The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-20
IRIS o. ,BOrr DRI.kI>G,
4 >sIoonk ecprr's Criticism cf a Boston
Judges Definition.

That Rotpn Judge who decided tho
other day that IN order 20 l~ drunk a man
must H. overcome. Stupai,Sl OF frrnzied
from the effects ~ alcoholic liquor. may b"
a learned mar IA questions - law but 1t
doesn't appear a. II lac knew a IRA, lot
about IN" drinking ~ rum" remarked
the experienced proprietor Of a downtown
broadway saloon. I've known men 20
bc drunk for ,ear- a. a str-tch. without
their giving any Indication whatever that
they wer" Overcome, -tupet"d OF frrnliesi
from the effects of their drinking
4 have IN mind. particularly, the case Of
a big Insurance" man who was a customer
81 mine. and a mighty yaluabi" one. for
twelve YEAR III. would coine In her" on
his way to his Office a, 10 o'clock In the
morning aud drink seven or eight hug drinks
Of whiskcy right "a the reel inside ui fifteen
MINUTES. aud they ne yer fea1cd him a
particle. He would & ON To- hs ONCE
and get down TO Iu>ineS-, and very few
Of his employees knew he iran a drop.
Every hour or 50 he would come IN here
hv the side door. sup into one of the alcoves
and drink half a dozcn hookers Of whiskcy.
Then. after pficc hours. he would come In
ard drink nearly a quart ~ hlr brand b-ioi"
COINS away. ] u-ed often 10 run across
this man al uptown cafes after nightfall.
and always found him drinking liquor In
tho sam. quantities that he drank u at my
plant He was "A very quiet individual
who rarely spoke unless he was addressed.
but who always had the pat answer when a
question Was put To him bv his friends and
employees. THIS man had a still on for
year. At a clip
well. he suddenly stopped drinking
The WAY ] heard the story was that his
wife on her doathb%d asked him 10 promise
TO give up liquor and that he had promised.
ANYHOW, hs stopped. He didn't taper "a
gradually. but he simply passed II up sud
denly. once and forever.
You may believe II or not. bat that
man acted more like a drunken individual
during the remainder Of his sober DAYS
h. only lasted a yeaT after no quit than
N. had ever acted while b" was q heavy
d1nker In fact. acquaintance who had
never known thaL lac Was a dnnker. began
10 Judge from his conduct when lac quit
tina, he had Just taken Co drink Several OF
has EMPLOYEES iormcd the Sam" opinion.
He was absent minded, extremely
nervous and irasclble, inclined Ia bc g1Ih
with friends with whom he had previously
lren On the easiest terms and. what u
mora To- the point, hts sp-@srh actually b.
came thick -tongued and more or lees DIM
cub, Ia understand man had lesn
virtually drunk Tor So many wears that
drunkenness gradually hIt surely came
To- lie has normal state and IN that state
he was a kindly, pca~-elhl". ~g"od-naturrd
u"rSor. a fine business man and "a pretty
exemplary Citlzsu - far ~ his relations
with the world We're concerned.
Hts sudden and voluntary deprivation
by himself Of a stimulant that he had ls-n
using for 40 long was too violent q change. :
and u made n strange and a hard man IL
him. He died. a- | said, only about a year
after he quit. OF nervous pru-tration.
believe that ho worried himself TO death
over an acute appreciation Of his guscr
state. But there was mover anything
overcome, stupefici or frcnZied about thai
man. odd ar u l. bound tn -ssem, until he
had Iassed up all alcoholic indulgence.
No fixed rule can IT, framed up bv a
Judge or anybody else ~ To this drinking
business. because drink ha- ~ many dIrcr- |
ent ways Of affecting different parsons
4 know q man q feet a.. IA height. and
with almost the strength Of n Bengal tiger /
Ii. was a. tiuc q trial iaw Yer a. ever prac-
tised before the criminal liar of New York
who. froma genial laughing witty friend and
would ~ converted into nothing
a raging uadrnan. n how Ing Bcdlsmite. |
taking ono I'm drink Of brandy. 4
He was ~ hard ~ handle after taking
one dnnk a. n runaway freight train
a down grade. He knew this, and tried
60 heat the game hy trying u ON every
once In u while, hut the ore drink invariably
had M" same effect upon him. and he finally
gave up irving 90 conquer his ppCuliantg =. |
-On Inc other hand. I hsro known scores
~ choppy, scrappy, brusl ue--poken And J
generally unsmiahls individuals who would
melt into an actual excess Of genislity.
into such extreme manifestations ~ friend
Illness aid lherali'N. a. To- r-uder them !
nuisaucr- 20 their companions.
this after ~Iartaking II only a fsN drains
~ liquor