The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-11-18
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOM: STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMsERANcE.
Why the Side Door of the Saloon Haf
Opened the Way to the Downward Path
For women-vigorous Expressions ON
fbe Sub{oct nv Mira Edwin Knowles.

| Why the Side Door of the Saloon Haf
Opened the Way to the Downward Path
For women-vigorous Expressions ON
the Subject by Mrs. Edwin Knowles.
Unquestionabiy the greatest evil that
menaces our national life to-day is drunk
enness among women. Enough has been
the practice of '.genteel tipping" by wo.
| men of the so-called upper classes, and L
shall refer to them only incidentally. OF
| far greater import is the increase in drink
Ing by women in humble circumstances,
the wives Of hard-working mechanics, the
mothers of large families. 1t is OF far
greater import, because these women are
Of the "piain people" and there are more
plain people" than any other sort. So
long as they are sober. Industrious and
virtuous it makes little difference if they
give dinners to monkeys at Newport or
how many cases of champagne are con-
sumed at pink teas on Fifth avenue.
With these women opportunity means
a great deal. In some respects the word
opportunity is the biggest in the English
language. But it has an added signif-
canoe when it clears the way for these
women to become habitual drinkers. And
the side door of the saloon leading to
wine rooms for women - chen coops"
call them-is just another definition of the
word opportunity. The side door Of the
saloon has opened the way to the. down
| ward path for more women in humble cir
cumstances than all other avenues COM
| bined. The poor creatures think they
need stimulant. Possibly they do. But
doubt whether they would resort to-
LIQUOR if it were not for that side door.
l. These women would not think of going
in the front door of the saloon. 1t would
not be considered respectable, and they
still retain certain amount Of pride as
| to their standing among their acquain-
tanees. Even the bartender who serves
rishteously shocked if they were to come
UP to the bar and ask for their liquor
They could not go into the swell cafes
| where their more wealthy sisters sip their
| cocktails and highballs. They would not
be admitted. Trust the walters in the
| cafes for being good judges of wardrobes.
| So they go to the side door of the saloon,
which always stands invitingly open from
| long before sunrise until long after most
honest people are abed.
Thus the side door is the main oppor-
| tunity for women. 1t is the women's
annex to the saloon. 1t is there for no
other purpose. When a man wants
drink he goes in the front door. With
| him there is no necessity for concealment
unless it is on Sunday or after closing
hours at night. Then his skulking is for
the purpose Of protecting the saloonIeep-
er. not himself.
The question might not be go serious If
the women of the poorer classes were not
so serious about their drinking. Your so
ciety woman is not nearly SO liable to be-
come an inebriate. She starts to drink
ing because she thinks it smart. She may
grow to like it.. but, after all, drinking is
largely an incident with her. The "dip-
| r;a oD-e,,oh ot,n
is the exception. If she becomes real
drunkard she harms no one so much a.
herself. She may injure her reputation,
but that is easily repaired. She has no
family dependent on her work, no chill
dren crying for her attention, and she
never loses herself to such an extent that
she neglects her lapdog.
saloon side door. It is the gateway to
damnation for women. If it is not feasi-
Bile to force saloonkeepers to pay an extra
license for this accessory, close it up. 1t
is running the homes of people who ap-
preciate homes. Home life means every
thing to the poor people. Their amuse-
ments are largely Of the freside variety.
A trip to the theatre is an event, not Q
nightly occurrence until they get bored
to death: They don't 60 out to dinners
or attend balls.
The women come in closer contact with
their children. They have no nursemaida
to look after their little ones. What can
be the effect upon the younger genera.
ton when the mothers get drunk? A
mother in the police court answering to
the charge of intoxication! What spec
tacle for child!
If you want to stop nine-tenths of the
drunkenness among women, who are the
wives Of workingmen, close the side, door
that admits them to the chen coops." In
that way you remove the opportunity and
lessen the temptation. I am not SAN
guine enough to believe that such a step
would reform all of. them, but believe
it will beat all the temperance lectures
that can be delivered and all the pledges
that can be signed.-Mrs. Edwin Knowles,
in the New York Press.