The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-04-01
OUR TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
REPORTS OF PROGRESS OF THE
BATTLE AGAINST RUN.

"The Woman Who Drinks" by Ora.
ham Hood-This We'll Known
Writer Tells OF His Observations
In New York City.
The idea that a capacity to drink
much of many kinds of liquors Is an
additional attraction in a woman has
absolutely no foundation in fact. IN
spite of any contrary opinions upon
her part, men do not think more
tfayorably Of a woman because she Is
able to drink, as great quantities OF
alcoholic beverages as they can. Even
though they may appear to be glad
of the opportunity to associate with
her, and nay dub her O prince OF
good fellows" their interest in her
usually ends far short Of the altar.
Men may like her we'll enough in a
social way, but as a rule they don
care to marry her. They may be
willing to spend their money to graf
tfy her desire for drink, but they
have seen the effect Of liquor upon
too many other women to want to
make a woman OF this SORT tnelr
companion for life.
It cannot be denied that at the
present time our opinion in regard
to drink has undergone a decided
change. a generation or two ago
even the best mel got drunk with
considerable regularity, and there
were comparatively few people who
amounted to anything who did not
consume some liquor at least with
their meals. Even then, however,
women did not drink, and the woman
who entered q restaurant without an
escort to order a glass OF WHISKY:
would not have had much reputa-
ton left to boast about.
To-day these conditions ara
| changed. Men do not begin to drink
such vast quantities Of liquor, but in
place Of the two bottle man we have
the drinking woman-the woman
VINO feels that she cannot go through
with the duties of the day without a
certain amount Of alcoholic stimu-
liant. To-day nobody wants to do
business with a man who Is a nard
drinker. Nobody trusts him; NOBODY
wants to employ him to work IN any
RESPONSIBLE capacity. If the business
or professional mar Is known to DO
addicted to the habit Of drinking II
d~etracts Just so much from his earn
ing capacity; yet, in spite of this
change in public opinion, woman has
now entered this field, to vie with
man in his drinking bouts.
l suppose, as a matter OF TACT, a
woman has as much right to drink
as a man. If she wants to consume
these alcoholic connections, from
wine down to cocktails, or highballs,
or even to clear whisky, she has the
legal right to do so, and yet, as can
not be denied, it always seems worse
to see a woman pour these drinks
down her throat than 1t does when II
ia q man who is doing 1t. Undoubt-
edly this feeling is due to that respec.
for womankind that is Inherent IN all
of us, and it is this SCI .iment that IS
partly responsible for b ract tnaI
good men don't care to marry women
who are known to be addicted to the
drink habit. Such a man could nol
imagine his mother with the bleary
ewes, the uncertain speech, n the
cratic fancies of the drunkard. vivid
as his Imagination might be, 1t would
be impossible for him to picture such
q horrible scene, and as he would MOI
dream of marrying a woman VINO
would not inspire quite as much OF
his respect he could never marry one
who might bring disgrace into MS
home by drinking too great a quaH'
tity of strong liquor.
If it is true that a woman has JUST
as much right to drink as a man, the
sight of an intoxicated woman Is Ger,
tainly one Of the sorriest. things ina
the human eye ever looked upon
Moreover, the fact that the woman
may be young and we'll dressed zoe
not detract from the horror or tne
experience. In fact, one has come &c
associate drunkenness in women WIFI
dirty, uncomeIy creatures, and an!
execution to this rule only tends tc
make the circumstance more con
spicuous.
To the mar who goes about town
however, visiting the music halls ant
dining In good restaurants, this scene
is by no means an uncommon one. II
fact, the sight of a woman drinking II
public Is too ordinary an incident u
excite comment. 1t is only when tn
woman takes too much that the mat
ter attracts attention, and yet, To-
some reason, men who feel the great
est respect for women never seen
to get used to 1t. They would not INK
10 SEQ their wives or their mother:
in such a position. Even the mel
who are willing to purchase drink:
for women who want them would no
care to see their sisters in such com
pany; for, outwardly respectful
though they may be, in their owl
heart they know that no woman ADD
to her attractions by slipping highbail
or gulping cocktails in public, even a
a table in a first-class restaurant
New York Globe.