The Progress., 1892-09-03
DRINK IN EUROPE.
II Il UnIversal and It's Evil Effects Arc
Everywhere.

Everywhere.
| Are the people Of Europe entirely
| given over to the use of spirituous
liquors? Such is the impression gained
by the casual American tourist. Wher.
ever his travels may lead him, in Great
Britain or Oh the Continent, he sees the
people indulging, without scruple and
without restraint, in every kind of alco-
holic drink. If he comes from a tenn
perance community or has strong tenn
perance principles his moral nature
receives many severe shocks during the
first days of his European travel or resi-
dence. But he very soon comes to I'M
derstand that the use of liquor, in one
form or another, is universal; that there
is deep seated conviction in the Euro
pean mind that God made water for
washing purposes, not for drinking, as a
German lady once expressed it to tho
writer's sister.
Americans are accustomed to attrib-
ute to this universal use of intoxicants
many of the social and moral evils which
now disturb and distress European coun-
tries. After a long aud careful study
OF the matter we believe this to be q
judgment. Scandinavia stands
at the head of the European temperance
movement. Here temperance reform
was sadly needed, for while beer and
wine are not consumed to as large an
extent as In some other countries, vet
these northern people have been, and
Are, deplOrably addicted to the use of
stronger iquors-brandy and whisky.
1t may be that in these Scandinavian |
the movement is largely due
% the medical profession, though they
Ire, as rule, supported by the clergy.
Germany Is, as we are accustomed to
egard her, the land of beer drinking.
md with Germany may be associated in
his respect Holland, Belgium, Austria.
nd perhaps Switzerland. 1t is. how
yer, mistake to suppose that drinking
these countries is limited to beer.
chnapps, gin or brandy, is very largely
onsumed by every class of people; wine
largely used by the better classes. To
that excess beer drinking is carried in
nese countries we know too well. It is
ain for The advocate of a moderate use
the Lighter liquors to refer to Ger
lany as an example of the beneficent re-
Its OF such a use. Granted that there
less real drunkenness in Germany
ian with us, yet we doubt if the evil
fects are in the end less. The German
inks. as he does everything else,
owly and deliberately, but at the same
me persistently, and the deleterious 7
fects of this continual taking into the
stem Of alcohol show themselves SOON 7
or later. A
Sometimes we hear it affirmed that a,
o German beer will not intoxicate.
1T any German will laugh at the idea G
u course it will intoxicate," he will a,
Il you, If You drink enough of it. lust
whisky and brandy will" Nowhere OF
n beer drinking DO studied SO thor
shly as among the German students
18th them drunkenness is no uncom-
IN thing. We have time and again -
N them thoroughly intoxicated from -
sr drinking. There is to them moth IN
, disgraceful about it. /
- o'~OSAs VIII Iou yOu m very mat
OF fact way that he had to be car
d home from the Kneipe the might
ore. And everywhere in the Ger
n universities can ono perceive tho Z
urious effects Of this habit We have No No
a the most promising men come up o.,
the university. and in two or three 0a'
nesters become utter wrecks, SOLELY e
m their indulgence in beer. We have
'rd students Of wide experience refer
such cases. And these n
dents may b taken as representative in
he German male population in this and
tier Of beer drinking. Beer il freely
d by German women, but Il not s.,
nix 70 such an excess as among the
economists are bringing forward q The
Ting array Of statistics relative TO
effects Of alcoholism ON the nation. D.
example, it has been recently shown ing
$780, 900 Of the working population ri
engaged in the liquor traffic. and %
about one-fourth Of the productive I'll
OF Germany is given to the raising i Frs,
he vegetable productives of alcohol. Fc
figures show q waste Of economic to o.
'gy that no government can disre-