The Bessemer indicator., 1894-03-24
IS A NATIONAL SHAME.
THE DRINKING HABIT AMONG
ENGLISH WOMEN.
Shocking Addiction to InebrIety Among
All Glasses of the British shown by
OOvernment and Other Statistics
Startling Testimony.

"Drunk as duchess" is a popular
phrase In the mouth OF the English
people just now. says London cor
respondent OF the NV York Sun.
and 1t 10 n phrase powerfully sug-
gestive OF striking and shocking
condition OF affairs in English society.
coming. us all such popular by-words
do. from apt appreciation OF promi-
nent features OF life and affairs Of
to-day. Drinking among women in
tho higher and highest social ranks
OF English society is develop
ing into national scandal,
says Lady Henry Somerset. And
public meeting was held in London
recently presided over by this lady.
at which some remarkable statements
were made OF the prevalence OF
drunkenness among women In high
life. But drinking is not an sttri-
bute merely OF women in high life.
What is more serious. and which
touches the life OF tho whole nation,
Is the prevalence and increase OF
drunkenness among women OF all
classes throughout tho whole king
dom. "a national shame is how the
London Daily News characterizes the
startling relations that have been
made recently through public meet-
ings, official reports and general in
vestigation and open discussions con-
ccrning the great evil. 1t was made
q subject Of special inquiry by com
mittee OF parliament last year, and
startling testimony as to the prevail
ence OF the vice among women was
given by tho magistrates, coroners,
officers of public institutions and
medical men of high standing, the
latter headed by no less man than
tho late Sir Andrew Clark, Glad
stones old physician.
OF an average OF $4,000 women
committed to prison annually in the
United Kingdom in the past few
years eighty per cent were sent
there for drunkenness, or for olfenses
arising from or allied to drunkenness.
Tho Testimony of the police courts is
that the vice is prevalent among all
classes in the east end OF London.
Not alone women of disreputable
class come before the magistrates
charged with drunkenness, but
wives Of respectable workingmen and
young women earning their living
and otherwise conducting themselves
in a respectable way. All. ages. US
we'll as all classes. are victims Of
the vico. There arc many records
OF women drunkards of 80 and So
years of age, and many OF those but
Is to 1s years old. Five unmarried
girls IL years old were charged with
drunkenness in one court in q single
day. and girls OF tenderer years are
found in the streets in the early
morning. helpless from nights
drunken debauch. In 1891 there
were in London some 5000 convic.
tious OF women for drunkenness.
Last year the number OF such convic-
tions was increased by over 500, and
there were in addition 1913 arrests
OF women on the charge OF having
been drunk and dIsorderly.
One of the best known coroners OF
the east end. Whynne Baxter. whose
many years OF close contact and daily
experience with people in that part
OF the city constitute him an import
act authority. told the parliamentary
committee that drunkepness entered.
directly or Indirectly, into half the
inquests he held. The matter was
treated mostly as Joke, and the
juries, coming from the people of
that locality. think nothing whatever
of drunkenness among women. He
believed great numbers of hard
working, sobermen would have good
homes but for the curse of drunken
ness that afilicts their wives, and in
some respects the condition OF the
women in this regard is worse than
that OF tho men.
The parliamentary returns OF
drunkenness in Scotland for last year
show that in that land reputedly OF
steady habits 10, 142 women were ar
rested during the year for being
"drunk and disorderly," while 6.027
more women were arrested for dis
orderly conduct while drunk. In
the same period %, 9)1 men were
arrested for the former and 16,423
for the latter olfense which shows
that almost half as many women as
mon in Scotland are addicted to the
vice OF drunkenness.
The public mind. or that portion
which has been aroused to an active
interest in this matter, is trying to
devise some way to stop the spread