The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-16
pECLINE IN LIoroR DRINKING.

DECLINE IN LIQUOR DRINKING.
Next October the Womans Christian
Temperance Union will celebrate-its TWEEN
ty-hf,h anniversary. Speaking Of the
prospective occasion the other day, Miss
Anna Gordon, secretary Of the union for
the United states and corresponding secre-
tary for Che world made some Interesting
observations relative 10 liquOr-driuking "a,
The present time and al the time that the
union was organized The statistics Of
the organization show that there has been
a great decline IN the use Of liquor as a
beverage. This IS true Of both habitual
and social drinking, and the business value
of total abstinence Is very generally rec
ognzed at the present time. Broadly
stated, Miss Gordon says. there has been
a most gratifying decline in the use Of
intoxicating liquors during the last quar-
ter Of a century, and the outlook is most
encouraging from the unions point Of
view
1t is hardly necessary to appeal to STA,
tstics 10 sustain Miss Gordon's state
ment. Any person of sufficient age with
a good memory, who viii permit his or
her mind to go back for twenty-five to
forty years, will recall that drunkenness
was comparatively common in those days.
Many men in all classes of society were
more or less addicted to the habit Of
drinking. No such odium attached to in,
toxication then as at present Few per-
sons thought the less of a gentleman If
he staggered as he left his own or
fFfa a 80
some cases thought to be rather a tribute
to a hosts generous hospitality, and fine
liquors if a guest found 1t impossible to rise
at all after dinner, but slipped under the
table instead And then business and pro-
fessional men did not hesitate to patron
lie saloons and drink openly. The mer-,
chant, the judge, the lawyer and the doc
tor might have been seen in the barroom
clinking glasses and drinking whisky to
the accompaniment of more or less flow
cry sentiments"
Now, however. all OF that Is changed.
The merchant the judge, the lawyer and
the doctor no longer patronize the bar
and offer a bad example to young men.
1t may be that they indulge in strong
drink to a limited extent but If they do,
1t is in the privacy of their own homes
or in their clubs. They are never seen
drunk in public places. If one were 90
appear intoxicated on the streets he would
be disgraced. In business sobriety. even
total abstinence, is becoming the rule. one
of the first questions asked by an en-
plOyer of a prospective employe is DO
you drink%' The great railroad systems
now make total abstinence one OF their
iron-clad rules for persons charged with
the running of trains. The careful mer-
chant will not employ as accountant or
salesman a man who Is addicted to the
whisky habit. The responsible places In
the commercial, Industrial and profess
sional worlds are being to greater ex-
tent every year filled with non-drinl1ers.
The facts recited are general, but they
win apply 90 the city of Savannah; and
their correctness will be recognized and
conceded by the older Inhabitants. And
in connection with the local situation with
respect to the consumption of LIQUORS. a
rather striking statement was made re-
Gently by a gentleman who is in a posi-
ton to speak with authority. Ii is that
during the last eight or ten years there
has been decrease OF approximately 25
per cent. In the amount of whisky sold
In Savannah. Last year. taking the coun-
try as a whole there was decrease of
about 10 per cent. as compared with the
year before, in the sales of wbis-
Xxx and other strong liquors. There
was, 1t is said, an increase in
the beer trade; but as bev-
erage beer is less harmful than whisky.
1t appears, further that the whisky trade
is steadily declining, while it may be that
the beer trade is as steadily increasing.
The movement is in the right direction
towards temperance