Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-09
ETIQUETTE OF DRINKING,
The Practice of CeremOniOus Tipping
Seems to Be Declining.

The Practice of CeremOniOus Tipping
Seems to Be Declining.
From the London Globe.
When drinking was a society science
that is, when men after dinner settled
steadily down to drinking as serious
business, when a mans capacity for alb
sorbing strong liquor was sort Of hall
mark, and when such a phrase as could
take his liquor like a man" sufficiently ex-
planned the feeling of almost reverence
with which a hardened topper was regarded
there became developed an etiquette of
drinking which was observed with a fidel-
ity worthy of better cause. Drinking-at
any rate public and polite drinking-has
well nigh disappeared, although Its place
has been partially occupied by a system of
quiet ''nipping'' of which our ancestors
were comparatively ignorant. but a few
of the old points of drinking etiquette still
linger. For instance. all toasts were once
drunk with mo heel taps" Nowadays
this rule is only observed with regard to
the toast Of the evening. and then by no
means universally, SO that the careful or
moderate man may do honor to a whole
list of toasts with single glass Of wine.
If however. We are to accept literally the
invariable winding up of the German en-
perors toaSts. 81 empty my glass" 1t
would seem that in his country the princi-
PIE Is SUI out. again, II was ell
quette of old that no guest should pre-
sumo to touch his glass until the first toast
Of the evening had been given, and this is
still the rule at military messes. and at
such eastern dinner tables where the time
honored toasts for special days are stu
punctiiously given, such as the Sweet
hearts and Wives of Saturday night, the
Absent Friends of ordinary nights and
the "Old Folks al Home" of Sunday night:
The chief old custom which still survives is
that when the health of an individual pres
ent is proposed the whole company should
stand and address him by name as they
drink his health, to the accompaniment, at
informal gatherings. Of the chorus, For
He's Jolly Good Fellow
When the old Beefsteak was IL. it's hey
day, says its historian, Mr.. Walter Arnold,
1t was the custom for the president to pro-
pose the healths of the visitors separately
This done, and as all speeches were pro-
hibited, they were expected to rise stimuli
taneously to return thanks best they
could, the result being that any attempt
by an individual to return thanks was
cheered and applauded down, and when
the confusion had subsidized it was gravely
proposed, seconded and carried that the
speeches Of the worthy visitors be taken
down separately and printed at the expense
Of the society" At this same club 1t was
one rule that no liquor of higher value
than port wine be drunk. and that any
member daring to present the society with
liquor without having received permission
to do so should be reprimanded and made
shepherds Notes Hogg is describing his
visit to the Beefsteak Club Says Simon to
him: What, do they drink port during
dinner?" To which the Shepherd reples
''They do that, Billy. If ony member had
cad for aught aboon port. 1 wadna haze
been in his line for forty shillings, as the
bogfe said. In the first place, he wad haze
been fined; in the second. he wad haze been
obliged to take public rebuke. Ony O.
them may haze as muckle punch as they
like. or toddy, or twist. but wine of
nominal higher quality than port they are
not allowed to taste" Then he proceeds
to say how Lord Saltoun. for presuming to
send a dozen bottles of sublime Highland
whisky from his own cellar without permis-
sion, was made to stand in white sheet
while the recorder rebuked him.
The general taste in drinks has probably
degenerated. Not only is the old etiquette
about certain wines for certain courses be-
coming disregarded. so that in these days
of the whisky cult man may take 1t with
his fish or his bird without laying himself
open to charge Of want Of palate, but it
is common thing for men actually to
an assault on the dignity of the wine which
the old-tlme host would have classed in
the same criminal category as the shooting
Of fox. Possibly the universal prevalence
of smoking has good deal to do with the
debased wine taste Of the present day. OF
old, IL men smoked they whetted their
whistles with ale. punch or spirits but
never with delicate yintages. and the SNUFF
But polite society has by no means a
monopoly of drinking etiquette. Indeed, it
is among the lower strata that one may
note the strictest adherence to forms and
customs. There is no point of breeding"
for instance. upon which the poor man
places greater stress than that which links
strict reciprocity with drinking. Half
dozen men after their days work, will en-
ter a public house together. One of them
stands drinks round, and, Willy nilly, each
one OF the other five must stand him a
drink in turn.