THE SOCIAL INFLUENCE OF THE "BAR."

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1787, 12 March 1888, Page 3

THE SOCIAL INFLUENCE OF THE "BAR."

(From the " Fami y Herald.") A great American writer hta lately given a tenible account of ''The Social influence of trie Sa^ojn " m his country. The article is very gruve and every word is weighed, but the culi precision of the paper uttractß ihe reaJer with & horrible f -.satiation. The author does not bo much regret tha t-nonnoua waste of money, tl.ough he allo - b that a'^out two uundred mill onaof pounds s erlingare npent yearly m thu States on str »ug ilriuk ; but he. mourns moit berauw of the steady ruin whi h he *eesover aking the social happi ness of his country. The saloon id subtly corrupting the ujen of America, and ih^ ghaatlj pLigues of selfishueaa, brutality, i t morality are spreading with cru<4 swift netß. 'lhe grett auti.or'a conclusion is uiore than startling, and we confess to haviDg oaught our brenh when we rea i it. He says m effect, •• Wo sacrificed a million men m order to do away with elavery, but we now have working m our midst a curd a whiih ia iutiniiely worse thati s avery. One day we ehall be, oi>jiged to e>ve ouietlv s from ruiu, even if we have to Bt«n>p out the traie i a oohol entirely, >nd that hy ujeans of a civil war." Strong woids-and yet tinman speaks witti intensa onviction ; and hi» v iyq. i;iuda only serves to em^haai-tj tue awtul uaiuie cm his dißclosures. A we nad on we saw with hoiror tt at the doecriplion of the t-tate of taiugs m Aine.ica accurately fits our owa country. We do not talk of a " ealoon " here, hu " bar " means the same th ng ; and th 44 bar " is < rushing out thd higher lif« of th' English middle-class aa tiureiy agtbeealoon is destroying American manhood. .

Amid ail t>Uf material prouperuy, amid rL the ootnp exitits of oar nmussl >g cotnmun uuy, au evil is at work which gather*power daily and fihich ia actually assaeßiuating, aa it were, every moral quality that has made Englsnd strong and bene ticeot. Let aa begin with a picture. Thi 1 ing carved counter glistens under th> Hire of the liveß of gaudy bottle* ■iitam like vulgar, sham jaweliry ; the Jare, the y i ter, the garich refalgeuoe of the place n, zz'e the eye, and the ahar( acrid whiffs of vile odour fall ou tht -euBCB with a kind of mephittc lifljeLce The evening la weariug awny, aud iht oroad space m front of the "b<tr" it crowded. A hoarse crashing babbie gott aieadily on. formlDg the grouDd-b.-taa < ( an odlouf- symphony ; shrill aud discordant lntighter rißes by fi s and ecariß above iht ow tumult ; ■* ci arse j ike oeta one gioa> suiggtsiing ; a vile oath tings oui from some foul moothid royeterer ; and v intervals er me flushed and blearer creature breaki into a elav«riog luu^t which has a sickly resemblance 10 weep ng. A< o< eof the Bide tabies a eoddei

tute leans forwa d and wags hia head t *Dd fro with ignoble solemnity ; anothn has fallen asleep and snores at m e.va r *i? h a nuuseoua rutilf ; smart yoong men dressed fat-hionably, fl ug cbstice wiuicßtn >t the busy bariiitaaß, and the nymph answer with glib readiness. ~ Thia ia the home of J iility and Good-fellowship ; thiia the place from which Oare is banished; ibis is the happy corner where the social

,Ihb3 is dispensed. Atas foe the j >lht\ and the eocability and all the test o£ it ! Force yoaieeif to atudy the vile epeotacle, and you will aooa harbor a brood of ach ing r^fl'ctiouß. The whole of that chattering, Bwilling mob are employing their muddled muds on frivolity 01 obscenity, or worße things still. You will bear hardly an intelligent word ; you will not catch » aound of sensible discos «lon ; the scraps of conversation, thai reach yon alternate betwean low banter,

■ ••w sqnabbltng, oVj-cdonable narrative, and histories of fights or swindles or

•oriter debauches. Here, is aa actual sample of fragments of talk heard at m

ervala and etcured by help of a perfect verbal memory, •• We bad penny nap till four, aud old Tom copped the brewei badly. Ho wanted to Bleep with bis het>d en the kerb, but Joe and I logged him along — and a nice job we had. We wer< very little better ourselves, but we got him home; and he had a niea head m this morning, I tell you. I won eight-aod--ix, Bill dropped four pound, and Tom was winning until he took an tx a n "c f lotion. I swore Idbe on the etr c Q T ; tnit here I am, and I'll go home b-)uZ:d again .'*