The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-10-21
DRINKING CUSTOM.
naVOxlCANTS OF OUR OWN AND
OTHER LANDS.

of Mixing Concoctions 90 Other Lands
Have Drinks of Strength and strange
= ness-Gcnuine Palm Wine.
A correspondent of the Chicago
Tmes-Herald, discussing the drinks
and drinkers Of the world, Gays
''The drinking customs of America
are distinguished from those of Other
civilized countries only by the habit OF
treating In England four men will
Et at the table of public house and
each will pay for his liquor In Am
erica one will pay for the four. Then
another pays in turn. In England this
means social converse. In America it
means drunk. In this country there
are probably 500 anti-treat societies.
They seem to exercise little effect. The
most successful with which | am ac-
quafnted has its habitat in Washing
ton, d. c. Admiral Ammen and other
men high in place are members.
have watched them at their deyotions
more than once, and cannot say that
any less liquor was consumed, because
each man paid for it himself. They
are satisfied with themselves, however,
and that's the main thing, after all.
''It is a world of strange drinks.
Americans are supposed to be past
masters in the art of mixing singular
decoctions The very names of them
give the untraveled Englishman
sense of wonder extreme. We have the
cocktail of various kinds, the rickey,
the gin-slng, the julep, the stone
fence, the eye-opener. the brain dust
or, the silver fizz, the golden fizz, the
smash, the pickme-up, the Remser
cooler, toddies innumerable and punch
es without limit.
In other lands, however, are drinks
far beyond ours In strength and
stangeness. There is the Russian
vodki. for instance. A gill Of 1t poured
down Carthagenian mummy will Sc.
that long dead person to fighting all
his Punic battle Ger again. In the
forceful language Of the West Two
drinks Of it will make a man go home
and steal his own pants The West
indian gets from the cocoanut clear
pure water, toddy and arrack which
- cork-splitting brandy. OF their
toddV Boyle says: 1t looks like skim
Mslk and smells like 500 slaves in a
pen The MarQuesans have a seduc-
tive drink called aroo. A number OF
young boys sitting in a circle chew
freSh cocoanut, and when it is sufii-
eiently masticated expectorate 1t into
a bowl that is the common receptacle.
Fresh water is poured upon this delect-
able mixture and II lis allowed to fer
ment. The South Sea Islanders pre-
pare the ava root in the same way.
PGul du Chaillu once found a wonder
ful drunkard in the ~eraon OF the King
OF llenga Yombi. Wien he was an in
FAINT his father would take him to the
top Of iaIl Tree aud force him TO drink
palm. Vine. 1t wes the ingenious par
ent's ambition to make him the cham
aion boozer of equatorial Africa, and
he succeeded. The King of Olenga
Yombi in Du Chaiilu's time had been
sohdly drunk for fifteen years, and
when last heard from was calling loud
" for another gourd full.
Genuine palm wine Is made from
the Palmyra palm, and Is far superior
TO any petable product Of the cocoa
nut. Captain Burton. OF Burton e
Speke, says that the juice of the oil
palm makes drink that is unap-
preached by the liquids OF civilization.
1t is OF delicious color and flavor and
Its effects exhilaration unmixed with
ferocity or a headache next day. Liv-
.ngstone makes mention of an intoXi-
cant brewed by the Majenga tribe nf
ne Hambesi. II IS made iro.a the grain
OF the country, sun-dried and gently
boiled. The furmented liquor even.u-
ates into palatable beer. Ii will pro-
duce superior brand Cf drunk, which
lesYe9 no i'll effect. Indeed, it is an
an,i-iebrile Of a.K2ble mower. and |
1t was when stricken with jungle fever
'hot the gooG doctor was made ac-
quairted with it. Despit his protests,
me kindly natives poured it down him !
until he saw visions and dreamed |
.reams ard awohe a vel man. The IN |
PRODUCTION Of the drink TO this country
would cause wonagxful increase In |
he number Of fever cases.
The Abyss.nians drink a beer made |
from -four dough, and it seems TO be a /
winner when opposed to the Italian Chi |
anti. They have also q honey vine
called 'tedge' that Is highly praised.
Moak' they brew by boiling their beer
with honey, eggs, butter and spice. |
'Besden is made from Ilillet steeped |
In tedge, allowed 10 fCrment for ten
days in the sun The Soo-Soos mako a
palatable drunk-4aklng drink from
water and the ashes of the yin-yin |
root. In the, magUey, or American |
agave' the Mexican Indian finds beer,
randy, thread, cloth, nails and
house. The hears OF this plant when
tapped will run three pnts of beer a
lay for a month.