The Somerset reporter., 1895-07-25
The Ifoot ISncr Fraud

L + surprising aaN MANY mr. Cen, peo-
ale. Rao would lot use alcohol i they
Knew it. are deluded mo making root
B-er" in summer and giving Il to their
friends under the impression that 1t IS a
harmless and healthful drink. still more
surprising is It that religious and home
papers representing influential denomina.
tons will, By advertisements in their col
umns, give authority and their sanction to
such false ideas. Here are samples OF the
advertisements one may find in many good
papers. Any time is the right time for
everybody to drink IS Root Beer. A
Temperance Drink. A Home made Drink
A Thirst-quenching Drink. 4 Drink
that is popular everywhere. Delicious
sparkling, effereescent." And here is an
other from a church paper With picture
of bottle from which the liquid IS foam
ing up, and the advertisement reads,
"There'S lots of snap and vim in IS
Root Beer. There's lots OF health and
pleasure in it too A delicious drink; a
homemade drink that delights the old
and the young. Be sure and get the gen
une. etc" What make, the snap and
vim ;" The alcohol in the beer and
nothing else You will often notice in
directions" for making the statement
that the drink can be used IN twenty-tour
hours but will efervaSCe more freely etc,
If allowed to stand three or four days
i The amount it contains depends entirely
upon the length OF time itstands before
using
Why are even good temperance people
deuded into making and using these sum
4 -, b,t tbrea tn
thirteen per cent ofpure alcohol? Simply
because they do not know il MY people
perish for lack of knowledge. is as true
to day as it was when written SO long ago.
Everybody ought to know that wherever
there is sugar, yeast and water there is
fermentation, and wherever there is fer.
mentaton there is alcohol. The decay
or fermentation of the sugar in a sweet
liquid always creates alcohol, whether it
be in the homemade currant, or black
berry wine, or in the spoiled jar of canned
peaches. Alcohol does not have to be
put into drinks to get there. 1t is
made by natural laws from the subsection
OF certain substances in combination, to
the action OF sun and air.
The great danger of these - oot-beersH
containing but a small per cent OF alcohol,
comes from the natural and never failing
characteristic of alcohol viz that the
Use of little creates a desire for more
and more, and the wine-seller cannot
have better bait than the "root-beers'
that good people make in their own homes
and suppose to be perfectly harmless and
free from alcohol. Many intelligent people
would be benefited by studying cate
chism on ALCOHOL or one of the primary
lesson books used in our schools I'M
prejudiced chemists have analysed some
OF the so called Temperance drinks" and
found that they contain more alcohol
than do malt beers.
Should we not, therefore, everywhere
disCountenance the use of these root
beers, and call the attention of our church
and family papers to the fact that they
are unintentionally sending into our
homes a recommendation Of something
they would not endorse if they correctly
understood its nature and influence.
They are kindling tiny blaze that may
sometime end in a great conhagration
that will blight and destroy even our own
homes. In these hot July days we can all
find an opportunity to speak word of
warning against root-beers.-ItMb0aHcc
Zi7bHHe.