The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-10-28
rHE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANcE.

The Side Door of the Saloon Has Opened
the Way TO tho Downward Path For
Women - Lose All Self Respect and
Then the Descent is Easy.
Magistrate Charles A. Flammer has
given the "side door" question much study.
AS yet his attitude is still that of the. stu
dent, and he has come TO few conclusions.
But on one point at least his mind is thor
oughly made up. lie says
u am convinced of the evil of the side
door of the saloon and the opportunities it
offers women who otherwise might stay
away. l have seen many pitiful cases of
women degraded, sunk to the lowest
depths; of children worse than orphaned:
of husbands discouraged to the point of
deserting their families. | lay the blame
largely at the side door of the saloon. |
do not know how many saloons have
apartmeunts for women patrons, but j
think nearly every one in the tenement
districts is thus edupped. In the day
time, when the husbands are at work or
away from home, one woman will GO out
with a neighbor or two, and the money
that should have gone toward supplying
the household table is spent in carousing
in the rooms at the rear of the saloons.
1T makes dissination so easy. | don't
believe they really want to get drunk.
Even men seldom start ont with that in
tention. But it is temptation for weak
women. They go with their friends, and
there is no suggestion OF nhdeitv to their
husbands. Their companions are women
who visit their homes daily. When they
go out to do the days marketing what is
easier than to slim into the side entrance?
If they come out before their money is all
gone it is because they have spent enough
to. get intoxicated. AS a rule, the woman
who goes into a saloon loses her sef-ro.
spect to such an extent C.. t she does NOT
care about the results that are sure to fol.
low. That is one reason why so many are
brought into court.
"It would not be so bad. pcrhans. ii the
habit were rot snreading among that c'ass
of women who take life so seriously. They
do all things seriously. even their drinking.
1t becomes a part of their lives. We hear
much about drinking by society women.
II may be true, but I am of the opinion
that ii is in most cases mere incident to
other things-a relish for luncheon or din.
ner or high ball with some friend They
may get intoxicated at tines. But the fact
does not get spread broadcast throughout
the circle in which they move. They do
not have to answer to n charge of int9vicn-
ton in court. Their children do not hear
of it. and il possible the husband is kept
ignorant Of it. There is NO degrading ev.
ample. Then the household does not suf-
fer. The wealthy woman docs rot have
clothes to make and mend. She does not
prepare the meals. The sr'all amount she
spends. If she does not drink iquor a.
ready. in the house, would not be missed
from her min money.
"But when the poor won,on who natror.
izes the side door spends fift~ cents o. 81
somebody has to suffer. Thnrc IS that
much less toward the rent. Az liko'y as
not she is unable "a attend to her house.
worl-. and the children are roglected. and
the husband. who may be n drinlin~ rHr
himself. cannot stand such fault IN his
wife. There, is neither happiness nor peace
in that family.
"1here is new phase Of the liruor nuos.
ton that interests me. 1t is the family
liquor store. with its nnat rrrav of bottles
in the window The family linror store
has no bar and cate~s only to frmily trade.
| am not prepared 10 say what part H.
plays in the drama of drunkenness, Such
establishments pay much lower license
than the saloon and they sell THEW wares
more cheaply. | do not see how they ard
the saloons can ovist side hv side II is
my belief that third condition will he the
result, hut what that will be I do not
know. / can remember the time when
there were no saloons IN New Yorl-iust
grocery stores, with beer pun'N or two
IN the rear. Fi~allv the bacl, of tho estah-
lishment proved more profitable thar the
front and the grocery end was dropod.
"If there are any more changes in the
saloons I would like to see the side door
abandoned. If women insist on drinking
let them gn where there will he no CON
cea ment, Men in the laborirC classes find
It hard enough to make n living without
having wives whom thev sudAnn'v discover
to be hopeless drunkards. u thore we're
not so much secrecy about the sido door
the husband might he warned in time to
prevent the utter dcgrN dation of tho 'vom.
an who bears his name. New York Press.