The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-10-16
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ARou1
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANce.

uow New York Society Women DRINK
The Guzzlers Arc What the World
Calls ladies Girls Sit and Ordei
Drinks without Food.
Mrs. Fila A. Poole. President OF the
New Yorl, State Women's Christian Tenn
perauce Union. has heen making some IN.
vestipations concr-nirr the lmblblng OF
irtovica nts in prbl;c places bv the women
Of Gotham. and furnishes the following
significant table of lunrhccns taken at
the places named to the New York World:
No.
No. Of using What the
Place. women liquors. women drank.
T)clmonicn's. ~ az Wine or cocktails.
Waldorf Astoria. .1nO a5 Wine or cocktails
n'Neilps. 95 ~ Wine co ia sheer
Sherry's. ...... 2s is Wine or cocktails
Manhattan. .... On % Wine or cockta,la
Savoy. .;......... 8 Vine or eorktails
Maillards 800. IS 81 Cktails or liq'urs'
The women who furnished the raw ma
terial for Mra. Bodies table were not dis,
reputable characters who had stagrered
in from the streets. The nares OF the
places at which the observations were
made are sufficient 70 indicate that the
przzlers were what the world calls ladies.
More than that. these same women cor
stitute, or help to constitute. that which
is known az the HIGHEST social circle.
At all the fashionable restaurants in
New York the larger mart of the receipts
are said to he derived from the sales OF
wines, whisky and other alcoholic drinks
Even popular candy stores Of the rnetrop..
oils now serve champagne, cocktails ana
highballs. Restaurants in the shopping
districts that reach out esneclally tor the
PATRONAGE of the women who trade IN the
dry goods stores. and where men unaccom
panied by ladies are seldom seen, serve
drinks to at least saventy-ive per cent. OF
their customers. This is a description oi
tho scene witnessed by Mrs. Boole at the
Waldorf Astoria:
"There were twenty-six tables in the
first room. seating two, four, six or eight
persons. In the course at an honr the
guests at most of these tables had changed
once.
"Of the nersons at these tables thirteen
were drinking at one time. and eight wait
ers with empty cocktail glasses care from
tables that were nartially hidden by the
stone columns in the room.
''With three. possibly four, EXCEPTIONS
these guests were all women-women, with
gray hair. fne-looking women of thirty,
young girls of eighteen.
seventeen, drank cocktail and also glass
of wine" :.
In the restaurants in the shopping dis
trict it is customary, we are told, tor
women and girls to sit down Mt the tables
and order drinks without calling for any
thing to eat. This may he little more
genteel than leaning against bar and
drinking, but it is probably just as dam
gerous.
1t has heen customary for people IN
edest place in the world. but it would
surely be impossible for anyone to brin2
such an Indictment against the women OF
this citv az Mrs. Bonle has brought against
the feminine half of New York's smart set.
The saloons which flourish here indicate
that there must be a great deal OF drink
ing by Chicago men, but it has not become
necessary to turn candy stores in grog-
shops. as yet, and no first-class hotel in this
CITY has thus far found it necessary to
maintain special department for the use
of men and women who may wish. meet
bv appointment and drink together. -.
It is hardly surprising. considering all
t. e facts in the case, that Mrs. Boole cries
out:
"In the name Of womanhood, in the in.
terest of the children yet to he born, we
call upon every class of society women
and every woman who loves her Hnd to
discourage the custom of social drinking
and help save the wonanhood OF fhe ma
tion from the curse of drunkenness"
But Mrs Bone must not make the mis-
take of regarding New York as the ma
tion.-Chicago Record Herald.