The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1911-03-30
Temperance al =
LIQUOR HABITS IN ENGLAND
Military Man Gives His Views in
Medical Temperance Review
Cost to Each Officer.

The Medical Temperance Review OF
London, says: 1t is not often that we
get such a candid confession of the
bibulOus habits of the higher classes
as we find in a communication recent
ly sent to one of the London dailies.
The writer is a military man, and
writes to explain the impossibility for
an officer in the army to live on the
stipend which the authorities give.
The officers provide and pay for the
food and drink in the regimental Off
GERS mess. 1t is needless to say that
most Of them drink wine, beer and
spirits, and this, of course. as we ali
know, is generally a very heavy item
in the expenditure. We, however,
should not have ventured to estimate
the amount which an average officer
would drink per day as high as this
correspondent does. who evidently
knows all about It. We should, prob
ably, have been charged with exag-
geration, and the extravaganza and
intemperance, which a certain class of
writer's is so fond Of attributing to
temperance works. But let our mill
tary correspondent speak for him
self
He says: This is a specimen of an
average middle-aged officers routine.
After breakfast a couple of cigarettes.
Parade at S:45 to II a m. then a
couple of glasses Of beer and a cigar
cite. One p. m. lunch; a couple of
glasses of beer. and if a piece of cake
is eaten, then a glass of Marsala
Cwine no gentleman should drink, as
Thackeray puts it,. Some time during
the afternoon, on his return from a
walk or ride, a whisky and soda. There
is a rubber from p. N. until it is
time to change for dinner. It is pure
vice, but many a man has a sherry
and bitters either before or after he
changes. At dinner a reputed pint of
claret whisky and soda, or a couple
of glasses of beer is the usual thing.
After dinner a couple of glasses OF
wine before move is made to the
anteroOm, and from then on until bed
time nobody can say another whisky
and soda is eXtravagant over ones
rubber or read, or even over ones
spell of study The hot grog nightcap
is thing of the past. In hot climates
there would be great many lemon
squashes and gin-and ginger beers. In
cold climates, Newfoundland port
takes the place OF the morning beer.
No general on earth would call other
than temperate an officer who spent
his day as described. Certainly we'll
TODD people in the city get through
more than that per diem. And British
officers avoid absinthe, so dear to
Frenchman. and the big swillings of
beer INDUCED in by German officers
occasionally But it costs more than
a pound a month. The IS a year.
which is known as mess allowance
was formerly known as Regents al
lowance, and by old regulations, was
paid into the wine fund for the pur-
pose Of letting every officer drink His
Majesty's health, free of cost, after
dinner. That sum is now devoted to
the general expenses of a mess"
This is indeed a naive confession
and reputation of intemperance. We
are certainly glad to hear that there
have been some improvements on past
customs, and we do not doubt that
there is not so much obvious drunken
ness as there used to be. We are not
quite so sure that there is much less
drink consumed, but it appears to be
spread over the twenty-four hours In
a fashion which enables the drinkers
to maintain some control over
their reasoning faculties. 1t is a
matter for congratulation, both to
them and us, whom they have
to defend. that they do not
drink absinthe and big swillings of
beer" But, nevertheless, let us add
up what they do drink on the average,
and see how that compares with the
physiological limit of moderation on
the most generous scale. We find,
then, that six glasses of beer a day,
two in the morning, two at lunch, and
two at dinner, are considered neCes-
sary In addition, one glass of Mar
sala. a whisky and soda in the after
noon. and sherry and bitters before
dinner. Two glasses of wine after
dinner, and another whisky and soda.
The quantity of whisky is not stated,
and, as we do not wish to exaggerate
in the least. we will assume that It IS
not more than a small wineglassful
(say two ounces) on each occasion.
Now, how does this work out as re-
CARDS alcohol?
Six glasses Of beer (3.pints), equals
four ounces alcohol; four glasses OF
wine Chalf-pint), equals two ounces
alcohol; four ounces of whisky, equals
two ounces alcohol; total, eight
ounces.
We have rather underestimated the
alcoholic strength of the beer and
wine so that there can be little doubt
as to the total amount. This is ex-
actly four times the amount which
Professor Anstie, the most liberal ex-
FOUNDER of the limits of moderation.
laid down as the maximum for an
adult man in twenty-four hours, and
six times the maximum of Professor
Parkes. We must conclude, then, that
during the greater part of the time
a.