The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1902-10-03
THE TREATING HABIT.
Makes Some Pointed Comments
on the Subject.

The editor of the Bricklayer and
Mason. the official organ of the In
ternational Union Of America, in a
recent number had an admirable and
interesting editorial on the treating
habit from which we Gull the follow
ing;
The treating habit Is nonsensical.
The only defense offered for IL Is
that 1t is the means Of bringing to-
gether conviyial spirits; that it
makes for good fellowship. Does
it? Not always. How often do we
see two men meet who are on the
best OF terms. and feel SO good to-
ward each other that they invite
each other TO "come and have a
drink The drink is returned. and
again returned, and so on until
sober friends become drunken enc
mics. 1t is no exaggeration to say that
more than half the rows that land
principals in hospitals and morgues,
and jails and scaffolds, begin over
the "social glass" And yet there
are those who insist that the habit
is based upon good fellowship, or at
least makes for it. On the contrary,
were the habit u be tabooed, good
fellowship, of the kind that is re-
ally good. would gain immeasurably;
and public morals would be vastly
improved.
Oftentimes a man who is accus-
toned to a glass "for his stomach's
sake" proceeds, when he feels the
need for II, TO have drink as he
calls it. Once inside the saloon, he
meets Jones, and because of the SIN
gular ethics of this good fellowship,
he feels in duty bound to invite
Jones to participate. And Jones re-
turns the compliment, and the drink.
At this juncture, either recognizes
an acquaintance, end the circle of
good fellowship enlarges. Then the
newcomer, rather than be consid-
cred "small," or just TO show that
he is as good a fellow as either,
proposes a third drink. And the
third drink Is taken. 4 story Is
told; then the bartender, who has
overheard it with such interest that
he at once deems his customers
mighty good fellows" sets up the
drinks "on the house" So joyial and
generous a bartender appeals to the
trio, and then another drink.
So the first to enter, who felt the
need for a drink-that is, one drink
--emerges from the saloon more or
less affected, and finds that he has
taken more than is good "for his
stomach's sake" Quite often the
little party, now a jolly, not to say
hilarious one, and increased in num-
Der by one, two or more additions in
the shape of those good fellows"
who are always found about such
places, have found seats at a table,
and they remain until the lights are
put out, and very generally until
they too are subjected TO the same
treatment. So it is in this way that
a man drinks more than he would
were he at liberty to drink alone,
and according to his personal de-
sires, not according TO a tyrannical
code of so-called good fellowship"
IL is a mistake to suppose that
the invitation to drink always inn
plies good fellowship, for quite often
the one who invites does not do so
much because of any good feeling,
as from a desire to avoid the APP
pearance of meanness.
Viewed in any light, the treating
habit is one of the worst Of habits.
It makes men drunkards against
their will. When men shall have
gotten from under its tyranny. there
will be but one class that will re-
gret-the saloon keeper; thousands
Of homes will be gladdened. and good
fellowship win recover its dignity.
and cease TO be barroom burlesque.