The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-02-24
A TEMPERANCE COMPARISON.
The Statistics show That the United
States Is Really AbstemiOus.


The Statistics show That the United
States Is Really AbstemiOus.
Apparently the Englishman contin-
ues to drink in a steady fashion, with
out vacillation, the drink Of his IA
theirs. About 80 gallons of bier a head
are made in England every year, and
most of that is drunk here. In regard
to the consumption of spirits there is
no sign of any expansion, such as is
noticeable in other countries. The
quantity drunk has increased little
during the last ten years In 1896 it
was 1.015 gallons head. The
Dutch, akin to us in race, on the whole
resemble us in their tests, though they
drink more spirits than our country
men-in fact, the average consumption
is twice as much. Belgium shows a re-
markable all-round capacity for alb
sorbing alcoholic beverages. 1t drinks
twice as much wine per head and twice
as much spirits, chiefly gin, as England,
and it also consumes more beer-not
very strong, it is true-than any other
country in the world, except Bavaria,
the consumption being about 40 gallons
head, as compared with five in France
and about 80 in England. Indeed, the
average consumption of beer in the
whole of Germany is much less than in
Belgium, the only country with a still
larger consumption being Bavaria,
where so gallons a head are drunk.
Probably no one ever drank so much
of any fluid as modern, well-seasoned
''child of Munich" One hears much
of the growth of the habit of drinking
beer in the United States, but Mr. Bate
mans figures go to show that the Amer
leans drink less than half as much beer
as is consumed here. In fact, that
country seems to be, for a time, at all
events, steadily treading the path of
temperance. Fiscal authori-
ties in America, who attribute this fall
ing off to depression of trade, are hope
full that people will drink more when
they make more money. But the moral
list may be pardoned for believing that
taste for Bourbon whisky is not a
necessary concomitant of better times.
In America, and, indeed, almost every
where, the interest of the financier and
the aspirations of the moralist in this
matter do not exactly harmonic;
chancellors of the exchequer being al
ways tempted to hold with Vaudeville
that private vices are public benefits.
In almost every civilized state an in
creasing proportion of the revenue is
drawn from taxation of alcoholic bever-
ages. Everywhere temperance comes in
conflict with favorite and facile sys-
tens of taxation. 1t is not altogether
satisfactory in this connection to find
that, while the United States obtain
from this source 30 per cent. of their
revenue, Germany 17h per cent. and
France 10, the proportion for the
united kingdom is 35 per cent. We are
little too dependent on thirsty souls,
and might be sadly puzzled to know
what to do if they became sober.
France is in normal years by far the
largest wine producer and the chief
consumer. Only very imperfect figures
exist as to the home consumption of
wipe in that country, but there is no
reason to think that it is increasing
Nor do the French, except in towns,
drink much more beer than they used
to do. On the other hand, there is we'll
founded alarm at the prodigious in
crease in the consumption of spirits,
often, it may be added, in most delete
rious forms, for many of the varieties
of alcool d'industrie are highly active
poisons. The average strength of spir-
it sold in France is known to be high 4;
and, making allowance for women and
children, who rarely drink spirits, and
assuming the accuracy of the evidence
of several witnesses before a recent
commission as to the limited proper
ton of drinkers of spirits, it follows,
we are told, that each of the consumers
drinks 81 li,res % centilitres at 37.5
degrees Of strength, or 3,791 glasses
| (petits vsfres), in the year, or 1912 in
the day" Another calculation brings
out the result that each elector drinks
on an average five petits verres a day
exclusively of spirits surreptitiously
made by small producers. This con-
| sumption is not spread equally over
| France; it is concentrated in the north
and northwest tments.-London