscn-
tors The enterprise of the rival dealers
in beer seems to be wholly supcrtiuous,
when thew offer succulent oyster with
each glass. 1t may be also urged that this
procedure is to take an undue advantage
Of the oyster and TO place that representa-
tive of the animal and vegetable kingdom
in an embarrassing position. The oyster
is uEdoubtcdly the older Of The two, and
is nobly decendcd from two OF the ruling
departments of creation. /! is Il natural
product, and has been worshipcd III al ages
bv Pagan, Christian, jew and Turk; while
beer is mechanical invention Of later
date, only OF recent years has it been
drunk in America and then only when a
man was extra dry But the influence of
beer had been very wide Take, for ex
ample, the former prejudice against Linz
berger cheese. This article Of fcod is
now admitted into the best society (of
American drinkers) who begin to yearn
for it at an early stage Of Che delicious in
tcxicating. After the enlargement of the
stomach, the regular beer drinkcr becomes
equal to the lunch bowl, and it is this IL
regular consumption OF stale bread,
crackers, bologna and nameless sausages
and soups, or whatever is ut hand or which
has been spared BY the flies. that dis
tinguishcs him from Che amateur, and
enables him to drink indefinite quantities.
1t is now evident that when man
reaches the state OF mind and body when
he can eat anything, he is relieved OF many
of his nicetics, and is ready to take the
world as it comes. In short, he is con-
verified into philosopher. Besides, Il skill
full drinkcr, alternating between picked
herring, lunches and liquids, may keep
the thing up all day long and have the ad-
vantage in the meantime Of letting his
business go to the bad without being con
ccrncd in the least about It, as long as tho
beer holds cut. He can 90 TO bed COM
foytably inebriated, sleep heavy and
dreamless sleep, and be ready for rcpcti
~: ~ In;l,- A
beer saloon life is only q lever order Of
club life, where social distinctions
are in measure cast to The winds, and
where the young ar!st0cTat would 1T
once acknowledge consanguinity with the
tattered wretch at the counter, if he
would only stop long enough to examine
the strawberry mark on his own arm.
We drink brotherhood in beer
Your beer drnkcr is the friend and UNI
avoidablc companion of all dilapidatcd
men Beer might be apostrophizcd
as the temperance orator, Cough, adj
dressed his glass of sparkling water. 1t
has cemented friendships, it has driven
dull care away, it has inspired poems, it
has raised the depressed in spirits, it has
exalted the lowly in life, it has been the
equal friend of Bottom, the weaver, and
Bismarck, the statesman. 1t has fallen
like balm OF tho crushed heart of the
rejected lover, and has enabled him to di-
vert his thoughts in another direction
when he got sober. In The beer saloon
all serions questions are mcckcrv: am