The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-09
DRINKS FEMALE VICTIMS.
SOCiety'S Stars in the Clutches Of the
Awful Habit.
Drink for Women Means Ruin-The
First Glass is to Be Dreaded-Women
Must Help Women.

Drink for women means huln-1ne
First Glass is to Be Dreaded-women
Must Help Women.
From the New York Press.
Several scandals made public during the
past year have made an existing evil
among the ranks Of fashionable women
too apparent TO be longer ignored-an evil
which may he politely called the excessive
use of alcoholic stimulants. One case
stiu fresh in the minds of many people
was that of a family of a deceased hus-
band suing the widow for the custody CT
her children on the ground that because
Of her drinking habits she was an unfit
person to be their custodian. An incident
Of the trial was the testimony of daugh-
ter. only a child in years. that she had
often seen mamma drunk" 1t must be
understood that this mamma was no IN
common person. but a woman of excellent
family connections, social position and
wealth.
A more recent case-one happening dur
1 ing the past summer-was that of a young
matron, the wife of well known society
man. They were summering at Newport
! One night after german in which the
wife had taken part, the guests of the
/ hotel were attracted to a quiet nook in
the grounds by the shrek of a woman
/ There they found the husband and wife
she under the widest excitement pro
duced by wine, he Vainly endeavoring to
! quiet her and avert a scandal. When he
realized that her weakness" was no lon
| ger known only to himself and her family
he left for Europe and she Joined her pa
rents. A divorce in the fall is predicted
| by the friends of both.
These are only two of the many cases
/ which might BE- cited. How many people
| during the past summer have noticed the
! drinking habits of women at the seashore
resorts? Walters were kept busy carry
/ ing stimulants to the women after the
. bath, while the cafes at night were pat
| ronized as much, If not more, by women
than men. The clerks in the drug stores
| learned their lesson well, and when a wo-
man complained of dyspepsia displayed
no surprise when she ordered brandy and
| soda as an antidote.
If men were the offenders a far more
| specific name would be used, but this vice
| in connection with woman is so abnormal
| so contrary to all the ideas formed Of
| womankind, that it's existence is only
whispered, and the tendency is to hush up
all mention of It, Nothing however
| could more completely indicate the deep
! feeling existing than this disposition to
hide the existence of SO perilous a social
sore. 1t is a problem too serious to be
dealt with lightly, of too grave import to
be scoffed at, and so, fearful lest the
! wrong thing be said or done, the commu-
nifty at large continues to whisper, but
| not to act.
What is responsible for this state of af-
| fairs? thinking people ask each other
| Surely women brought up with every re-
| finement and moral environment have no
| excuse for this pitiable lapse. The causes
| for drinking among women can be no
! more definitely ascribed than for drinking
| among men. Drawing room drinking
| however, is probably in the main caused
by the almost superhuman demands So
ciety makes upon its women members. A
woman in society to be popular, must at
all times possess the social friskiness, the
afternoon wit, the reckless brilliancy, the
'go" which are features of these contin-
ual social functions of so-called pleasure.
All this is expected of her when she pro-
badly does not possess even the energy
required merely to be present.
To promote a Fictitious energy glass
of wine or a tablespoonful of brandy is
taken. What is the result? The stimu-
liant makes the taker feel that the ball or
dinner looked forward to with positive
dread as an impossible thing has become
feverish pleasure. Gratefully she attri-
butes her revived spirits to the stmulant
and still any small dissenting voice with
the reflection that she needed it. OF
course when the next similar strain
comes the same remedy is resorted to
with less result, and in consequence a
trne is added to the dose
During the past summer a woman who
had never used stimulants save for medi-
cinal purposes, was one of a party of
fashionable women at supper When
asked what she would drink, her prompt
reply, Nothing" brought forth series
of demurs
ooh, be convivial," whispered one
| Don't be foolish" urged another
The woman held to her refusal with
such persistency that some one asked:
Are you a temperance advocate?"
mo; not at ALL" she answered.
Then why don't you drink something's"
Because I do not like liquor"
But take it to make you feel we'll
| bright--animated."
Il feel perfectly well, and do not care
for the animation which comes from slim
ulants."
This incident illustrates why the vice
of drinking has such a hold upon society
women. 1t is the love of an unnatural
stimulation which they crave And
gradually, and not very slowly either, the
! quantities of these little tipples increase
as the intervals between them decrease
And before woman realizes 1t she is
standing on the very brink of a precipice
below which are rocks of temptation and
dishonor, which she no longer possesses
the strength to avoid.
, Inc dangers attendant upon drinking
for woman are too manifold and too
stupendous to be dealt with lightly. And
pretending not to see them or refusing to
acknowledge they exist, does nothing to-
ward averting them. While it is a forci-
BILE comparison, it is nevertheless true
that the woman who is addicted to drink
ing, imperils her honor and her virtue
Just as much as the tight rope walker i'm
perils his life What matter is IL that he
has performed his perilous feat 999 times
successfully? 1t is not lack of practice
nor perfection, but an accident which
makes him lose his life the thousandth
time. And just so it is with the woman
who drinks. Even although she may
have been drinking for years and feels
! confident that she knows when she has
had enough it is when that stage has
been reached that the barriers of safety
have been passed, and the consequences a
mere matter of opportunity Then it is