Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-18

RULE.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
LONDON, April 80, 1898.
Hand in hand the two greatest nations of the
earth are struggling onward toward that bright
millennium when man shall drink but water. 1t
may be added that these two greatest nations,
England and America, are also the two drunk
enest nations. Perhaps this is the reason they
are able to boast that they lead the world in the
cause Of temperance.
But 1T does not seem as though the temper
ance workers fifty appreciated the extent to
which England and America are confederated
in this great work. To England the good peo-
pie Of the states are indebted for Lady Somer
sets benign persuasiveness. Merry Englands
temperance workers are now turning longingly
toward the Yankee notion of local option and
hope to see the bill now in parliament become
a law.
WATER IN WHISKY
The practice of putting water in whisky, that
has become prevalent Of late in America, is
another instance. OF course, if a man who has
always drunk his whisky without any water in
it is led to drink it half water he is taken half
way over the road that ends at total abSti-
nence. English people water their whisky be-
cause it is 60 80 per cent alcohol and the cop
per Innings that necessary to enable one to
drink it straight are not only expensive, but
inconvenently heavy. The style is rapidly
spreading to America and is another evidence
OF the good influence that is being exerted by
this tight little isle. as people are SO fond of
calling It, though the amount of drunkenness
there, as here. does not justify the unqualified
use of the word tight"
THE BARMAID.
Perhaps the most interesting element of the
temperance question in England is the bar
maid. And. mark you, if the people of the
states do not. metapboricallv speaking. en-
brace this innovation too. this corner of THE
STAR Is no better prophet than the weather in
dications corner. One New York saloon keeper
has already tried the idea. but it was not
cessful 1t used to be positively pathetic to
see a man whose throat felt like dusty road
rush in and gasp Gimme" and then, as he
caught sight OF the white-aproned young lady
behind the bar. add Excuse me, / thought this
was a saloon" and rush out.
THE STARVATION ARMY.
This great. starving army of the unemployed
in London now gives peculiar force to the
temperance question. Imagine big, broad
shouldered man. with the muscles and the
courage that should enable him to earn a living
anywhere in the world, who has not been able
to get an hours work for six months. The
food and care. The man sits on the ground in
the corner of back cellar, where he and his
children are allowed to live, like dogs. rent
free. The hungry-eyed son leans his skinny
face against the fathers ragged sleeve and Sobs:
"Oh. dad, dad I'm so ungry."
AYE. aye, my lad. am Hi.
The little girl on the floor rolls her great,
sunken eyes, but is too weak to move. There
are tears in the mans eyes as he unbuttons his
sons torn, greasy little coat. As he pulls it off
~. III Ia Al n
seem almost to prick through the skin. Rolling
the child's coat into small bundle the
man. his own coat rawned long ago, goes
ont, hatless and in his shirt sleeves. Two
hours later he comes home blind drunk. Doe,
not this speak volumes for the lberality OF the
British pawnbrokers and saloon keepers?
THE SECRET OF PERPETUAL YOUTH.
But to come back to the bar maids. One
usually does. They are really remarkable
young persons in many ways. For instance,
they seem to know the secret of perpetual
youth. They will generally be found. however.
to be more than seven years old A friend OF
mine who is foolish enough to keep a diary.
keep it all the year around. that is, showed me
a bar maid who he declared had had forty or
fifty birthdays according to his diary My
friend WAS good enough to introduce me to
her. | complimented her on the freshness of
her appearance and said that 1t seemed incred-
able that she should not be tired after her long
DAYS work. She explained that she was in ex-
ceptionally good spirits because the NOR
row was her birthday and she was to have day
out.
But" interjected my friend. .'you have
already had two birthdays this week.
''Sirl' she said with a hauteur such as one sell
dom sees save in cable car gripman. '.You
forget yourself" l that my friend had
lacerated her sensitive nature. and in order to
change the current OF her thoughts | asked if
she expected to receive many birthday presents
She said that she could not think of accepting
valuable presents from gentleman she had
known short time she had me. She
could not think of allowing me to give her any
thing more than a brooch or ring or some such
trife. The dear, modest creature.
OF course. if one makes presents to barmaids
the necessary hi-ti-which is English for money
is deducted from ones beer money, aud SO
the good work goes on.
SUNDAY DRINKING IN WALES.
1t not a great while ago that the i'm
perial parliament accomplished grand good
thing by passing the Sunday-closing act for
Wales. According to the provisions oc this act
one must travel three miles from home before
he can legally take a drink, in the principality
on Sunday. 1t has done wonders for the cause
of temperance and the street car companies
As the law is unique in its way an explanation
here may not be uninteresting. The law pun
ishes any one who sells intoxicants on Sunday
and also any one who is found on licensed
premises" i. e., a saloon, on Sunday The
law says however. that the right Of a bona fide
traveller to get what refreshments he wants
shall not be abridged. The courts construed a
bona fide traveller to be any one who had travelled
three miles from the place where he last slept.
People seemed very well satisfied with this and
did their three miles without grumbling
though it sometimes made it inconvenient for
them to go to church. Recently an almost Gill
bertian twist has been added to this interesting
law. A few weeks ago the courts decided that
the quenching of thirst was not legally bust
ness, and that a bona fide traveller must have
some more legitimate business than a desire
to drink as The occasion for his travelling This
new construction OF the law has given a WON
derful stimulus, naturally. TO the inventive
faculties of the people of Wales. One young
man with what is called in home rule land '.au
llllgant thirst arrested for being on
licensed premises on Sunday and accounted for
his presence there by saying that he was court
ing the barmaid. He was acquitted and now
the barmaid is suing him for breach of promise.
THE sABBATARIAN SENTIMENT.
Sunday Is really coming 10 mean more in
England than it used to. OF course, the saloon
business is controlled by act of parliament only,
and there is no immediate prospect of change
SO far as Sunday selling in England and Scot
land Is concerned. 1t Ia in other directions
that the Sabbatarian sentiment is making itself
felt. In Brumagem-which is English for
R1rY1 INA hor II N.- have