Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-10

ance societies in France display posters
labeled Neutrality-suspicious. with a skull
and cross-bones-
Not alone are the present French efforts
educational. but they are aiming at
tioEal legislation as being the only perma-
nent cure. There is Coterie of temperance
legislators in the chamber of deputies and
in the senate who are pressing for consti
tutional relief from the present desperate
conditions. Senator Siegfried will shortly
present a bill to reduce the number of
drinking places in the republic, as the be-
ginning of an extensive legislative reform.
There are over half million of public
drinking houses in France, and in some of
the departments the consumption of alcohol
now amounts to twenty liters per person
yearly.
Legislation Against Drink.
The influential daily. Temps, this morning
contains a long article calling upon the
government to pass the Segfried bill to
abate the public peril and saying that the
present liberty to drink is simply license
to poison the people The Temps calls upon
the French to learn the lessons of regula-
ton taught by the United States, and it
cites the city of Boston a model liz this
regard, where there is but one drinking
place to $50 Inhabitants. while in France
there IS one to every thirty adults. one
to every $50 persons is what the editor
thinks a correct proportion for this coun-
try.
redeeming feature of French intern
perance is that next to no drunkenness Is
seen upon the streets. Practically every
body drinks, and rich and poor alike take
the little glass; or its multiple, with
every meal, and between meals, Only
among the poorest do they follow the bar
barous American practice of bracing up
against bar and drinking empty
stomach AS 1t is, they may be in con-
tnuous fuddle, but never drunk.
Endorsed by the Socialists.
An unexpected Endorsement of the tenn
perance movement has developed since the
first of the year in the friendly attitude of
the socialist press of France and other
countries. These papers, as the organs OF
the powerful workingmen's societies of the
continent, say they can cooperate with
this propaganda as tending to lessen the
opportunity to drink, which they plainly
say is the workingman's greatest enemy.
The widespread interest in the temper
ance movement on the continent was well
shown by the international temperance con-
greSS held in Paris in April. TWenty-one
countries We're represented by the more
that 1000 delegates and official representa-
tves Were present from the governments
of France, Germany, Austria. Sweden and
Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium,
Holland and Roumania. These will all
make official reports to their governments
on the problem Of drink and the methods
proposed to abolish intemperance.
Crusade in Austria.
The next congress will meet at Vienna
in 1891, where the Austrian government
has assured a welcome through its repre-
sentative Dr. de Hebra, who was al the
Paris convention. DR.. de Hebra tells
there is a remarkable movement among
the young medical men and scientists of his
country since the first of the present year,
and that he a teetotaler is finding nu-
merous recruits not alone for temperance,
but for total abstinence
The King of Italy is total abstainer,
is also practically the Grand Duke of
Baden; and Emperor William of Germany
has several times expressed himself forci-
bly, on the drinking habits of the army
He recommends to his officers that they set
a good example to the men in the ranks,
and the emperor is said to be alive to the
dangers from the growth of child drunken
ness in Germany. Other sOVereignS are ap-
parently awakening to the situation. and
the young Queen of Holland especially so.
In Russia the government monopoly of the
drink traffic has proved so successful in
the provinces, where it has been on trial
for several years, that the tsar, Nicholas
II, is extending the system to decrease
drunkenness. The Greek Church of Rus
STA is using its paramount power for tenn
perance, and an association of the Catho-
lie clergy of Europe has just been formed
to push the church work for this cause,
as is beng done in America.
At the Coming Exposition.
ropean expositions, there will be temper
ance building at Paris next year. Plans
have been drawn and stock is being sub
scribed foT by prominent French people for
a handsome structure, which will serve
a soft drinks cafe on the ground floor
1t is intended to use the 1900 exposition as
a vehicle for widely spreading the move
ment.
on the continent the most powerful tenn
perance association is the Blue Cross,
which has membership of over % ESQ, and
operates in Switzerland. Belgium, France
and other countries. In Germany there are
10000 people enrolled for temperance, many
of whom are total abstainers. A powerful
organization is the German Temperance
Association of 12.0O0 members, made up
in considerable part of the mayors of
towns and other officials. who are using
their influence to restrict the sale of drink
In twelve years the consumption of alcohol
per German capita has decreased one-third
and the use of light beers is notably grow
ing instead.
EDWARD PAGE CASTOR