Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-05-23

the nineteenth century in all walks or
British life as compared with the very
general sobriety of the present day.
In the first twenty years OF her reign
inebriety was the fashion among all
classes of the population, temperance
an abnormality, and the expression
drunk as a lord" no mere figure OF |
speech Since 1860 intoxication has |
been frowned upon by society as bad |
form and intolerable vulgarity, and |
the masses have taken their cue from
the classes in the matter.
Within a year after the accession OF
| Edward VII to the crown he caused
notification to be quietly issued to the
officers of the navy and army that he
would feel himself just as much hon
ored by their drinking his health in
water as in wine or spirits. At the
mess dinner of every British regiment.
save the Black Watch. and on board
every British warship the toast of "the
king" is given each night of the year.
It is a custom dating from the end
of the seventeenth century, when sym
pathy for the lost Stuart cause was
widespread and II was considered nee
essary to require officers of the army
and navy to pledge each day in this
fashion their loyalty to William and
Mary, to good Queen Anne and to the
British sovereigns of the house OF
Hanover. Some secret adherents OF
the Stuarts used to compromise mat
tiers with their conscience by toasting
the sovereign over their finger bowl,
so as to satisfy themselves that they
, we're drinking the health not only OF
, the monarch in London but of the king
; over the water''-that is to say, the
, exiled James ii at the court OF 81.
German. and his son and grandson,
= known as the Old and Young Preten-
7 ders, respectively For this reason the
= use of f1ngerbowls was prohibited IN
: most naval and military messes. and
j even to this day it is contrary TO ell
l. quette to have them appear on the dln
d ner table when any member or the
Vigning family of England is present
u If the Black Watch refrain from Civ
r ing this daily toast of "the king a.
their mess dinner 1t is because, nav
ing been raised to fight the Stuart
| they have always claimed that thel
| loyalty to the English house OF Hano
| yer was above suspicion.
| While the daily ration of grog to tn
| crew is still continued on British wal
| ships (although long since abandone'
| in the United States navy, yet incl
| commanders have strict instruction
| that in lieu Of the double allowance
spirits formerly served out to tn
crews when going into action, not
drop of alcoholic liquor, no matte
whether spirit, wine or malt, Is a
lowed among the officers and me
when there is any fighting to be done
In order to slake the thirst engeI
dered by the heat, exertion and smok
inseparable from a naval combat, SUI
| plies of oatmeal and water for drini
ing are arranged all over the shll
This is, of course, very radical o.
parture from the former practise. Bl
it is a step which has been rendere
imperative by the extreme important
of sighting, with the utmost degre
of exactitude, the guns, upon the pr
II cision of which the success OF ever
action at sea depends. In naval e
gagements there is little boarding
Is. be done in these times of ironclad wa
fare. 1t is no longer necessary to pc
is per the hull of a man-of-war full
ey small shot-holes in order to sir
ra- her. This can be achieved by OIL
single well-directed shot from any
to the great guns with which the warsh
ed. of the present day is armed. Ever
.og thing. therefore, depends upon the pl
&C cision of the gunnery, and the bell
it. erent whose every shot carries
tie. practically certain to win the day.
al Admiral Lord Charles Beresfol
a when last here, during a conversati
with me on the subject, laid stress
for the fact that the prize gunners of
hat Mediterranean feet which, when !
airy der his command, made such sen
the tional record in gunnery, were all m
al who did not drink, and who we
can therefore, able to shoot with more p
of cision than those whose pulse was
ion. the least bit quickened by stimula
to But total abstinence is merely enco
aged-not enforced.
,ria Similar conditions prevail in
ent Japanese navy, and whereas in that
vor Great Britain inebriety was forme
ing treated with relative indulgence. II
its now punished with such great sever
'ari- as to put stop virtually to all he;
pre- drinking among the officers. The
3 Of ter do not have to be completely