The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-25

Fhe a<yance In This country u unique OF
fts kind. n there never before has been any
general movement Of national nature.
The French hays been wont 10 look upon
themseiyes ~ good examples OF moaefA-
ZION while they gave their pity TO Germany
and England az horrible examples OF peo-
Die who drink TOO muca. But nov DR. La
horde has informed the French that they
are the most incorporate Of all the civilized
SCOPES on earth. and gives science and hg-
uYes 10 prove IT,
Whsu this announcement was made she
french soiI the doctor that he was mis-
taken and the newspapers published COZ
unns Of Indignant protest against tine
eharge-and investigated N a second
thought. Then they changed Their conn
dent note, for Ia q series Of articles pre-
Jared by ~ Corneiy Of the Figaro II ID
1boWu that close to fifteen liters or about
sixteen quarts. OF alcohol il consumed ev-
err year for each Of the 5s.0o0e 60 pcop.e n
the republic The French md that. instead
OF heaLing the alcoholic list, Germany ana
the British islands come third and fourth.
e Belgium takes second place after
Drance, bat with nearly one-third less In
1ts per capita consumption. fifth IN the
1ist II Switzerland. the home Of aEstnthe.
ana then In the order named. there follow
uafy. Holland. the United States. swecen,
Norway ana Canada. Norway In the most
tempers4e Of any European country. Cam
ada leads the world In liz moderation with
. per capita average Of over two hters .
year.
Most reforms. OF whatever kind. may. be
counted upon to have humble beginning,
thence to work upward among the people
Hut this movement reyerses the almost e.
fAblished orGer. for II has started ~ the
summit Of intellectual France Reading
the movement n DIR. c. Grain, one OF the
best medical authorities In France. who II
presinenf Of the National Anti Alcoholic
league. and editor OF q temperance month
" called L'Aicohol. AZ his active adult
ants are forty-two doctors. nearly all of
whom arr men OF wide reputation and In
dependent means several being total ab-
Gainers IN common with their president.
Under the stimulus from their distinguished
leaders. II II net strange that the students
throughout France should take up the
campaign. They have organized league
and are pushing the work into all parts OF
the country uneer the leadership Of Georges
Dqfhcy, who IL an advocate at law actively
connected with the defense In the Drsyfus
case. To such proportions has this move
ulent reached that 1t IL extending TO other
countries. notably 20 Switzerland. where
students leagues have lately been estah-
lished at Lausanne. Basic and Zurich.
Drinking shops IN the poorer quarters OF
and even then there are sh,vering men and
women who have braved the nipping air TO
skill the little worm.' as they call their
thirst for drink. The use OF neat drinks IL
steadily CROWNS. 30 fierce IN the appetite
for the strongest Oscillations that the law
cCmpels chemists 10 sell methylafed spirits
only In colored form. which means that
they are poisoned. Alcohol from wood is
deadly. but n popular drink In Paris they
Ae1s fHAr 4a hA ~ E>s~aa
tine II growing In popularity. and here and
there . case h found where KEROSENE oil is
taken. although this II generally done Sc
cretly. Normandy II the most drunken OF
al the departments In the republic. While
the fishermen and male peasants OF the
north coast are bad enough. the women arc
worsc. 80 besotted have many of these
people become that they work but i've
hours q week. earning only enough for the
barest necessities OF life. and 10 keep thorn
selves In drink. So keen IL the desire for
liquor that on the farms. after the apples
have heen pressed for cider making. they
are put through fermentation and. another
milling to gain further intoxIcant from
the rancid mass. Much the same liz done
with grapes In some regions
The evils OF ahsinthe drinking are grow
ina. II Is only few years since two old
women living In secluded mountain val
Icy In Switzerland gave out their secret FOR
brewing drink or rare quality from worm
wood. but now absinthe IL known around
the world Nowhere has lis sale grown to
- threatening proportions az In France
where its excessive use annually erives
many 10 insanity In the hotter cafes alb
s'nthe costs 50 centimes. or 10 cents. but In
the dives II IL only 3 sous glass A. such
u n little less than a poison especially
when q dash of vitrioi 10 added 20 give |.
an extra bite. Si,r,ci II regularly used In
many Of the cheap drinks, ana even in
some OF the better ones
last week the writer had an interesting
talk with Senator jules ie Jeune secretary
Of state in the Heixian cabinet who il
pushing hisl II prohibit the sale af ah-
ssnthe In Belgium
1T Is doing much the same for Va as 4, II
In France" he safe. II also have hill be-
fore our parliament 10 gradually decrease
the number az public drinking houses
Throughout the country In the next ten
years. At present We have .9S 90 of these
10 q population Of hut e,anaao, OF people. or
one Ia every twenty-fonr persons Nv plan
IL TO make the proportion one drinking
place to every RI people, bur the proposal
h too radical 10 carry without material
amend -uent'
Some Of the Continental governments are
posting temperance Autographs in public
places "a warning 10 the people or the
tNcrts or intvUiusrance. ana the temper
ance societies IN France display posters
labeled. "AhS3ntho-roisons" with a skull
ana erusshoneS
Not alone are ihs present French e1arts
EDUCATIONAL eas they are aiming az natssrs-
al leg Station as he nx the os,lv pssrteanen;
cure. There is a group NJ temperance, log~
isiataF* Ia th& chamber az siepatiex aud in
the senate. who are pressing fer constltu-
tieusl relief from present desperate s,s,,sfi-
tons Senator Siekfrfes viii shortly ,s~e.
ssnt bid. 90 reduce the apsAher IT drink
fng place ia ;ae sepshlic. as TIE Beginning
OF an extensive les slasiSe reform There
arr more than haif million 81 pubic
drinking houses in France and n s0r,e %
tire departments gae consumption nf alcohol
now amounts 20 twenty G.srs per pxrsog,
yearly.
A fes.esninE feature q. fsuach lniea,psr~
arse Is that next go na drunkenness IS seen
upon sse streets fraesicaiiy ssershees.v
drinks ard rsSh ard peer alke take ehs
little glass" or tts rsust pic. ss'h exFrv
meal. ard between Taesis. Only ars7ns shts
poorest d. they foitew the American ,,rae-
tscs Of oraciag up against bar ana tsrlns>
ing on ar eascty stomach As IL Is sn~s-