A HINT TO ABSTAINERS.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1980, 12 May 1875, Page 2

A HINT TO ABSTAINERS.

, Tfeetotallars. may get. a hint, from Sir Samuel Baker; the discoverer of'the fttet that the Nile issues from the northern end of the great lake called by hinjfthe Albert N'lanza. In his recent work, 1 " Ismalia," wherein' he recounts lvs Jg>9jI ceodings to annex a large, extent aLj-biui-try to Egypt, he gives : s6xnfWms# 'to those who have to do hard ijptl^^intthe open air. "He states that wheirAunting he found milk and- water the best of all drinks. He. found that it sustained his strength, quenched, his : thirst, and that he could .dp. jflore prolonged work upon this simple refreshment than upon anything else -he had tried.. Spirits h« condemns, as rapid but brief in action. Strength derived from spirits he 1 found to .'disappear quickly., and to be but of, a purely artificial character.' The fact is worthy of notice, as Sir Samuel Baker is an old explorer, ons who has done ariim- _ mense quantity of arduous and trying .work, who has faced'dangers of all kinds, from those of a"deadly climate,' td the treachery of pretended friends and the attacks of savage beasts. Hard workers will do well to keep his advice in mind,, and they may hot only save Uheir' health, but get rid of a serious drain upon their pockets. There is, however, anotherside to the question. Sir Samuel Baker has left on record in a previous work hjaw spirits did himjolf andvwife a great deal of service, -Wfulsfc on the return from his explorations at the Albert N' Yanza,. he and ' &&y .Baker ' suffered terribly from' ieter, probably, from I the immeriseT^quantily of decomposing vegetation which is found in a country where there yaire both abundant heat and rains. fFor months .the malady clung t» them, .and resisted all the remedies, at hia .command. - One day, however, they cwnped in a locality where he; found.a native root, not % unlike a beet, and it occurred to him to try the experiment of distilling a spirit from what appeared to be a very promising vegetable production for such a purpose. With the aid of a kettle and a gun-barrel he sue* ceeded, and the whole party appear to have rather enjoyed themselves that evening. The result was, that the fever left them all at once, and never returned. The moral seems to be, that grog is, occasionally, an excellent, remedy for some kinds of diseases, but not, by any means, the best iind of drink upon which to do continuous hard work. This is about what most teetotal advocates say, „, so the testimony of a practical man goes to help in-their cause.—Ballarat Star.