The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-11-11
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF iNTEMPERANcE.

The Side Door Of the Saloon Has Openes
the Way to the Downward Path Eos
Women-Lose All Self Respect and
Then the Descent Is Easy ,....
Magistrate Charles A. Flammer ha'
given the side door" question much study
As yet his attitude is still that of the stu
dent, and be has come to few conclusions
But on one point at least his mind is thor
oughly made up. He saws:
Il am convinced Of the evil of the side
door Of the saloon and the opportunities il
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. I lay the blame
largely at the side door of the saloon.
do not know how many saloons hare
apartmeunts for women patrons, but ]
think nearly every one in the tenement
districts is thus equipped. In the day
time. when the husbands are at work OF
away from home, one woman will 60 out
with q neghbor or two. and the money
that should have gone toward supplying
the household table is spent in carousins
in the rooms at the rear of the saloons.
ut makes dissipation 40. easy. don't
believe they really want to get drunk.
Even men seldom start out with that in
tention. But it is a temptation for weak
women. They 60 with their friends, and
there is no suggestion of in6delity to their
husbands. Their companions are women
who visit their homes daily. When they
90 out to do the days marketing what is
easier than to slip iato the side entrance:
If they come out before their money is al!
gone it is because they have spent enough
to get intoxicated. AS rule, the woman
who goes into a saloon loses her self-re-
spect to such an extent tilt she does not
care about the results that are sure to fol.
low. That is one reason why SO many arc
brought into court.
s''It would not be so bad. perhaps. If the
habit were not spreading among that class
of women who take. life so seriously. They
do all things seriously, even their drinking.
It becomes part of their lives. We hear
much about drinking by society women.
1t may be true, but am Of the opinion
that it is in most cases mere incident to
other things-a relish for luncheon or dim
ner or high bal with some friend. They
may get intoxicated at times. But the fact
does not get spread broadcast throughout
the circle in which they move. They. do
not have to answer to charge of intoSica-
tion in court. Their children do not hear
Of it. and il possible the usband is kept
ignorant Of it. There ia no degrading ex-
ample. Then the household does not suf-
fer. The wealthy woman does not have
clothes to make and mend. She does not
prepare the meals. The small amount she
spends. if she does not drink liquor al.
ready in the house, would not be missed
from her pin money.
ICES the side door spends fftv cents or 81
somebody has to suffer. There is that
much less toward the rent. As likely as
not she is unable to attend to her house.
work, and the children are neglected, aud
The husband, who may be drinking man
himself. cannot stand such fault in his
wife. There is neither happiness. nor peace
in that family.
'1here is a new phase of tire LIQUOR ques-
tion that interests me. It is the family
liquor store. with it's neat arrav of bottles
in the window. The family liquor store
has no bar and caters only to family trade.
plays in the drama of drunkenness. Such
establishments pay a much lower license
than the saloon and they sell their wares
more cheaply. do not see. how they and
the saloons can exist side by side. II Is
my belief that third condition will be the
result, but what that will be I do not
know. I can remember the time when
there were no saloons in New York-just
grocery stores. with bser pump or two
in the rear. Finally the back of the estab-
lishment proved more profitable than the
front and the grocery end was dropped.
eff there are any more changes in the
saloons I would like to see the side door
abandoned. If women insist on drinking
let them GO where there will be no con-
ceaIment. Men in the laboring classes find
it hard enough to make living without
having wives whom they suddenly discover
to be hopeless drunkards. If there were
not so much secrecy about the side door
the husband might be warned in time to
prevent the utter degradation Of the wom-
m who bears his name New York P:ess.