The Progress., 1892-11-05
THE BEER HABIT IN GERMANY.

70 L Asssaing the Form os an Ept
deais-Thrso Boys Killed By Alcohol.
Statistics from northern and central
Europe have repeatedly been quoted fof
the purpose Of proving that the craving
for alcoholic drink threatens TO assume
the form Of an epidemic, and that the
stimulant habit among millions of our
fellowmen has acquired the force Of
second nature. But the strongest prool
Of that fnct Is incidentally furnished by
. pamphlet intended to demonstrate the
ruinous tendency Of overtaxation a. Q
consequence Of the enormous expendi.
ture for standing armies, etc.
Circulars had been addressed to Ger.
man mechanics Of all classes, askine
them to state the cost Of living and rata
Of wages In their neighborhood, and the
classified result has now been published
by the committee Of leading labor or
ganization. From that pamphlet II
would appear that plurality Of such
mechanics as masons, bricklayers and
house carpenters earn less than LOCO
marks (about $200) = year, and have TO
limit their household expenses to the ab-
solute necessaries of life, but among those
necessaries q considerable number Of
the respondents continue to include beer.
Thus one laborer, from Erlangen, in
the kingdom VI Bavaria, states that his
total eaanings as foreman Of q quarry
are $50 marks q year; the aggregate
added by his wife and children picking
up odd jobs at washing, errand running,
etc., about 100 marks more. Their house
rent does not exceed 100 marks; cloth
ing and shoes. so; food, 750 marks (about
$50 year, for q family of five); taxes
and contributions, 40 marks; but the
same family admit to DO spending l2O
marks for beer-whilc evidently cruelty
stinting themselves In food and cloth
ing, for the prices Of both are almost as
high in Bavaria rs in Illinois. And,
moreover, that pamphlet is avowedly
published for the purpose Of demon
strating that with the utmost possible
economy it is hard to make both ends
meet under the present system OF taxa
ton.
In q suburb Of Groningen, In north
Holland, a gang Of street arabs recently
rummagcd O country wagon while the
proprietor was treating q friend In Q
neighboring coffee house. One Of the
youngsters happened to see pile Of fod-
der covered with an old overcoat, and
after removing an armful of straw dis
covered key of Schiedam schnapps,
tho same liquor which our importers Of
foreign high wines describe as strength
ening and exhilarating beverage" Not
one OF the little marauders was more
than twelve years old, but their leader
managed to procure wheelbarrow that
enabled them to trundle the keg out of
town and along the towpath OF an old
canal, where they turned into a side
trail and lifted their prize over the fence
Of an out Of the way pasture. Here they
encamped under shade tree and agreed
to devote tho afternoon to the pleasure
OF exhilaration.
After an hour and half the prescrip
ton began to work, and the members oi
tie symposium fell like Baresarks upon
q flock Of sheep at the other end OF th<
pasture, ripping and stabbing away
with their pocketknives till the result
would have kept their parents in mutton
for tho rest of the year. In the dispute
for the prize Of bravery, the young
heroes, however, proceeded from words
to blows, and at last to knives. Two ol
the younger combatants were slashed
in q horrible. manner, two others go'
drowned in the attempt to escape aoros,
the canal, and one of the victors ha'
since died from an overdose Of alcohol
Felix l.. Oswald, NJ. D.