The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-06-15
w. C. U. COLUM N.
CONDUCTED By MRS. NJ. l.. HOBBS.
THE WAY TRADE" WAS MADE.
A Clear and Concise Statement OF the
Evolution OF the Modern
American Saloon.
Continued from last week. }

(lOntluueu from last Ncch.
Now the working man who com es
into this place may have before, on
occasion, taken glass of beer,
when he happened to be in the way
of it, but he had no special appetite
for it, and no regular craving. Be
fore the opening of this
place in his neighborhoo1, he went
to his home sober, and spent his
evenings with his family, as de-
cent workman should, and there
was always bread and meat in his
Harder, and his wife and children
were decently and comfortably clad.
For the purpose Of meeting his
mates and discussing the current
topics OF the day, and for the un-
healthy pleasure Of playing gam Is,
he becomes very quickly habltuated
to frequenting the saloon, and, CT
course, takes his glass OF beer. de
must do this, for he is too proud
to enjoy the facilities OF the place
without making some return. So
ciability being the chief attraction,
he is invited to drink by the other
frequenters, his sense OF liberality
compels him to reciprocate, and so
he, who dropped in for one glass,
goes out with a dozen under his
belt, comfortably drunk. He
didn't mean to, but custom, the
custom of the place, most artfully
devised, forced him into it. He
goes home drunk every night, after
month or two.
The effect of the alcohol poison
is not we'll enough understood No
man can touch it without fastening
upon himself craving for more.
This is a physiological law which is
fixed and certain. The man who
comes to stopping at a place OF tfls
kind every night and taking one
glass, within week finds half a
dozen necessary. And thu seller
helps him along the downward road
"a rapidly as possible. There is
always upon the counter plate Of
|, picked Goldfish, or red herrings cut
J in proper lengths, or pretzels Gov
E cred With salt, all thirst provokers
and they actually put salt into the
: beer, that the desire for the pleas
!. ant liquor may be increased. Beer
E becomes necessity to him before
ne is aware Of it, and his fate is
. fixed. The seller can count upon
! 20 much a day from him a certain
1 ly as though he had it in his till.
. And this is not all by any means.
Lager beer originally contained only
three or four per cent. OF alcohol,
r but il now contains ten and twelve
d per cent. The original beer did
!. not make drunkards fast enough.
: 1t took too long time to fix the
e habit so a to make the victim pro-
titable. Hence they threw in glu-
! cose to make more alcohol, and all
J, sorts Of cheap drugs of the madden
ing kind, that the drinker might be
bound hand and foot, and put into
their possession in an absolutely
helpless condition as soon as posi-
bic. 1t was not enough to make a
beer drinker of him--to get the
= largest profit it became necessary to
make drunkard of him. 1t re-
9 suited as anticipated. The beer
drunkard is the worst drunkard in
the world, ard his chains are the
/. heaviest and strongest.
A more internal infernalism was
never devised, and if it does not
call for some sort of law, nothing
d does
y But it does not stop here. Men
i are not the only victims. There
; are boys in the neighborhood, strip
l. lings from thirteen to sixteen. The
d agent of the brewers arlanges his
trap for them. They have no mon
y ey, 50 he gives them credit. lie
/. has room for them secure from
y observation, in which they may
& play cards, or pool, or other forms
8 Of billiards, all for beer Of course.
III When the account swells to :
& sufficient amount he demands pay
9 ment. The alarmed boy cannot
3 pay. He frightens him with threats
& Of appealing to his parents, anc
8 when the boy is sufficiently GROUND
3 down, he suggests that his mothe
& had linen, his older brother revol
3 yer, his father books, and his siste
3 iewelry, and he gives him the name
& of pawn broker who will advance
8 him all the money he wants, on ar
Z ticles Of this kind. The frightened
& boy Jumps at this easy way Of es
= cape, goods are missed from thu
house, servant girls are discharged
for theft, and the thing goes on un
! til the boy becomes confirmed