The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1917-06-07
KING CANDY


Candy has become staple article
of food found everywhere. Ameri-
cans are said to have "sweet
tooth" or great fondness for it.
Eaten in moderation, it is a whole
some food. 1t has seemingly been
found to be more than a food, for
several agencies aver that free in
diligence in candy drives away de-
sire for alcohol. Candy is said to
assuage the craving for alcoholic
stimulants, and in proportion as the
fondness for and indulgence in candy
increases, the desire for alcoholic
beverages decreases, according to the
Confectioner's Journal. One of the
chief reasons why there is more
drunkenness among men than women
is probably because women eat more
confectionery than men. There was
a time when candy was considered
only fit for women and children.
The Confectioner's Journal says
that to-day you can find box con-
tanning candy in drawer of the Of
flee desk of the "old man" who d.
reefs things in perhaps two-thirds of
the business places in the larger cit
les. So has the habit grown.
If any man doubts that candy will
cure him of the drink habit, he can
easily test it. The man who puts
lots of molasses on his wheat cakes
at breakfast will find himself gradu-
ally forgetting to stop in for his Gus
tomary drink on his way to his work.
If the man who "goes out" between
times for liquid refreshments will go
in a candy store instead and get five
or ten cents worth of candy and eat
it, he will be surprised at the effect,
for it will not be very long until he
will have box of candy in his pock-
ct or desk.
1t has often been noted, that in
theaters where candy is sold during
the intermissions, "going out to see a
man" does not prevail to anything
like the extent it does in other thea
tiers where no candy selling is per-
mitted. Not one man in a hundred
knows. why he forgot to ego out and
see man" after he had bought a
box of candy for his companion and
eaten little of it himself for po-
likeness sake.
The general public is rapidly learn
ing that candy is one of the best
things in the food world. AS to
reasons for this, we will quote Prof.
Simon N. Patton in his study of "The
Development of English Thought"
as follows:
Liquor is necessary with plain
food, especially when large use is
made of vegetables. Such food
would be unpalatable but for the free
use of pepper, salt, vinegar and 9th
er condiments. 1t is pleasant only
when some liquor is used as COM
plement. The old diet was thus es-
sentially liquor diet, the liquor be-
ing its main source of pleasure. The
cheapness of sugar now enables a
satisfactory diet to be obtained
without the use, of alcohol. The
sweet dishes are essential parts of
each meal, and about them the other
foods are arranged just as in the
earlier days they were co-ordinated
with alcoholic beverages.
This change has already gone so
far that large portion of society
has adjusted itself to it. So long as
liquor diet was essential people
put up with the many evils incident
to it without much complaint; but
when it was no longer necessary to
health a reaction against its evils
was inevitable. The drinking man is
no longer the cheap man in produc-
ton. A sugar diet is less costly than
a liquor diet, and he who lives on it
has an advantage in many branches
of production. We are apt to look
upon temperance problems from
moral point of view, The real issue,
however, is economic, and will work
itself out with little regard for other
consideration. The temperance move
ment is sure to grow, and temper
ance instincts and habits will be ac-
quired by the same economic pres
sure that created the earlier psychic
changes in the race.
Some months ago the Saturday
Evening Post contained an article
entitled keeping John Barleycorn
Off The Train" 1t appears that
Western railroad corporation had
employed social engineer, whose
duty it was and is to make life off
duty comfortable and satisfactory to
the trainmen. A series of club
houses were established at the ex-
pense of the company, and greatly to
the detriment of the numerous sa-
looms. Many Of the engineers and
firemen still felt the occasional old
temperance environments of the club
for a drink in spite of the