The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-03

"A few days ago man came to my laboratory with n quite mys- terious expression. I have recently learned that when man comes in with that air, f-timorous, half triumphant, and asks in a low voice to speak to Mir. Picard per- sonalIy.' it means just one thing that he wants to know the worst about the contents of n bottle he has taken infinite pains to pro- cure. Though recognized the symptoms, l was only partially correct in my diagnosis. for the nan merely wanted to ask me to come up here and cOnfide to the members of the Community club how to safely buy whisky these days.
 DON'T BUY
 ."There is only one absolutely certain method. and that can be told in four words--'DOn't buy at aII.'
 "So-caIled pure whisky is bad enough in its effect, and unless obtained from bonded warehouses is practically impossible to get now. Therefore, the average buyer of liquor in Birmingham has his choice between straight moon shine whisky and bootleg whisky. A certain Birmingham man Is said to have dog that chews tobacco, but he insists that it still has some sense left, for it refuses to drink the liquor peddled these days. As nll of us do not possess this canine sagacity, we must have some way of choosing the lesser of two evils.
 "NearIy all of the stuff now be- ing sold is made from alcohol. coIored and favored to give the taste and bead of the different kinds of whislies. For example, the bead is obtained by mixing suiphuric acid and olive oil. Other things going into these imitation liquors are soapwOrt, nitrous ether, acetic acid. sniycilic acid, oil of birch. lamp black, ethyl ni- trate and numbers of other things, including all sorts of coIoring mat ter.
 "The poorer grades of bootleg whisky seem to be nothing more nor less than denatpred alcohol treated in some way to disguise the OdOr and cOIOred with caramel. All denatured alcohol contains va- rious amounts of wood alcohol, running from 2 to 10 per cent, and. of course, is deadly poison.
 "Wood alcohol has three differ ent effects on the human system, differing with the, amount taken. It will cause blindness, insanity and death--generaIly with one or the other of the former preceding the latter. Moonshine is nothing but raw alcohol nnd contains any number of by-prOducts of distiiIa- tiOn, ali poisonous to the human body. These poisOns appear to be cumulative in their effect, and when definite amount has been absorbed something Is bound to happen.
 SHOWS SAMPLES
 .I have brought with me four samples of whisky recently sent to me to be analysed. Exhibit A Is the worst kind of bootleg, ordi- nary denatured alcohol cOIored with caramel, which produced blindness in the man who drinks it; E is coIorless. odorless alcohol. one drink Of which killed man; c is supposed to be straight whisky, and ID Is ordinary white m0Onshine.
 sIf any one present thinks he can distinguish between the pois- onous md nonpOisonOus samples by color, odor. taste, etc., he is welcome to make the attempt. The simplest method of judging of the poisonous qualities in buying would be to have the bootlegger drink four fingers out of your bottle before you take it. This would have n twO-fold effect. First, you might live one drink longer. and second, the bootIegger might |. live one drink less. This practice. if generally used, would in the natural course of human events eliminate the boOtleggers before they succeeded in eliminating you.
 "A prominent politfcan says the American people are coddled too much, for even the bootlegEers will