Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1911-09-08
RAPID PACE IN TEMPERANCE
World Is Forgetting How to Get Drunk
-Ancients Spent Immense Sums
of Money On Wine.
By JOHN WATSON WHITE.

| (By JOHN WAI6ON w IL IE)
The world is nearer real temper
ance today than at ally time In its his
tory.
realize that the world at least is for
getting how to get really good and
drunk. The men of 60 or 70 years
ago were great drinkers, but for point
ers on how to get drunk and spend
money 1t is necessary 70 turn to the
ancients
Eat, drink and amuse yourself. An
Use is vanity" said S rdanapalus, the
rast king of the Assyrians, and those
words were written Oh his tomb.
The Greeks were moderate drinkers
until they began to cory the luxury Of
the Persian feasts. The Romans imi
tated the Greeks. Then the whole
world went on a saturnalia.
In the beginning no wrong was
thought Of drinking, and the moralists
even advised drink to dispel melan-
choly Hippocrates upheld drinking
and earnestly advised people to drown
their sorrows in wine.
The Romans carried over indulgence
to an extreme never equaled in an
other age. Gluttony and intemper-
ance reigned, and huge fortunes were
spent in single repasts.
OF the many feasts given by Viteiius
not one cost less than $1,000, and his
reign was an almost continuous de-
bauch. Commodus was a notorious
drunkard, and Septimus Severus was
not much better. Several died of over
indulgence in the flowing bowl.
When Meliogabalus assembled the
throne he had historiographer whose
special task was to record the orgies.
Forty courses a day were served at his
feasts, each one of which cost not less
than $4,000. He gave fortunes to new
inventors of drinks.
Apicius spent 100000 on rare
wines and dishes. He went over his
books one day and found he had but
$250,OOO left. Rather than starve on
such a pittance he killed himself. Apt
cius discovered how to keep oysters
alive during long shipments. For this
he was revered as demigod.
Many of the famous drunkards drank
$500 worth Of wine at single meal.
At a little luncheon gwen to Cicero
and Pompey by Lucullus, $4,000 worth
of wine was consumed by the three.
These facts leave no doubt that we
are comparatively sober nowadays.
Nero was In the naDiJ III sitting. :.
noon and sticking there until midnight,
eating and drinking all the time.
Tiberius was a sincere drunkard.
After becoming emperor of Rome he
was drunk so often that his army
nicknamed him "Biberius," meaning
"tippler" He had two boon compan-
ions, Flaccus and Piso with whom he
went of sprees. At the weeping stage !
they deplored the prevalence of drunk
enness. Tiberius was very fond of !
and died from eating the |
wrong kind.
Nowhere in all the world today will I
you find as many confirmed drunkards /
as there were among the Thracians, |
the 1berians, the Celts or the Scythi-
ans. The man who didn't get |
drunk every day or two was consid- !
49,
Caesar on a certain occasion while |
drunk with wine is said to have given
Eutychus, his Charloteer, tip
to $4,000, the largest
money tip on record.
Philip of Macedon was drunkard.
He always left the banquet table stag
sering. Alexander the Great, his son,
Inherited his weakness for drink 1t
ook him two days and two nights to
sleep off banquet. He died of drink
It the age of 80.
Dionysius, the younger, tyrant of ST.
lily, went on sprees which lasted three
months at time. He lost his eyesight
through Qyertndulgence. /