The Science of Drinking.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 195, 19 March 1887, Page 6

The Science of Drinking.

According to a reoent report by the Hon. George C. Tanner, United States Consul at Chemnitz, Germany, the citizens of thi& country have as yet no adequate idea of the science of drinking. He gives the total beer production of the German empire for the year 1885 at 1,100,000,000, or one billion one hundred millions of gallons, and ©£ wines and other alcoholic liquors, nine hundred millions of gallons, making total of two thousand millions of gallons. This, the consul states, was the actual consumption in the empire, as the importations are equal to the exportations, The aggregate, production for Germany he give-* at 40 gallon a year per capita, estimation the population, 50 millions. He gives the consumption^ in this country at 10 gallons per capital Consul Tanner further says:— "l have given this subject careful attention, and • have stated the entire beer production of; Germany, including Alace-Lorraine, and am sure of tho accuracy of my figures. Ohe can, then, form some idea of the enormous quantity of beer produced, when it would form a lake more than one* mile square and 8^ feet deep, or it would; make a running stream as large as some ok our rivers. This is only taking into account one item in the economy of drinking in Germany. Wines and all kinds of spirituous liquors are fnely used; wince to a much greater extent than stronger liqucre» s It may be safely stated that the consump-, tion of all intoxicants in this empire woulcy reach nearly two billious of gallons per annum. This being the case, 9ome faint conception of the eoorinous drinking - capacity of the Germans can be found. The hops, barely, rye, potatoes, and other ngrcdicnts thatent r into the manufactures of this enormous quantity of liquora would be -, more than t;vo billions of pounds, and would form a good-sized mountain it" placed in one heap. Boer is the nation beverage, and is , used as such, iz not to a greater extent than water, then assuredly equally so. Wines are used by the wealthier classes at males, and very extensively used ; but beer is never absent from a German table of the rich or poor, and it is a decided favourite with all true Germans. Since my arrival in Geaman , I have to see the first glass of water drunk. Beer must be furnished servants for their repases. I have ecen childrou hardly wear.cd given beer without any apparent bad effect. . . . Science may bo cairied into every thing. The science of drinking has been known and practised in Huiopo forage?, and this is a science, simple a* it may appear, when compared with the blind, irrational, and suicidal manner of drinking in the United States. Thi3 science consists simply in the tardiness of drinking. All drinks are taken sip by sip, a half or threequarters of an hour being consumed lor a g'ass of beer. This id so simple ihat one i 3 liable to lidicule for laying f-tresi u^on it, and yet on this one point hit.gc?, in my opinion, a quesdon of \asr impo t^nce to Americans, l>y this manner of di inking 1 , the blood is aroused to a greater activity in so gradual a manner that there is no violent derangement of the animal economy. By slow drinking the German accomplishes tho object of drinking, and gives his animal economy a chance to say, ' Hold, enough !' which only slow drinking will do. ... Woman, unquestionably carries a purifying influence v>ith hbr wherever sho goes, and her presence in the di inking places of Europe drives from them that class of low vagabonds that bang around Ameiican drinking places. Hence, one never sees a drunl*en man in a cafe, and rarely even on the street. Perhaps no better possible illustration of the purifying influenced of woman could be found. Cafea are open to all classes, but the lower claapes seldom vi=4t them ; they would bo abashed by dcing so as much as they would by entering a parlour where they would meet refinement and elegant manners. There are some exceptions to this rule in the laiger cities, but this is confined to cafe's that aro well known, and ladies avoid them ; there are no drinking placeß in Germany , but what a lady may enter with all - propriety. Drunkenness ia rare, and if to, it rarely manifests itself in a boibtorious or belligerent manner, but moie frequently, takes the shape of song, fun, and a general , pleasurable feeling of watmth, energy, and self command and hence those horiid crimes that sometimes shock us in the United. > States are rarely heard of hore. Then, whyshould there exist euch a difference in tho evils of drinking in Europe and in the U:iit& States ? It is manifestly the result of themanner of drink'ng in vogue in the two hemippheres." Some curious inference* might,, be cUawn from Consul Tanner's report.. Figuratively regarded, the time wasted by the Germans in swilling beer at half or threequarters of an hour per glass must be enormous ; but then it ie alleged to save-^ them from intoxication. Can it be true tho -, trouble of the Americans is they do nob drink enough, and if they would only follow the German science in the matter, namely, quadruple their drinks and sit longer over their cupa, they would, like the Teutons, become a quiet; sober, and happy people ?

" Pa," said a young hopeful, •• I know what a man who has Been better days is," " Well my son, what ia he ?" " He's a man who makes you tired talking about himself.