The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-12
THE puR1rANs COULD DRINK.
Anything but Water Went. but Rum Wal Their
RnVorIte.


From the Independent.
Our Puritan ancestors hardly imagined that
water was either a healthfuI or q su~ Efficient bev-
erage, If we may judge from some paragraphs in
their letters and diaries. Gov. Bradford bit
terly complains of the hardship of having to
drink water, as no beer or wine was to be had.
In 1929 an appeal was sent to the home com.
pany for ministers" a patent under scale"
that their legal status as colonists might be
clear and stable, and also thoy want "vyne
planters wheat, rye. barley. and also hop
~rooteS." When the answer to this appeal was
sent by a ship that was provisionsd for
three months 1t carried "forty-ave tuns OF
beerc," 1.-TWO casks OF Malaga and Canarie.'
twenty gallons of aqua vitg lbrandyl, and for
cooking. thinking, and all only six tuns Of
minister, in writing back a glowing account, Of
the attractions Of the country, said his health
Whereas my stomach could only digest and
did require such drinks as were both strong and
One Wood wrote in 1.-THE New England's
Prospect" that the eNpntry was well watered.
Not SO sharpe, of a fatty substance and of
prefer / to good SS !, be sc . as sqiPe nave SyS.S done ne;
Those hop roots must have, fourished, for rs
9 passed as law law for sne putting % dra t%i GS!S" IN the the
stocks. and Greenhouses multiplied. and an ale
FSsfI n q Sssssu could Is 6 Ss bought ss4inf tsF d c es1nyi
names Ale. peer; mead: metheslin' cider
s SACK and black cherry brandy Every:
body drank. cider. which was produced
tn ct there was a :. boveridee" and "swizzlo"
made from molassee and water; and many
d drins VI was oe ruin. 0q sh ins E5oha co @na p S%iv'a and
lumber TO the West Indies. and brought back
F Fpeed Sage eo nHe mSI"iS nto RUM Tnl'" There here %as a W dis.
tillery in every inland town; while those on the
s0ast6Hd scores Of them .r.. The 0 sisnif &c a., a mans ;e
F %ns si ieiePsd" f eH' and AiFi span SSaS' w WERE sssh %ass
ers would not work at the harvest. nor builders
at the trades. without an allowance of rum.
when a minister was to be ordained. as is wit,
messed in many of the parish records still ex-
ts ia 1or The fGilowin a m rec op6in is inat 10 OF , ne town
Thirty bowles of punch before they went
Eighty people eating in the morning at y
Ten bottles Of wine before they went to y
sI meeting, dinners at SOD. y Q
Forty.four bowles OF punch while at
Twanty.eignt bottles OF wine . IA 0
Eight 6owles of brAndy..."."."...". . Q
And SIX people drank ~ 0 0 .
Even at a raising of q meeting house large
stores OF intoxicRnts must be laid in. When the
meeting house Of Medfeld, Mass was raised
there were provided four barrels beer, twenty
four gallons West India rum. thirty gallons
New England rum. thirty.nve pounds OF loaf
sugar, twenty-five pounds OF brown sugar. and
465 lemons. When, "A century ago, Gen. Wash
ington was engaglng n gardener. IT was OK
plicitly stated in the contract that he should
have 81 Mt Christmas. with which no may be
drunk for four days and four nights: 50 at Easter,
for the same purpose; 81 at Whitsuntide, to be
drunk for two days; q dram in the morning,
and a drink of RroR at dinner at noon.
Every tavern displayed many dccanters of
LIQUOR to he drunk with all meals. FREQ, and the
fip.iron was kept constantly heated in the
tavern fire; the sideboard OF every private fam.
iiy had a various assortment of liquors, and not
to ask n caller to drink was n breach OF hospi.
tally; in short, temperance sentiment as we
now know II did not exist.