The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-30

glass of beer or any other drink. They enter the place. each orders what he wants. drinks 1t and pays for it. It never enters the mind of either to pay for both or to allow the other to pay for him. They take their social glass togsther and that is all. Such thing ss treating is not known or praoticsd among our old world brethren. In several aspects the Engiish GUS. tom is best. though we on this side become So habituated to the other way of doing things that we really look on 1t as hoggish for a man to order q drink and take it and not invite any others who may be there to join him at his expense. Our custom Is illogical. and in various aspects 1t is really fool ish. It not only leads to exeess in drinking but sometimes places a man in . very embarrassing situation. For example. he may enter saloon for the purpose of setting glass of beer. or something stronger. with only enough money to pay for one drink-for men do sometimes ma themselves in that situation. incredible as 1t may seem to some people. But our man goes in to set his drink and there finds one or more friends at the bar, and feels like he ought to invite them to join him. Perhaps tkey are friepds who have on previous occasions "set 'em up" to him and he feels as if he owes them one. What Is he to do under such circuna- stances7 Drink his portion and sip out. fee,inse cheap and mean. or order the drinks all round and make the best terms with the saloonist? Which would the reader do if he should be caught that way?
 And then there's another side to it of
 more real importance. The case sug- Eested above may be one of sociable ethics but the other is matter of good or evil. as the case may be, and 1t. also, has it's financial side A man goes into saloon and takes friend with him. whom he has invited to have something. Inside he may find some other friends and feels that he must ask them. While getting ready to say here's looking at you" perhaps others come in, and before it is done he has spent a dollar or more which he can i'll afford. and which there was no reason for spending except for our foolish treating habit. He spends money which Is really needed for other purposes and spends it because he thinks 1t Is mean and stingy not to do it.
 But that is not all, or the worst side of this treating habit A man of lib- eral mind and temperate habits can go into saloon and if he meets no friends or acquaintances he can take one drink and go his way satisfied. but how is it If he finds several friends there? One of them will invite him to drink and he does not feel like refusing. Then. unless he hurries out feeling mean. he will stay a. bit and offer to treat In his turn. and this may be re- peated until he has not only spent more | money than he can afford. but has im- bibed much more than is good for him. and of which he will repent later on.
 Have We not described things which may and do frequently happen? Can not many of our readers testify that what we have spoken of is not a myth by any means? Perhaps the prohibit- ionist or the total abstainer will an- swer by saying that men should not so into saloons or other drinking places at all. and that if all men would stay out of them there would be no such evils of embarrassments as we have referred to.
 Granted that this is true, 1t does not affect the point we are making, or have any bearing on the subject in hand. While there are places where drinks can be bought and while men have a taste and desire for something stronger than water, they will have 1t. The best thing to do in view of these facts Is to relieve the habit of as many evils and endorsements as possible. In other words, if drinking is an evil. it Is we'll to make the habit as little harmful in all ways as possible, and it seems to us that a long step in this direction will be taken when our absurd Ameri- can habk is universally discarded. sl- towing each .ynan to buy and drink for himself. just as he buys and wears his own clothing. Why not?