"COME AND HAVE A DRINK!"

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 235, 28 September 1908, Page 4

"COME AND HAVE A DRINK!"

'ln tlif Editor. Sir, — L would lik e to have a smsil coin lor every time tile above expression is used, iiml one is invited to embrace .the cup lluu i, alleged t,i elieer. Jt doe-n'l do any cheering the morning alter, unfortunately. N«w. we talk el Ihe cursed drink;' well, ii then', is a eui'se at all, it is this .-illy. si useless, "shouting" business. Ii one individual happen- to he earning a lli'rst aliu.it wiili him. he feel, 'lonely like, and invite- somebody to 'come ami have a drink." The two drinks are alisorned. and then soinehodv else mines in. and lie has a two-gallon thirst about him, and murmurs, "Have one with me!'' Tlii-v have one. -and several other ones as well. Then the alleged -white man," who is a "good -ponder," comes in, and tells the beer maid to " fill 'em i)|) again," l'»r tile crowd, of course, and tile crowd's (.yes are already starling Hi have a dreamy, far-away expression, as if tile owners were lr.vin.fr to giic.— when the city council intended to |im a df- ( cent amount, of light on the esplanade by night and turn it into a deceul citizen's walk, instead of a spooning ground for Killing girlies nnd their yojit'is. Then Hebe the beautiful - shouts," ami | so it goes on uni'iil it comes back to the turn of the man who " sliouied " lirsi. and so the crowd gets drunk after a j certain number of rounds, and some of the crowd gets noisy, and the law c.mics ailing and arrests il, and there is trouble | ill the atmosjiliere; whereas if Ihe first ■ man, who had a chronic thirst, had gone i in on his own and appeased it, all hmils j would not have got full of " tangletoc." I To drink alone is a crime apparently. If Vou are thirsty, the rest of the universe must be thirsty, too. Hut. alter all. the shouting business is the lu-t friend the prohibitionists hive got, as it is practically settling the drink 'trallic li.y liaising no emi of drunkenness, whereas if it were abolished tlie people would not get drunk, ami woald not drink unless they felt inclined—not to the same extent. The more drunkenness itli'at goes on, the harder the cjid tea brigade will light, and after a lengthy consideration of the whole business I wish them hick, if it is only to prevent the shameful treatment of their wive.s liv men when they get drunk — which is a disgrace to tiic community at large, and the J.!?, who fines them the usual chronic few bob for doing so. — I am, etc., A. P. (Ad*)