The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-20
A NATION OF DRUNKARDS.
Enormous Inereas. of Alcoholism Among
the French People.
From the London Leader.


II is not easy to write on the subjccy o.
5he terrible increase of drunkenness in
France without seeming to be guilty OF
gross exaggeration. / will. therefore. at
| once state that all the data OF this arti-
Gle are drawn from the daily press chief.
| " from articles that have appeared this
year in lie Figaro and in lie Matin.
| have not taken any statement simply OF
the authority Of a temperance paper, o.
from Y Edt might be considered an cX-
parte opinion. There is. unfortunately. -
says recent writer, "one thing but too
true; our people are becoming a nation
of drunkards. While some thirty or forty
years ago we were considered one uf the
sObereSt OF nations, we are running hard
thJSc who are the most drunken" This
is perfectly correct, as recent statistics
have shown that France Is now on level
with Belgium in the amount of alcohol
absorbed annually by the population. ana
belgium is the first among the European
nations,
Putting aside the wine and beer that
are consumed, the chief cause of the in
crease Of drunkenness is the enormous
quantity of absinthe and similar alconolic
drinks now universally uSeu; fer not only
do the masses in the Industrial centers
drink 10 excess, but IN every part of the
country, in the villages and hamlets far
away from the main routes, this same
passion Is developed. Last summer in a
beautiful valley IN the SaVoie We founC,
the same sad state OF things. men and
women the slaves Of alcohol. DR. L.
grain, the chief doctor of the great asy-
ium at Nille-EVTard. has taken up the
subject with great energy. driven 20 il
by what daily comes under his Obserya-
ton among the insane, 20 per cent Of
whom, he says, are directly or Indirectly
there through drink. The authorities are
building a new wing TO hold 3Dn more
patients. 50 great is the number that are
always seeking admittance.
To quote from lie Figaro of Nav ! the
writer says: THE French workinEnan
who used 10 be so intelligent and capable
and who was indeed one of the ornaments (
of France, is in danger of entirely losing
his worth. from an industrial point Of
view, IN those paris where drunkenness
prevails. Ambition and strength of Will
are going He falls from being a foreman
TO a mere ldbOrer, never seeming to try
and resist with anything like perscyer-
ance- IL Is well known that Normandy
i one Of the provinces in which alcohol
ism is the most rampant A manufactu--
er OF muslin said lately to DR.. BrunOn Oi
ROuen, that he has now great difficulty
IN hndlng young men willing TO learn the
more difficult parts of the manufacture
tive said he. The least responsibility is
too great for them; they prefer wheeling
a barrow in the yard 10 working with
tool. The intellectual level is being as
rapidly lowered as is the physical
This factory has had for several gen
eratiGns family at work which was
formerly composed of men of great stat
ure. The third generation is now com
posed of dWaTfs and slckly boys. Ii was
tried to urge them 10 take up good pay
ing positions in the factory, but they re-
fused. for they would have had 10 aDplH
themselves to learn. They preferred TO be
simply labOrerS, earning only one-third OF
what they ought 10 have gained. Alcohol
had made them useless for work.
Throughout all Normandy the people
drink-men, women. and children The
babies are given brandy in the cradle, il
is put into the bottle, and the soup Is
made with brandy. Says DIR. BrunOn:
You should see the people coming away
from the drinking shops on a Monday
evening. Father. mother children. friends.
holding each other up and reeling along
together
The universal custom has been greatly
developed by the fact that since IS62 there
II practically no obstacle 10 the sale of
alcohol in France. Any one can retail il,
ana thus grOcerS, coal sellers, cream
shops, and dry-gOOds shops all sell il free
ly- There Is said 10 be a drinking shop
for every tWenty-One electors throughout
France. or one for every seventy OF the
whole population In some parts "a in
Normandy, every other house sells drink
and in Lille. in certain quarter, in every
house II can be purchased
/ conclude this short article by the fol-
lowing sentences taken from lie Figaro
OF the 10Th instant:
There is no other choice given US in
France. whether we like il or no. We
must 80 ahead and fight this matter. or
We shall disappear as IA nation. These
are not inventions nor mere forms Of
speech. Ask Or. le Gendre and Dr. De
bCye, and inquire Of any doctors. ana
they viii all say IL is simply a matter OF
a few generations more
DIR. Brunon says: THE alcoholism of
the working classes threatens to put IA
end, AMI that shortly, 10 existing society
hose who are Indifferent NAV
shrug their shoulders to-day. The dues-
tiOn Of alcohol will very soon take tha
first place OF al other questions affecting
the state Dr. BrunOn has behind him
the whole scientific world Frame r,l,--
COnQuer alcoholism or periSh