The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-04
THE BEER HABIT.
Gambrinus Is Surely Conquering the
Devotees of King Alcohol.
New York Sun.

new 1oTh Suu
We are informed by London Society that
champagne, which has been the favorte
beverage of wealthy Russians since the
reign of Catherine the Great, s going out of
fashion In Russia. We are not told what
kind Of beverage is used as a substitute for
it, but we are aware that the Government
has for some time past been especially de-
sirous that the officers of its military SER
vice should favor the consumption of wines
made from the grapes that grow In the
Crimea, Bessarabia and other southern
provinces of the Cars empire. Beer and
other fermented liquors have also grown in
the favor of many of the proud Russians,
including officials, who formerly despised
them as vulgar rotations.
Beer is the drink OF the civilized world in
this generation more than it ever was in
any other. The Germans and the English
were formerly the chief consumers OF malt
beverages, and even yet they may hold the
first rank as such, but, strange 10 say the
French have within recent years taken to
| beer as they never took to It at any other
| time in their history. There are now In
Paris hundreds of shops in which more beer
than claret is sold, and many of these shops
| are not in the poor quarters. The citiz2ns
| in bourgeois garb can be seen drinking Ii,
| the prOletairp, the German halter, the SOL
| der the bouleyardier, even the chauvlnist,
| who may be a deputy or Municipal Coun-
| cilor. The beer habit has grown in other
| Latin countries OF Europe, especially In
| Italy, and 1t is on the rise In Spain. 1t is in
| some measure counteracting the brandy
| habit in Sweden, the whisky habit liz Scot
| land and the vodka habit in Russia. There
| are even Turks who hold that the Prophet
| did not prohibit beer in eondemning wine
| and one orthodox Mohammedan has pub
| ltshed an argument on this subject. In the
| great American republic beer is pr0digious
| and we stand ready to be convinced that
more of il was drunk last year in this c0un-
| try than in Germany We have plenty of
| drinkers of whisky, mixed liquors and
wines but we most certainly have ten times
more beer drinkers. Millions of barrels Of
| beer are needed every year TO quench
the thirst of New York We owe
| beer, by which we mean lager beer
to the Germans. who Began to come here
IN swarms less than halt a century ago.
Before that time we had malt liquors, such
as ale and porter. which were largely i'm
ported from England, but the amount of
them consumed was small and little revenue
was derived from them. The fav0rite
beverages of tipDlers up 10 the time when
General Franz Sigel and General Carl
Schurz came over here. had been MOnonga-
hela or old rye whisky in New York. Med
form rum in Boston and heavy port in
PHILADELPHIA. AS for Chicago 1t was not
then on the map.
To our esteemed German immigration.
therefore, this country owes the beer which
il now quaffs with satisfaction in a volume
almost az great as the body of water at
Niagara Falls. Truly, beer Is eonqueror
its nQuests are extending over the world.
We urge the brewers OF improve the quality,
so that il shall be more tit for consumption
by men Of Judgment.