Evening star., 1926-02-14


A MERICANS are called practical
~ What. then. shall he said al
~ the French whose government
| 4 \ made prohihition-aS much as
France vitally needed-in a
single day. without notice, and who's,
people. recognizing the wisdom of II
obeyed without evasion or question
against all hahitsand desire and still
obeys?
In return, the government now eases
up on its partial prohibition fifty
fifty, ana nobody. by violation. makes
il sixty-forty, Isn't that practical?
II is prohibition OF absinthe-one
class Of strong drinks only, but com
parable to our own prohibition, in that
il was so rooted in the French peo-
pie that up TO the first days of the
war the Paris boulevard and all
France had its hour OF absinthe," or
its green hour" every afternoon at
5 o'clock.
Among other nations 'absinthe" and
France" We're synonymous. Astute
Germanic observers reported from all
French cities. and even the country
side. that the French people We're
"rotted with abSinthe.' And the
French themselves called abSinthe
the green devil.
Their General Repertory of Phar.
| macy" gives a long definition. "Ab.
sinthe.-The drink vulgarly called alb
sinthe, as consumed in France, IS no
| longer made exclusively with the alb.
sinthe plant, which should form its
| base. 1t is an alcoholate. coIored with
spinach, parsley, hyssop, tincture of
| curcuma, indigo. etc. and containing
| enough essence of anise and badiane
To give 1t the quality Of opaIescent
| troubling when water is added"
| Water is always added.
| 1t is part Of the game. II turns the
| liquid cloudy, with fascinating glints
| Of color now found in the "cressonee, u
| "amourette" and other substitutes
permitted to be sold and served today
The fascination, extending to taste
| and effect, was always due Din addition
to the alcohol to such essential oils.
Magnan and Laborde proved alb.
sinthe to be a reliable convulsive poi.
son; and all follow, with special
stunts, TO affect the imaginative DOW.
res.
Absinthe, fennel and hyssop are con
vulsivants.
Anise, badfana, balmmint. angelica
organ wild marjoram) and mint es-
sence are stupefiants. producing tor
por, loss or memuy. loss of will, stu.
pidity.
But their immediate effects in com.
olnation are, of course, the CAV well
being OF body and mind which made
the Green Devil sucN temptation 10
those who learned to drink il right
You must dilute with lot of water.
otherwise the effects are wrons-you
risk Knockout or nervous misery.
You feel no drunk" coming. but
a gentle Frightening, a dawning hope
iulneSS. a tender optimism. The tired
back strengthens, the limp man stiff
ems, the sad lad understands all
things and finds them good-all with
no heat or strain, apparently, of al
cohol!
THAT mixture is too strong for
you" they warned the tenderfoot
with his first trials an old joke,
which the tenderfoot himself found
amiable. DILUTE it, Gosh. No. Do
not throw a drop of it away, Do as
l do"
Each and all swallowed a big gulp
Now fill up again with water, 20
the brim!" the right directions con.
tinued. AT present. you have the
correct dilution. You have escaped
great danger-you had it much too
| strongr
Curiously, such tapering dilution-
from the stronger to the weaker
safety, equally. of the foolish
| waters"
The real thing is to trickle the
water over a lump of sugar reposing
on a special flat spoon across the
| br1m of the goblet. The sugar, II
seems, helps some chemical-physiologi
| cal process in the stomach, to slow
up the kick" of the essential oils,
and make the poisoning gentle to the
fascinated drinker.
The leaves of the boulevard shade
| trees grew greener, the colors of pic
torial posters brighter. Every young
I woman was graceful and charming
Men were tall, brisk, well dressed
courteous, interesting. All sounds
were harmonious.
The waiter brought a second goblet
was not at all surprised at my
f1uency in expressing ideas.
Soon. I found myself alone.
1 picked up a Paris City Directory
from the table beside me. 1t was
splendid reading. 1t contained high
thoughts concealed in simple names,
and flowed like poetry. Why, yes,
poor little girl, l will buy all your
roses! Keep the change Taxi No. Q.
g., 1889, urbanity, totality, pro
fundity-
When the Germans invaded Bel
gium there were 80 various marks
of absinthes, amers, bitters, cocoas,
quinines and similar foolish waters
on the Paris boulevard