IN A TEMPERANCE TOWN.

Waikato Times, Issue 3204, 7 January 1893, Page 2 (Supplement)

IN A TEMPERANCE TOWN.

TIIF. following amusing sketch of an American Temperance Town reminds ns rather strongly of some experience met with (not quite twenty years ago) in the King Country. A few years ago I was in America, staying at a lovely spot at tho foot of tho Rooky Mountains. I miy mention by way of parenthesis that during my whole stay in America I was a teetotaler, and, therefore, write wiih no sense of personal greivance. One day ray travelling companions and I diove somo few uiles over the prairie to visit llechabito city. The " city " was rather laraer than Narzerth, and quite as largo as Haverford West, but we were in a free couutry, where people and places may call themselves what they please, So most blocks of buildings are cities, and the majority of men are " generals," when they "are not "judges." This, however, is by the way. It was a blazing hot day, and as wo neared tho city the driver (who was a Welshman, and not a total abstainer) turned ar.d asked where he should put us down, My friend suggested that he should stop at the first place where he could get a drink, as " he way dying for one." Our Cymric friend, ■with a grim smile which I did not then understand, informed. us that the sab of intoxicating drinks was utterly prohibited in Rechabito city. P, (my friend) used somo language which I calculated would havo been appraised in Great Britain at about os per word for the benefit of the revenue, and suggested a rotnrn, To this I demurred. I told the driver to go where he liked, He apparently liked a" sort of general store, for ho stopped there, and hitched his horses on to tho ring that is placed for that purpose besides tho pavement in American towns, Having some previous experienco of a dry humo.ir in my Swansea friend (the driver), T stood by to watch events, Advancing into the store, ho walked up to the counter, and, putting down two quarter dollars, asked for two lead pencils, or something of that sort. I don't quite remember what it was, but I'distinctly remember that we did not take it away with us. Tho storekeeper then remarked that it was a hot day (which it was), and that wo should find it cooler in the back parlour (which we did) while he looked for tho goods. We entered, and found several other visitors, who appeared to find it cooler than in Iho store, and wero further moderating Iheir temperatures by imbibing varioties of Americitn drinks, of which whisky appeared to be the basis, and to which they helped themselves, My friend and our driver jminod tho social oirole, and T think paid for two moro lead pencils on leaving. Our n«xt experience, was at a linon draper's, whore the samo thing went on, and, I believe, wo made thrco other experiments. Tn the interests of political economy and then in Ihe interest of my own neck (as " Swansea " had to drive us back, and tf'oro was no definite road norosi tho prairie), I put a stop to the scientific investigations. Wo lunched at a boanlinghnusn kopt by one of the many distinguished " generals " who grace tho " Land of tho Stars and Stripes," I was told that this particular " general " obtained an honest livelihood by retailing the non-transferable unused halves of railway tickets to Now York, etc, Ho was an astute person, and on leaving I asked him what he thought of Rechabito city, focusing it under the temperanco laws. It took him some time to reply, as he had to remove a considerable quantity of foreign matter from his mouth before he had room to speak, but when the difficulty was overcome he 6aid: "Well, sir, I guess it is the drnnkenest little place in the States!" To my inquiry why someono did nat inform Ihe authorities of this illicit practice in a temperance city, the general ooined that it would not ha greatly to tho advantage of that person in a free country, as he would probably obtain a gratuitous rido on a firetreo rail across the prairie, will a gentlo intimation that if ho retured he would find a purely teetotal ontortainmont awaiting him in the form of a backet of tar and a basket of feathers. The moral of this brief narrative—faithful in all save tho narao of the city—l dedicate to the temperance supporters of the Welsh Sunday Closing Act.