|
|
landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
"During the 1820s, thousands of folks along the Erie Canal corriÂdor were ... succumbing to the mind-blasting effects of raw alcohol. America was reeling through the most phenomenal drinking binge in its history. Hordes of citizens were living their lives in the woozy, dislocated haze of permanent inebriation.
"Western farmers who grew barley, corn, and rye found it more profitable to ferment and distill their crops into strong liquor than to ship the grain to market. Whiskey was plentiful and cheap. Each man older than fifteen was drinking on average fourteen gallons of hundred-proof whiskey every year. By the middle of the decade, more than a thousand distillers were operating in New York State. WhisÂkey was cheaper than wine or beer, more readily available than imÂported luxuries like tea and coffee, safer to drink than water. "Whiskey was considered 'so conducive to health,' a journalist wrote in 1830, 'that no sex, and scarcely any age, were deemed exÂempt from its application.' Children drank. Adults deemed it more patriotic to drink whiskey than French wine or Dutch gin. Liquor filled the role that coffee would later assume as a morning bracer. A glass of whiskey with breakfast was commonplace. "A man need not go to a tavern: he could stop for a glass of whiskey at a grocery or candy store. He could down a shot at a barber shop. Theaters served strong drink. Millers provided the refreshment to waiting farmers. Militia musters always ended with heroic drinking. Casual sellers of grog set up bars in their basements. "Men during this period habitually drank at work. Before the spread of factories, artisans typically operated workshops that emÂployed a dozen or so journeymen and apprentices. The master was expected to provide ale or whiskey for his employees' dinner and breaks. He often drank with them. He tolerated a degree of absenÂteeism on what was known as Saint Monday, as workers recovered from Sunday binges. "Drinking on the job peaked among canal workers. With whiskey cheap and cash in short supply, contractors favored pay in kind -- bed, board, and ample drink. The typical canal worker drank at least a pint, often a quart, of whiskey daily. Whiskey 'was provided bountiÂfully and in true western style.' Thirsty from a salty diet and abunÂdant sweating, the men drank and drank. ... "But workers of any nationality, exposed to the harsh conditions of canal labor and the easy availability of alcohol, would have done the same. As one former worker said, 'You wouldn't expect them to work on the canal if they were sober, would you?' When drunk, laborers sometimes passed out and lay exposed for hours to the sun or chill night dew. 'Fever, and death,' a physician noted, 'were but too often the melancholy results.' " More here: http://www.delanceyplace.com/view-search-results.php?3108
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
Salguod Nairb Room 101 0 Posts |
Admitting you have a problem is the first step. Good for you Jack.
We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness...
|
landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
I'm old, but not 196 years old ...
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
Levi Bennett Inner circle 1778 Posts |
Good article. I saw a show about prohibition on Netflix recently. Many of the things you list here are what lead to the temperance movement and prohibition. It's hard to imagine people being loaded constantly like this. It's a strange part of American history- to me, anyway.
Performing magic unprofessionally since 2008!
|
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
The other day we watched a documentary on it, which was quite amazing. I can't drink much without feeling ill.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Not very magical, still... » » Drinking in America: Peak Intoxication (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.03 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |