The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-04-04
w. @. T. u. DEPARTMENT..
Conducted by the ladies Of the w. c..
T. q. Of Anderson, s. G.
'sTreating"-A Source OF Drunken
ness.


my acquaintance fell into the habit of
using intoxicants, until he seldom
passed day without some symptoms
Of drunkenness. He sometimes came
home in state Of 5eastly intoxica-
tion. Under their piteous appeals he
consented to 20 to an inebriate asy-
lum, and after few months of treat
ment he came back entirely reformed.
Sunshine again filled the house that
had long been shadowed with shame
and sorrow. He continued sober for
several months, but one day an old
friend met him in New York, greeted
him cordially and invited him to go
into downtown restaurant and take
a social glass with him. Under sud
den impulse he yielded; and that one
glass aroused the latent appetite; the
chained tiger was loosed again, and my
poor friend went home that night pit
iably and disgracefully drunk. During
the brief remainder of his life he was
wreck.
That whole wretched tragedy of
ruined life was the result of single
act which gucs under the deceitful
name Of treating" That friend
who offered the insnaring glass proved
to be q deadly enemy. Grant that he
had no intention to work fatal mis-
chief: grant that he had no thought
oe doing serious harm. lie did it,
however, as surely as if he had been
aotuated by fendish malice.
evil is wrought by want of thought,
AS we'll as want of heart"
The pernicious and abominable Gus
tom Of treating friend 60 glass of
Intoxicating liquor is one Of the most
prolific causes IF intemperance. 1t
often engenders the habit of drinking;
it often confirms the awful prosperity
and sometimes, as in the case Of that
gentleman mentioned in the beginning
of this article, it sends reformed in
ebriate back into the mirc. The dan
ger of this treating custom is that it
wears the guisc of friendship, and ap-
peals to the weak side OF human ma.
ture. Come and take drink with
me, says the politician who hopes to
win Z vote. won't you take social
glass with me?" is the subtle invita-
tion of false friendship that is too
often yielded 10. It is not every one
who has the nerve Brooklyn neigh
Dor of mine, who, having once been an
inebriate, used to say to any one who
invited him to take drink: eff you
ask to do that again TT! knock you
down!'
This perilous custom Of treating has
spread very. widely. When custom
er had made a good purchase he is Of
ten invited by the merchant to go off
to restaurant or barroom for bot
tie Of wine ''to close up the bargain"
The drummer for commercial house
seeks Tsry often to win customers by
polite invitations to drinking resort
or to q theatre, or sometimes to hannts
tco vile to be mentioned. / know of
o very affable salesman in q wholesale
dry goods establishments who became
q diasiretea man from having to invite
customers to lunch with him over
bottle OF winel His employers set
that Sright young man to tempt 9TH
er nanrse, esd &c Gid Il at the cost OF
his own character. The various ath-
letio and intercollegiate ball games
are attended with an enormous
amount Of hard drinking; much Of it
takes the form Of treating" by those
who have won their games or their
bets: It is not too much to say that
q vast amount Of intemperance, with
its terrible results to purse, character
and immortal souls, can be traced to
that cunning device of the devil,
which puts poison into q man s brain
under the pretense Of putting kindness
into his heart.
In these days very large amount
Of moral artillery is very properly
aimed at the traffic in intoxicants.
Righteous denunoiations are hurled at
the saloons. But the destructive
drink traffic really is fed by and de-
pends upon the drink custom. Intem-
perance is bred in the club. ir che
home, and in the social circles, as well
as in the barroom. The purchaser of
liquor is q partner with the liquor
seller. Every one who buys an intoxi-
cant or offers an intoxicant to another
does his or her part toward maintain
ing the drink customs whicn underlie