Drink, temperance and legislation

Excessive indulgence prevalent from the earliest times
-The Ancient Britons-The Saxons-Drinking
healths-Temperance movement A.D. 570-King Ed-
gar, Dunstan, and drinking to pegs '-The Danes
and Normans-English beer in 1130-Early closing
in the thirteenth century-Complaints of excessive
number of taverns in 1330-Power given to justices
to suppress them in 1495-Licensing introduced in
1551 Camden on the increase of drunkenness-
Bacon and other writers in the Elizabethan age-
The liquor traffic at the beginning of the seven-
teenth century-Repressive Acts in 1603, 1607, and

1610-Burton on drinking in 1621-The clergy im-

plicated-Drunkenness among the Puritan troops

-Female drunkenness in 1657-Adulteration-

Consumption of beer in 1688-Home manufacture

of spirits-Defoe on the English working man-Gin

Act of 1736-Increased consumption of spirits-

Shocking state of things-Number of bars and con-

sumption per head in London-Gin Act repealed-

Fielding on gin-Moderate legislation in 1751 more

successful-Beer v. spirits-Drunkenness among

the upper classes-The public-house in the eight-

eenth century-Medical attack on intemperance-

London in 1824-Beer-house Act of 1830-Select

Committee of 1834-Remarkable evidence-Female

and juvenile drunkenness-Sunday mornings-

Drinking a condition of employment for working

men-Conclusions of Committee

PAGE

14-42

CHAPTER III

THE DECLINE OF DRUNKENNESS

New era since 1830-40-Important changes-Organic

improvement-Select Committee of 1854-Evidence

of improved conduct of liquor traffic-Abuses still

existing-Increase of intemperance 1867-76-House

of Lords Committee of 1876-Evidence of improve-

ment-Reduction of public-houses-Drunkenness

more confined to lowest grades of society-Royal

Commission of 1896-99-Evidence of improvement

from all parts of England-Scotland-Ireland-

Statistics of drunkenness-London 1834-92-Liver-

pool 1866-95-Glasgow 1857-96-England and

Wales 1857-98-Ireland 1885-95-Reduction of li-

censes 1831-91-Consumption of alcohol 1831-99 .

43-74

CHAPTER IV

FEMALE DRUNKENNESS

Alleged increase—Distinction between upper and lower
classes-Increase among former-Its causes-
Feminine emancipation-Narcotic drugs-Lower

classes Alleged diminution-Sir John Bridge-

Alleged increase-Dr. Norman Kerr-Death-rates

from intemperance Critically examined-Police

statistics 1874-98-Remarkable diminution-Less

than among men-The reasons-Women more often

habitual inebriates Statistics in Liverpool and

THE FORCES OF TEMPERANCE

Temperance Societies and Liquor Laws-Origin of

temperance organisation 1826-Belfast and Glas-

gow 1829-Yorkshire and Lancashire 1830-London

-British and Foreign Temperance Society 1831-

Queen Victoria-Teetotalism 1832-Dissensions-

Father Mathew 1838-42-His wonderful success-

Comes to England 1843-Decline of the temperance

movement-Also in United States-The Maine law

-The United Kingdom Alliance-Revival of move-

ment 1860-Political element-Benefit Societies-

Good Templars-Church of England Temperance

Society Danesbury House '-Membership of So-

cieties Juvenile abstainers-Failure of teetotal-

ism-Liquor laws-Activity of Legislature-Act

of 1834-Metropolitan Police Act 1839-Beer-house

Amendment Act 1840-Gaming Act 1845-Acts

1854-55, Sunday closing in Scotland-Act of 1860,

Grocers' Licenses-Acts 1861-64-Wine and Beer-

house Act 1869-Licensing Acts 1872 and 1874-

Their beneficial effects-Sunday closing in Ireland

1878-In Wales 1881-Acts 1882-1901-Other in-

fluences-Public opinion-Indirect effects of So-

cieties-Example of upper classes-The Court-

The future

90-114

CHAPTER VI

THE FORCES OF INTEMPERANCE

Physiological effect of alcohol-People drink because
they like it-Its exhilarating effect-Most desired
in circumstances of depression-Hence influence of
climate-Drunken countries in North of Europe-

Sobriety of the South-Consumption per head no

measure of sobriety-Diffused and concentrated

drinking-Distribution of drunkenness in the

United Kingdom-Greater in North and West than

in South and East-Scotland-Spirit drinking and

climate-Sweden-Influence of race-Hungarians

-Celts-Abstemious nations decadent-Heredity

and the Darwinian theory-Influence of occupation

-Seaports, mining, manufacturing, and agricul-

tural districts compared-The most and the least

alcoholic classes-Other conditions of life-The

real attraction of the public-house-Conviviality-