New-York tribune., 1905-07-09
tIHAT N4TIONS DRINK.
Tast Differences in Their Use Of
Certain Beverages.

than in their dress or speech, the size OF their
.-mies the amount of their national DEBT III
their use of coffee, for example. the American
and the Russian offer as great contrast as IN
Cctogenarian and year Old babe. On an aver
age the American drinks as much coffee In one
cay as does the Muscovite in eighty days. In the
consumption of tea, beer and wine the English
and the Italians differ to a still more startling
Ce5ree In one day the average Britisher sips
IS much tea as eighteen hundred Italians. and in
ne -2r.e length of time he swallows enough beer
l., ieep the average Italian supplied for six
t.outks Yet in wine drinking the Italian shows
that he can equal eghty-four John Bulls.
Hcccrting to the latest statistics of the De
pertinent Of Commerce at Washington, it ap-
Ic-rs that the American is fairly temperate
Nhcn compared with some of his European
tr.,.f2-s; He drinks less beer than the Eng
iShman the German the Austrian. In the
20 Of 81 rituous liquors he falls still further be-
md. and finds himself outclassed by the Aus
tr:en the Hungarian the German and the
F.enchlran. He also ranks fifth among the ma
tions as a wine drinker. The Frenchman, the
Italian. the Austrian and the German go ahead
+ him
The American, far more than many Europeans.
seeks refreshment and renewed energy IN the
cup which invigorates, but does not intoXicate'
coffee and tea are his favorite beverages on
average he drinks more CClIee II1li IiA0 H'-
tive of any country of the Old World, and when
c,assed with Europeans he is surpassed only by
the English in his use of tea.
The comparative temperance of the Ameri-
can furthermore, would seem to be little endan-
eered by the great immigration hither at the
present time of Russians and Italians. In the
Ise of spirits the Italian is at the very bottom
Of the list of Europeans. He also drinks less
beer than any of his neighbors. He drinks con-
siderable wine. hut it is wine that contains
little alcohol, and even In this category he falls
some distance behind the French. The Rus
sian ranks sixth in the consumption of spirits,
and h drinks one-t -thirtieth much beer as the
Englishman. He also uses so little wine that
not even an estimate is Obtainable of how much
he does drink
Should an American an Englshman, French
man. an Austrian, a German. an Italian and
Russian sit down to a table together and order
Crinks in a quantity that would show the rela-
tive consumption of these beverages by their
respective peoples some would get enough for
a bath while others would obtain only a few
swallows. If they should take tea, for instance,
the EnSlishman would find himself confronted
with 800 cups the American with 400, the
Russian with 275. the German with SO. the
Austrian with 20. the Frenchman with IS and
the Italian with only one.
If the tea should prove unsatisfactory and
would prove himself the heaviest drinker. He
would be found to rank considerably ahead of
the German, who is generally supposed to swaI-
low most of this beverage He would get 175
glasses while the German would take $50 the
Austrian 100, the American 90, the Frenchman
81. the Russian and the Italian only one
In case the weather should turn suddenly
cold and the little assemblage decided that
Something hot would be better, and every one
order spirits, the Austrian would then Outclass
all the others. Nevertheless, he would not dis
tance his rivals to any great extent. 1t would
be found that liquor suits the taste Of the
various drinkers far more evenly than any of
the other beverages ordered. The Austrian
would, for example, take nine glasses; the Ger
man six, the Frenchman five, the American the
Englishman and the Russian four (though the
Americans glasses would contain a trfe more
than the Englishman's and the Englishman's "a
tit" more than the Russan's), while the Italian
would satisfy himself with one.
Should the liquor prove too hot without a
weaker drink afterward and all agree on wine
for their farewell toasts, the Frenchman would
then "outswallow' his companions. His order
would call for hundred glasses while the
Italian would content himself with eighty four
the Austrian with seventeen. the German with
six. the American with a glass and a half and
the Engshman with one.
If al the end of this cOnvivfal scene the party
CIR,t l-f,,1-