The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-07
Absinthc Prohibited

"A great many men, even those who have had considerable experience in drinking alcoholic beverages, have an idea that absinthe is especially enslaving, but they are mistaken" said an old club man.
 "Persons who have read certain works of fiction got an erroneous impression about absinthe. Much has been said and written about the absinthe fiend, but for one absinthe flend there are looo whisky dends. While l myself am now a total abstainer, used to be something of A thinker I have consumed good deal of whisky in my day. and occasion ally I would indulge in an absinthe cock tail I not only drank absinthe occasion ally, but I observed the absinthe habit in Paris. During the course of summer spent at the French capital. did not see as many men under the influence of llauor on the streets as I have seen in dry Birmingham this summer Many Frenchmen I met drank little absinthe- about a teaspoonful-every day; also a thimbleful of cognac every day. Outside of these pony drinks light wine was the daily beverage in Partisan homes and Farisian restaurants. I never saw any absinthe fiends in France, but there may have been a few locked up in asylums just as other kinds of flends were con- fined in institutions for special treatment. I know from experience that absinthe is not as enslaving as whisky. l have an idea that it is not even as enslaving as cigarettes. But in response to the common belief that absinthe is terribly bad this provision appears in section 26 of the Smith law, acts 1911, page 265: Pro- vided, further, that the sale of absinthe, by whatever name it may be designated, is prohibited in the state of Alabama
 ''The sale of liquor is about to be legal ized again in Birmingham. We may have the dispensary system or we may have saloons But with this anti-absinthe law what will the gentleman do who feels nerve-shattered from too much dram drinking the night before if he cannot steady himself with little absintne! And there is nothing outside of a doctors shop that will go to the right spot as absinthe does. insist that absinthe Is IlOl cisldNlDS, lndl ltW Illcu WIO drink it at all care for 1t only on rare occasion. I have never seen an habitual drunkard bothering his head about ab- sinthe. He wants whisky and more whisky It is only the gentleman thinker who takes too much liquor occasionally that ever calls for absnthe. I suppose our lawmakers had some spirit of re- form, and while they had the wrong inn pression Of this prohibited stuff, they wanted to show that they were trying to minimize the abuse of liquor"
 Should Men Keep on Their Coatsf "Questions relating to good manners ays being discussed, and have heard a great deal said recently about men sitting on the front porch at home and in semi- public places with their coats off," said man of the world. Carlyle. in his enter taining work 'Sartor Resartus,' does not refer to the coatless man: says noth- ing to show what he believed abouvsFhc times and places when men might go without their coats. The famous man of letters was a cynic, but he had a delight full vein of humor, and while he was writing his philosophy of clothes he might have reveled in coat-on and a coav- off discussion had this theme presented itself to his mind.
 'If man wishes to be in good form he must always wear his coat in the presence of ladies. He should wear it on his front porch-except when the temperature is really torrid As to men wearing theIr coats in clubs and on club verandas there will always be a wide difference of opin- ion, especially in the south where We have long summers.
 q remember reading many years ago of a coat order issued by the Pullman com pany, which at that time owned and con- trolled the town of Pullman, now part of Chicago, I believe. The order was to this effect: No man Is allowed to sit on his front porch with his coat off That was too autocratic. It would nave been