Evening star., 1901-04-23
CHERRY CLUB COMFORTS DISPLACED
Resumption of "Hog Ranch u
. Orgies Expected.
A SURGEONS QUERIES

An army obeys the mandates of its coun-
try willingly. unwillingly. silently or other
wise, but 1t obeys. This IS the alphabet OF
the soldier. that as an Individual adds an
atom to the grand composite mass before
which thrones have trembled; nevertheless
the soldier, though considered a machine.
is still a thinking human being, and the
American soldier as well enjoys personal
ity which is the real secret of his great
success. and such man when deprived Of
a manifest benefit usually asks why and
why was the canteen taken away from us?
If an old soldier he recalls the pre-can-
teen days where at some isolated garrison
on the frontier possibly $50 miles from
railroad his sutler sold pint bottle of
beer for 80 cents, and mean gold at that,
for this Is necessary phrase out there.
ASIDE from TINS scattered along the envl-
rons of his post were ranches called hog
ranches. low resorts where the poorest and
vilest concoctions were sold for the highest
prices. These novels were the resort of all
kinds of infamy, but they filled the place
intended for cheap amusement. and as
result drunkenness, disease and shooting
scrapes were the order Of the night well
as day. The men frequently overstayed
their passes, often robbed, beaten, and
sometimes even killed. 1t was all taken as
a matter Of course; there was no remedy,
for things were very expensive at the sut-
ler's and this condition was in existence in
the suburbs, as it were, of every army
garrison, with its surrounding opprobrium
of parasites always feeding on the financial
and physical wealth of the soldier who
now asks, why is our canteen taken away?
The Soldiers Club.
The old soldier saw the dawn Of gen.
erous act when his officers busted them
selves in furnishing a place for him to sit
in the evening with his comrade over a
glass of beer. sold at reasonable figure
the very profit made by the act of the sale
to recur to his own benefit. He thought
he realized in that his millennium; but to
have for sale articles Of food, to have
cheap games for pleasure, as pool and bill
liardS, and the free use of the daily papers
why he, soldier was to have the priv
ileges of a club.
From the very inception Of the movement
the dens Of infamy, reeking with moral
and physical filth, were unknown; they
went the way of other things not needed
and supported; they perished, and with
them mighty army of offenders against
society in general as well temperance
societies, ceased to draw its support from
the army of the United States
This is no place to go into statistics about
the results of the canteen in promoting So
briefly amongst our soldiers. but 1 venture
to make the statement, based on eighteen
years connection with the service in all
climes and conditions, that the moral and
on entering canteen. There is yet the
semblance Of military authority in power
here: it is no low music hall you enter, nor
drunken saloon of the town; it Is a SOL
dierS' club.
It has become to them what gentle
reader, your club is to you. You have your
home, your family, your business; you go
to the theater. dances, to church. Why
do you want your club-why7 You even
stammer and look aghast at me, and
simply say: Why, you need to meet your
friends. at times discuss affairs of common
interest, read the papers, and possibly all
over a glass Of beer.
Canteen's influence for Good.
How much more must it be to the soldier,
who, away from every influence but the
society of his comrades, needs to enliven
his long leisure moments with some cheap
amusement. even with a glass OF beer. In
the presence of his associates, and it was
this keen delight in knowing that he had
an undeniable right to participate in the
benefits from the institution that made it
to all concerned the greatest source OF
comfort to the soldier that was ever intro
duced into the army or could have flown
from IDEAS Of the brainiest men Of the
times. 1t reduced the drunkenness, the
brawls, the shooting scrapes, and erected
a place where a soldier could partake of
simple refreshments under the legal eye OF
the military law with pride and deport-
ment.
Most cities grace their functions with
some sort Of stimulating beverages.
Whether this is catering to a perverse ap-
petite or not, 1t is not for me to say; but
when you look back on savage races, with
unsophisticated ideas, brewing out with
exact chemical skill their alcoholic diStil-
lates for home consumption. the use Of
stimulating narcotics by others, such as
the hasheesh Of the east. opium Of China,
tobacco Of Turkey, kola nut of the Kaff1r.
vino and betel nut Of the Filipino, 1t would
really seem that man, after all, must have
some sort of stimulant. Some Of these are
bad, but among Europeans of ordinary
habits some form Of alcoholic beverage Is
used, and whether it be the beer Of Munich.
wine of Paris, gin Of London or the Man
haitian of New York, the vital stimulant
Is alcohol. Some are better than others;
therefore it is wise for the government to
control the kind and quality Of its bever-
ages intended for sale to soldiers. Take 1T
out of government control and others will
soon supply an article where the smallest
is given for the largest profit.
A Lesson England Learned.
Undoubtedly the intention must have been
to not allow the sale Of intoxicating drinks
to soldiers under government authority
The aim of those concerned may have been
to prohibit the sale Of beer and SO keep the
soldier wholly temperate. !Such an idea and
ideal state Of affairs at one time was the
cause Of the repeating Of law in force in
the colonial army Of India, started by
worthy parties in England, working on q
theory. who themselves were surrounded
with all the comforts OF home. The Dill be-
came a law, the soldier in his far away
alien home suffered. supplied for himself
what the government no longer allowed
him. The result was disaster not only
the soldier. but to the government who de-
MED him their protection. The enormous
increase of soldiers invalided home cost the
authorities a financial nightmare, and the
bill was repealed and Immediately return
to former normal standards occurred.
The army on the frontier of the Philip
pines. devoid Of Its little social club, will
in due course of time be visited by the old
time hog ranch. 1t may assume new feat
ures, be more up to date, but the profits
will cease to return to aid in purchasing
the many little comforts that help to
smooth over the long, tired. worn trail of
our fighting man, for after all you must
commence with the man to make your
army. and the American soldier is the
peer Of any on earth He appreciates the
little niceties that are evidences of home
thoughts, and when his government issues
orders looking to his comfort and care he
realizes that he is serving the kindest and
most benevolent of republics. Still he does
not see the reason why his canteen ceases
to exist. yet accepts 1t as the wise provision
of thoughtful country, though it consume
the Individual, to reclaim him,