The Washington herald., 1917-10-28
BOOZE MAY NOT GO


CONTINUED FROM PAGE EIGHT.
colored vials and bottles. 10 In great
proportion alcohol and IL the favor
lite tippie of one class Of actresses.
The cheaper the perfume comes. the
drunker # will make one. for the
more alcohol It contains. And many
have asked for eau de Cologne.
Suicide and drink is frequently
coupled, the Night Clerk agrees.
Drink is not primarily the cause
OF suicide, that usually being found
in the fits of dependency which II
provokes. Nevertheless, Brother
Booze is (dis) credited with a good
proportion Of them.
There Is only one count that
can imagine I could chalk up for
old booze" the Night Clerk recall
ed. "Only one. 1t spreads geniality'
Brothers in booze" is more than an
alliterative phrase. Booze is one OF
world. True. inded. is the saying:
Drink down all unkindness-"
Each convivialist sees in his COM
panion only those God-given traits
which were destined to make him the
genius which the Creator intended. He
is his sincere well-wisher, not his
groveling competitor ready to tumble
his air castles, as is often the case in
the generally conceded higher walks
of life.
Perpetual drunks are not 50 Hu-
merous as many of the other classes
which / have named. but they GER
| tainly will prove an enigma 10 you II
you can find one.
no matter what time Of the day II
is. nor where he is nor what he is
about, he 10 under the influence OF
some intoxicating beverage. Never TO
such extent that he could not walk a
| straight line with more or less preci-
sion, but also so much so that he must
always humble his words. always bear
| the ravages OF countenance and char
| acter which his folly has brought 70
| him and always be Stunned by all
| except his Brothers in Booze"
"But what will become of this luck
| less crew of hail fellows? the night
clerk was asked.
:, 1T won't hurt them a bit,' he an
swered sharply. They may think
when they cannot get q drink II will
kill them. but you can take 1t from
me that it is much more likely that II
will kill them II they do than If they
don't
Poor old Bob" Fitzsimmons! He
was one of my pals who pass in the
night, as you phrase II. Many Is
the time that have served him.
We loved him. He beat booze. And
! do not forget that he left right in
this city a host Of mourning broth
ers in booze who would never have
shared the sweetness Of his exception
al personality had he stood aloof and
/ cold.
No matter whether the city be-
comes so dry that there will be hard
ly enough stimulant left to treat the
proverbial "snake-bite," the Night
Clerk will still look with suspicion
| on the individual who comes n early
| Sunday morning wearing long face
and giving a glib tale Of "Oh-h-h.
doctor. what awful cramps have"
or complaining OF some like excru-
ciating ailment Such excuses might
get by with some night clerks. they
might strike pity in the hearts OF
/ the uninitiated, but they would never
faze my Night Clerk. for he KNOWS.
Back in the old red-light days"
the Night Clerk reminiscenced, when
all the bars were shut down a little
after midnight. the trail of Bacchus'
devotees would begin.
They would want anything from
Jamaica Ginger-the old 'cullud' mans
standby-to bichloride tablets. They
would give logical reasons for the
use of the requested drugs that would
put to shame an ordinary liar. Gclly,
man. but these people used to play
merry hell with any slim chance 1
might have had for sleep.
Easy to Get stImuIsnts.
But did you accommodate them"
''yes and no." The law takes no
notice Of the sale of several of the
( substitute stimulants and those It does
it does it only handles superficially.
All a man has to do who desires a
pass to Eternity is to concentrate
for a couple of moments on the d.
vulgence of his full name and ad-
dress, after which I am instructed
to sell him either bichloride tablets
or carbolic acid-and watch him die.
Why, only a couple of weeks ago
a man did that very thing, standing
just about where you are now"
So. whichever you may be. my
reader, take your cue.
II you are friend in booze or
one of the pals who pass in the
night" you may see the uniest bit
OF silver lining to the dark cloud
which will fall within precious few
hours. Or, il you are a prohibition
list and one of the harbingers of =
brighter and better world. take heed.
Do not, Mr.. Prohibitionist, rest on
your oars and gloat over your breth-
rem who will soon be bereft of what
many of them think IL their most
precious friend. .
! Your conscientious work has been
one OF the redeeming activities Of the
J day.
But the millennium is not vt.
Churches should not prepare to
close their doors, or policemen lay
winter vacation plans.
True, the calender decrics that with
in. approximately seventy-two hours
life of the dread drink will be snuffed
out in this, Americas Capital, and the
corpse of world-aged John Barleycorn
soon lying In his, grave crumbling TO
dust-but the next day and long after
that. fear, his soul will go marching
on.
1t Is his booze spirit. charged
through the veins OF countless thou
sands, which must be deadened and
obliterated before this city or. any
other city can become so-called "dry."
II Is only then that any victory over
the ''wets" will gain the triumphant
a,