Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-01-05
Sobriety a Modern Virtue.
THE ANclENTs WERE MASTERS IN THE ART OF


The world is nearer temperance to-
day than aIt any time IN its history.
TeetotaIers may not believe this. bur
il they read the following they will
realize that the world III least is for
getting how to get really good and
drums" There are a few persons who
have gained regulations for the
amount of food and drink they habit
udily consume. but only few. In
comparison with previous generations.
this is a most abstcnious age. The
men of so or 20 years ago wera great
drinkers but for pointers on how to
get drunk and spend money it is nee
essary TO turn to the ancients.
Caesar. on d certain occasion. while
drunk on wine, is said to have given
Eutychus, his charioteer, tip
amounting to $S0,000, the lagest money
tip on record. The most reckless OF
our modern millionaire thinks he's
making an awful splash when he tips
his chauffeur a twenty dollar note.
one of the Caesars fed his charger
on VINE and barley in a golden vase
one of his dinners cost half a million
dollars. His supper bill for four
months was $20,000,Ga0.
Phillip of Macedon Was a drunkard.
He always left tie banquet table stag
gering. Alexander the Great, his son.
inherited the weakness for drink. II
took him two days and two nights to
sleep OFF a royal jag. He died ef drink
at the age of 32.
Dionysius, the younger, tyrant of
Sicily. went on Sprees which lasted
three months at time. He lost his
eyesight through oyerndulgence.
Nero was in the habit of sitting
down at T. Jon and sticking there until
midnight. eating and drinking all the
time.
Tinerius was sincere drnnkard.
After becoming Emperor of Rome he
was drunk so often that his army
nicknamed him "Biberius.' meaning
"tippler" He had Two pals. Flaccus
and Pso. with whom he went on
sprees. At the weeping stage they de-
plored the prevalence of drunkenness.
One time Tiberius had n vacancy for
the ouaestorship, and there We're many
applicants for the job. The man who
s.t it drank whole pitcher of strong
wine Which Tiberius himself had filled.
The SQcteSS1ul dDDiiCdlt hoo 'i''''NA
position nor pull but Tlberlns sald
the man who could drink that amount
of wine was the man for the place.
Tiberius was as cranky about eating
as drinking. He gave SabinuS se,V"
for writing a sketch in which an oys-
ter. a thrush and a mushroom ngureH
as characters. Tiberus was very iona
of mushrooms and died from eating
the wrong kind.
Nowhere in all the world to-day VIII
Won fipd SO many confirmed drunkards
as thera were among the TiIraclahs'
the Iberians. the Celts OF the Scythl-
ans The man who fidn't get drunk
every day or two was regarded as
queer. .u
Fat. drink and amuse yourself. All
else is vanity" said Sardanapalus, the
last King of the Ass%rians ana those
words were written on his temp.
The ancients were 50 fond OF drink
that their most popular god was bac-
ctns Their feasts in honor OF bae-
cr.ns Venus and Saturn We're charac-
terized by debauehes from %h!cn ttie
r,ost advanced inebriates Wouio SIN llih
il, horror and disgust. The aNerass
gour,nand of Athens or Rome ate ana
-, NOR, in a single day than we do
in a week
The antiquity of drunkenness Is h"'
kuoNn hut one of the most auclent "t
aa,,n,s of n lag is that of Lot, which Is