The Taney County republican., 1903-10-22
WOMEN WHO DRINK.
England Has an Appalling
Number OF Them.

says Lady Henry Somerset, writing
about London in the North American
Review. I'VE must leave for moment
the iieds and flowers and birds and
beasts. and 10 into the dingy cit.. AMI
pass the courts and the alleys end tho
pawnbrokers' shops and the old clothes
shops: we must 20 down into the liItch-
ems where the rats share the damp
darkness with the inhabitants, and
then walk out again into the dusty
stgNet: and then We shall begin 20 I'M
dc.stand what IL the center of a'trac-
,ion to the dwellcrs In the narrow
court and gloomy slum At the corner
of the street there IL a public house.
and. II We watch the swinging door for
moment. We shall be able To realize
why II is that In England there are
more drunken women than in any 9TH
or nation. and how II is that the brew
ers have made larger fortunes than can
he amused at any other trade
Between the hours Of one and 'hreo
o'clocR you will see In this slualid dis
tricr from 100 TO 200 women enter the
drink shop with little babies in their
arms. and as those women crowN into
that public house and stand to drink.
they will often give the baby share
Of the liquor. and the little mouth Will
greedily suck the spoon or the glass
that has In II the taste Of Civ. Be-
tween those hours. too. you will see
$50 or 200 girls. with tattercd clothes.
torn pinafores. some almost shoelrss.
all ragged. all dirty. all dishevelcd.
entering with Jugs to carry away the
drink to their miserable homes As
many boys under the age OF II or II
will he there. too making. perhaps. n
total la one afternoon Of 500 children.
remember on one occasion of stailh-
ing in front Of just such public horre
land II you look down the street you
will see that there are 90 morcl. with
an American. and when she saw the
women going into the public house.
some Of them respectfully clad. she
said Are they going to hold crusade
meeting there. as they did In America
90 years ago.
"lt seemed To her incOnccivable that
women were going there to drink: but
to us II has become commonplace.
and those who know anything ~ the
social life of the people In England
have long realized that children are
drunk for the first time In their moth
crs arms. or cursed with the appetite
before they are born. In their carries,
association. the public house stands as
the most prominent factor In their
existence. and has stored their minds
with the impressions Of everything
that Is vile and bad.
But there Is another picture Of our
social life Of which have to speak
before | go back again to the country
farm. and In order to bring this be.
fore the minds Of those who are inter.
cstcd In social problems. | must ask
them 10 90 inside large London drink
den. There you will find great mum.
ber OF entrances, six. eight or ten. anG
each Of these entrances leads into q
separate small bar and. II you arc In.
clined 10 sit for n moment and ask for
a glass OF lemonade. you can watch
those who pass In and ont,
"a young girl well dressed and oi
respectable parcntaGe. will come In
accompanied by tho young man tc
whom she Is engaged. and they will
call for glass Of spirits or beer and
SIT down TO drink as matter Of course.
A mldGlc-agcd woman. who has known
better days draws her mantle about
her. and looks around 10 SEQ II any ono
has noticed that she has crossed tho
threshold; her face is pale and drawn.
and she has anxious lines around hcr
eyes Employment IN hard to got. and
she r. going 10 try 10 forget how dill
cult II iS to live, rs she carrie IN her
lhin trembling hand n glass o, noa,
spirit 10 the furthC" corner of the bar.
Then there arc n middle-agcd man and
his wife, who ask for beer. woman
with n baby and young husband: the
nnDy cries. anu inc mother dips her
finger in the glass and rubs It's lips.
A little noise in another bar tells us
that there n different class has assem-.
bed. and there We see the ragged den.
ihons of tho slnms; but every class IL
represented. and among them women
are prominently to hc found.
"Wha' wonder then. that as we read
the annals Of the English police courts
we realize that drunkenness has no,
only invaded tho homes Of the poorest
Of the people. but also that drinking
is alarmlngly on tho increase among
women Of tho wealthy and tho lcisurcd
classes; TIM, not only are destitute and
degraded women committed to our
prisons, who are unable to pay the fine,
but that women In apparently respect.