The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-05-19
Temperance and Hard Times.

1t is trite saying that "there is no greats
loss without some small gain" and its truth
Is illustrated by some facts and figures
which the American Grocer publishes In O.
recent issue. The loss In the case Is due to-
hard times and the gain, according to the
Grocer, Is in the diminished consumption
Of all kinds Of beverages, especially spiritu-
Gus ones. The Grocer's figures show that
II, ,263, 900 people used less spirits In 1885
being, respectively, for 1896, 71,051 ,8T gall
Ions and II ,064, 7S3 in 1887. About II, ,000,
600 gallons are used annually in the arts,
manufactures and medicine which leaves
about &C, ,000, 900 gallons for use as bever-
age. $50
There was q falling off, too, last year In
the consumption of beer as compared with
1891 and 1892 equal to about one gallon per,
capita. In domestic wines there was fall
ing off as compared with 1888 of about one,
half, though the population had meanwhile
Increased more than 10 500, 900; while in im-l
ported wines the falling of, as compared
with 1898, was fully one-half and as COM
pared with 1893 more than 500, 900 gallons.E
The Grocer tabulates its results as follows:}
Beer (domestic). ).......... .... $685., ,662, ,857
Beer imported). .............. $500, ,631t
Whisky exclusive Of quantity
used In arts) ts)................ 10000, ,000l
Wines domestic. ........... 29,199,514E
Wines Imported. )............. 20,6So, ,980i
Grand total. ............. 1851 ,693, ,832l
Estimated cost in 1892 on the
same basis. 81 ,uOO, ,oo4,I ,I13I
Estimated cost in 1891 on the
same basis. is.................. 1884, ,813,314l
The Grocer attributes these results to thel
hard times which have, IN its judgment,
made the people more abstemious than for
merly; and 1t cites the fact that there has
been at the same time with the falling OH
In the consumption Of ardent spirits fall
ing of In the consumption of tea and cofee.I
1t does not lay stress enough, however, wei
think, on the change In the popular estimated
Of drinking. While there Is still great
consumption of ardent spirits, and fairly
good patronage Of the numerous "drunkl
cures" with which the country is dotted,
1t certainly Is not as fashionable as 1t wasI
twenty years ago to drink to excess. sDur-i
ing the war and for some years thereafterj
1t was scarcely considered disreputable for
gentleman to get drunk on occasion; but
1t certainly is so considered now. We andf
this view Of the matter indorsed, substan-
TALLY, by the Boston Transcript which re-
produces most Of the Grocer's article and
says: ....
Hard times may have q slight effect
upon the drinking habits OF the people and
there are things, notably the bicycle, which
exert benefcent influence; but We believe,
that the habits Of the people are vastly Inn
proved upon what they were only few
years ago. and immensely better than they
were twenty-five or thirty years ago. The
fact is, as 1t seems to US, that the trend OF
sentiment and of practice Is toward absten-
tion from intoxicants. There is still liquor
enough and more than enough drunk BY
our people, but 1t is as nothing to what
they used to imbibe." 's