Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-10
Church saloons.

DR.. Rainsford OF st. Georges is the first
clergyman, We believe, at all events in this
country, TO suggest that the cure for the evils
Of the saloons lies in the Improvement Of the
saloons. When be first put forward this sug
gestion it doubtless gave q shock 10 many
worthy people. who viii be equally shocked
now that he has developed the suggestion in
sermon delivered from his own pulpit That
kind Of Podsnappcry which closes its eyes TO
facts that are unpleasant prevails among the
Engiish-speaking race to an extent elsewhere
unknown. Temperance reformers. like re-
formers OF some other kinds. scout every sug-
gestion for the improvement of the saloons ~
. tampering with the cursed thing. What they
desire 10 70 abolish the saloons. 1t is of no
use to show them that this is imprscticable. or
at least that it is impracticsble by closing the
saloons to put stop to drinking or even TO
effect any considerable change in the habits Of
the people. Whenever they have the power
they pass prohibitory laws. and the presence of
these laws on the statute book. although they
do not in fact prohibit and never have pro-
hibited. they regard as an achievement in the
cause OF temperance. In point of fact il is an
achievement in the other direction, since the
state BY prohibiting traffic at least ignores it's
existence and thus deprives itself OF the power
OF regulating and improving it.
In the sermon We are discussing DR.. Rains
ford speaks with ali proper respect OF the
!.
both Of the emotional and of the legislative re-
formers. He looks the facts IN the face with a
ifankness that - rare among phlsnthropists,
and perhaps, rarer in the pulpit than out Of it.
He points out that the saloon is, in fact, the
poor mans club. The poor man does not re-
sort to It primarily for drink, but for society,
and the drinking is incidental People who
have comfortable homes OF their own do not
comprehend the conditions Of the homes which
majority OF the people OF large cities inhabit.
IN which. from mere lack Of space. there can be
little quiet and no privacy. and from which it
Is natural and inevitable that tho men should
desire occasionally to escape. They go where
they can meet other men of their own kind and
pass an hour or so OF their scauty leisure in
talk. In this there il nothing wrong. The
conditions Of the saloons to which they are
thus driven to resort are such as TO favor
continual and excessive drinking. In most
Of them there are no seats, but the
visitors stand up ut bar and each member of
the assembled group of takers treats in turn.
When the late Fanny Kemble first visited this
country she records that she met an English
actor who, on being asked how he liked the
country, replied that he liked It very well,
except for the COMPOUNDED custom of perpen-
dicuiar drinking The custom of treating is a
natural sequel OF the custom of ''perpendIcular
drinking" II seats we're provided. as in many
Of the German resorts, the men wEo occupied
them would buy drinks for themselves alone
not suit the saloon keeper, whose interest it is
to sell the maximum number Of drinks, and
whose existing arrangements arc admiralty
adapted to that end, but it would very greatly
promote temperance.
Now. what DIR. Rainsford proposes is the es-
adjustment of model saloons in which the
profit from the sale Of liquors Is not the object
of the owner but in which beer and light wines
shall be sold, together with simple and whole
some food. Seats, OF course, will be provided
and provision be made for the women as well
as the men OF the families in the neighborhood.
The introduction of wives with their husbands
would alone be long step in the direction OF
temperance. II such saloons weGe established
women would naturally try to induce their hus-
bands to patronize them rather than the sa-
looms of the kind already existing and them
selves to accompany their husbands; and il
would be hard for the men to devise decent
pretext for refusing such appeal. The
presence of respectable women would of itself
almost put stop to excessive drinking. ard the
model saloon would be not merely or mainly a
drinking place. but really a workmgmen's and
workingwomen's club. Only it must be borne
in mind that as its object must be to discour-
age. while the object Of the existing saloon
must be to encourage, excessive drinking the
model saloon cannot compete commercially
with the existing saloon. 1t must be founded,
that is to say, on a phiIanthropic and not on
commercial basis, and the keeper must be a
man employed by the owner and not man
DONG business on his own account and for his
own profit.
Such a saloon as Dr. Rainsford has in mind
would be benefaction to its neigh borhood
and would resemble the German family o. or
| rather than the American bar. which is visibl,
superseding the family resort, even in The Ger
man quarters of the town. There is no reason
| why DR.. Rainsfords clerical brethren should
not join him in his efforts to procure the estab
lishment Of such places. nor why rich and gen
| erous laymen should not make their effort
| practicable. Certainly such movement woul,
do more for Temperance reform" than all the
prohibitionists have succeeded in accomplish
ing.