The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-24
A FoRE1aNER,s VIEW
OF American Life : The Topper and
g.. No.. I,i,.,,,.oj

Semi Topper Discussed.
An Englishman writing to the New
York Sun, says: In order to complete
my programme as published in the Sun
of May /, now come to discuss the to-
per and the semi-toper.
OF the former, We have quite as many
in England as here. but by no means as
many semi-topers; this Is easily ex-
| planned; 1t is mainly due to the hospit-
ality Of the American.
A man meets friend In the street at
any time Of day; he at once, in his hos
pitable kindness Of heart, invites him
| to a drink. Yulgarly called Smile. ="
This takes place between meals and
generally leads to considerable
who go on drinking more or less alco-
hollc beverages all day long. The
quantity Of whisky and other spirits d.
luted with water Is. perhaps, not
enough totally to Intoxlcate the man,
but 1t muddles his brain and he cannot
face glass Of lnvigorating wine at
| dinner and drinks Ice water; he con-
tinues, however. his topping before go
ing to bed; this is the man whom l call
the semi-toper.
OF such men, young and old. you
have thousands and many of them
eventually become topers or drunkards.
1t is against this habit Of drinking
between meals that / wish to warn;
this continual drinking is not needed;
It does not even quench the thirst. 1t
affords no nutriment, but only weakens
the digestion, and does incalculable
harm. more particularly as most OF the
intermaal drinks are iced.
I ba1iaVa fhnf fhia buhit Of drinking
diluted whisky. gin or brandy would be
considerably diminished II people would
abstain from drinking between meals,
but Il persisted in would certainly be
much less harmful II good wholesome
wine were offered at bars, as is done In
France, italy. Spain, etc. The well-fer-
mented natural California American
clarets are cheap enough and would
answer the purpose: they could be gold
at ten cents tumbler and II mixed
with half water would be light. pleas
ant and invIgorating and absolutely
harmless. Bar-tenders should take
note.
Allow me here, sir, to extend my
warning to the vendors OF wine; they
should try TO induce the public TO pat
roniza wine by offering good. sound, II
common. wines at moderate figures.
This country should become by and
by the sober people that we find in
France, nnd[which Is clearly attrlbut-
able to the cheapness OF wine in that
country and its being the beverage of
every one. The facility Of production
exists here as In France; It is simply
question of doing likewise-that is, to
produce sufficient for the wants OF all.
France produces and consumes per
capita per year twenty-six gallons of
wine, and Of drunkenness there ia none.
The total consumption here is only
three-tenths OF n gallon per head,
Your climate, sir. is the very one where
wine should form the staple beverage
of the people, to the exclusion of wi1is-
ky and pernIcious ice water.
Allow me, sir. again to express my
unbounded faith in the good sense of
this great people and OF expressing the
hope that foreign brothers word will
be taken as kindly as It is meant
/ do not boom any commodity, MS one
OF your uncharitable correspondents I'M
charitably limited; my object simply is
to be useful.
For public morallty's sake, as help
ing to get rid Of drunkenness, 1t would
clearly be wise step In legislation to
admit pure and natural wines into this
country free Of any duty whatever
Nothing would so much help to decrease
the whisky drinking and get rid Of the
topper. EXperientia docet.