The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-05-24
BY Il. n. HAMMOND. NJ. D.

| Back in the halcyon days when men
read their destinies by the stars, and
spent much time and patience IN quest
| of the philosophers stone, research
| wac made for an elixir that would not
/ only make one young, but make one
| live forever. and thus 1t was that an
Arab alchemist stumbled upon what
! he thought. from It's exhilirating eff
| fects, to be this elixir of life. but what
| has subsequently proven TO De rathef
tho elixir OF death.
| Now men OF all ages have been
compelled TO drink. More than two
thirds OF the human bodily weight IL
| water. We are walking aQuariarns.
the protoplasm of our innumero BE
cells must be kept swimming In water
or 1t will die. So long az we drink
only pure water and plenty OF 1t, we
are safe, except Of course in cases OF
drowning and washing down food al
meals But man Is not satisfied with
aqua pura, he must mix something
with 1t, and up to fifty years ago. sew
erage was the cammonest ingredient
and the water was 2auded because IL
was clear. cool and came from some
particular spring or well. has been
J estimated that 50 per cent INDUCED ~
this blssssfal ignorance. until recent in
yestigation discovered the source of
typhoid and other rnaiadies in this
innocent looking liquid. Not content
with this accidental contamination,
man must go a step farther and IN
tansioaalIy yo4isit+. tfis i+tnh4fts w.t.
ter by the excreta. Of a germ. the toxin
| OF the yeast bacter!urn. alcohol Some
one has said that even today sewerage
perhaps kills more than alcohol but
there are other penalties crueler than
death.
One OF the great problems that con-
fronts US is. why should this practice
OF blending this poison have become
so universal in all ages, among all
races From. Noah. the preacher of
Righteousness. who got on "a spree soon
after leaving the ark. ond own throug h
civilized and barha rian races. all have
INDUCED in this seductive liquid IN
some form or other to their undotag
Wines seem to be the most ancien.
form OF beverage, Whisky originated
with Celtic inhabitants OF Ireland ana
Scotland about the middle OF the sew
enteen,h century. rum with the West
Indians and inhabitants OF Central
America, and here we panse To give
the alcoholic percentage In various
beverages: whiskey Ia known as
Scotch, corn and rye, Scotch IL made
from barley. and in olden times sssas
distilled In caves. where II aD<s0T Ded
the smoke and gave IL a smoke favor;
corn is made from fermented corn
mash. and rye the same process, They
all contain from IA to so per cent al
cohoi: brandy is made from the dis
tillation OF grape wine and contains
from 81 to IS per cent alcohol: white
wines are made from fermented grape
Juice that has been freed from its
stems, skins and seeds; red wines are
the juice OF grapes farmented with
their stems, skins and seeds both con-
tain 10 to ID per cent alcohol; rum
Is made from the scummings in this
process of making sugar from cane
and from molaSses fermented, and
contains az per cent alcohol; gin Is
made from rye and barley mash fer
mented and distilled and favored with
Juniper berries and contains ~ per
cent alcohol; ale and beer are made
from matted grain with tho addition
of hops and contains Q TO per cent
alcohol koumis Is beverage used
from ancient times in Tartary, made
from fermented milk. and contains
from to per cent alcohol; tuba Is
Philippine drink. which is made
from the distiliation of milk from the
tops of eocoanut trees. fermented and
distilled, containing wood and grain
alcohol, producing insanity and blind
ness quicker than any known beve-
rage; Port wine Is a made-Lp wine.
alcohol being added to fermented
grape juice to bring 1t up to so or
40 per cent. This list shows the uni