The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-07
BARRooMs IN NORWAY.
Observations of the Workings of What
Is Known as the Gothenburg Sy stem.

DR.. Moxom explained the GothenbuIg OF
Norwegian system in detail. giving as lis
vital principle that the state shall make
the liquor business an absolute monopoly,
and put 1t into the control of responsible
men, whose motive is to reduce, instead OF
increasing, the per capita consumption.
The effect is also to reduce the number OF
saloons to a marked degree. The profits
accrue not to the company, but to the
people, in the shape of public institutions,
amusement halls, sc.
Il saw something of the wol kings of the
system in Sweden and Norway" said Dr.
Moxom. Il visited more saloons last sum-
mer than had seen before in my life. L
examined the liquors carefully. found out
what kinds were sold and how many glasses
a man can buy. In Bergen there are in
the neighborhood of dozen places where
liquor is sold by the glass or bottle. Each
is plain room, perfectly clean. without
even picture on the wall. There is not
even chair in the room. except stool be-
hind the counter for the official in charge.
He is a respectable man, probably 'znem-
Der of the church. On the walls are printed
the rules of the company, which all must
obey. If 1nan asks for aqua vita he lays
down his coin-there is no credit and
pure, undrugged spirit is poured our for
him. He is not allowed to remain in the
room, and if he wants another glass, he is
told to come back in three hours. The
glass is SO small that he might take glass
every three hours in the day and not get
drunx workingman cannot take nip
on his way to work for the saloons do not
open till eight, nor at noon, for the saloons
IL fo1 Osc1nck The hour for
closing in winter is half-past seven. and
in summer eight o'lcock. The day before
holiday they close at noon, and they are
closed before the workingmen are paid Off.
mo man can make a cent from the bust
ness. The man behind the counter is en-
ployed for his personal character. He gets
a fairly good salary but not cent from the
business. If he deviates from the rules OF
the company he is bounced at once. He is
promoted for making as small sales as pos
sible. The policy of the whole system is to
crowd down the consumption of alcohol.
In 1876 the per CAPITA consumption was d.o
quarts; In 1892 it was reduced to 3.3 quarts.
Norway and Sweden were the most drunk
en- countries in Europe; now Norway Is
three times as sober as the United states.
| 1t is the exact reverse of a license system.
under which the licensed dealers stimulate
| trade as much as possible to get back the
money they have paid for their licenses.
| think it would be better to have free
whiskey than such licenses as we have IN
American cities. The difference between
| that and this is as great as the difference
| between day and night. The Norwegian
| system eliminates politics entirely. IL has
| been agued that it makes drunkenness
respectable, but its effect has been 10 ele-
| yate the public spirit, and array 1t agalnst
| drunkenness The system has been recog-
| pized as working against the monster OF
| drink. and it has become less respectable
| to patronize saloon.
| ssMany people maintain" DR.. Moxom con-
| tinued, in taking up the objection present
| ed. ssthat having anything to do with liquor
| in any way is sin. The position is abso-
| lutely untenable There is no basis i'll
| ethics that will Justify the proposition that
! per Sc the taking of alcohol is a.sin. 1t GER
| rainly is a sin to take it in excess, but the
| abstract question cannot by any possibility
| he based on this ground II We cannot kill
| the evil at a blow, it is the part of right
| eousncss to conquer it by degrees. If men
| will not do that they are not only unpractI-
| cal, but unrighteous, because they hinder
| the welfare of the community 1t is also
| urged that many temperance people are
| opposed to it. But unfortunately temper
| ance sentiments are not always a .guaran-
| tee of wisdom. There are many temperance
people whose sentiments we respect, but
whose ideas are pueIIle. It, is also true
| that people who.derive gain from liquor
are opposed to the law, and we had the
| spectacle of the, liQour dealers and the
| Woman's Christian Temperance Union
| fighting side by side to defeat the measure.
1t was thing to make angels weep unless
| they had SO strong sense of humor that
| they could laugh. 1t is also objected that
| the system is not adopted to our uses. But
| if is the principle we wish to apply, and
| the principle can be applied anywhere.
| Norway and America are not SO unlike but
that they can be applied here. 1t is absurd
and cowardly to say that we cannot dc
| IT," At the close of his lecture DR.. Moxom
gave brief question box, answering doubts
and difficulties in the practical application
of the system as they were sugg ested by his
hearers. The Chaplin Literary Society has
challenged the faculty of the School for
| Christian Workers to debate the question
"Resolved, That the Norwegian liquor sys-
| tenn deserves the support of the Christian
Church"
| Sudden Death