ion from
every side, and not jumping at conclusions before they are warranted by
facts. It is true that most of our positive knowledge on this subject
would condemn alcohol as being the greatest curse of the ages, but it
may be that it has played a beneficent part in the affairs of mankind
through devious paths impossible to trace. Unquestionably a drug, the
taking of which assists us in momentarily throwing our troubles aside,
must be of a certain positive value to mankind. If only it possessed
these good qualities with none of its bad ones!

Having considered very briefly the general effects of alcohol on the
system a few remarks may be appropriately made concerning the several
beverages commonly consumed in the United States for which it serves as a
basis.

_Whisky._--Under the term whisky will here be included all of those
stronger alcoholic beverages that are the product of distillation. In
addition to those commonly designated as such we may reckon brandy, gin,
and rum, and at the same time those subtle combinations called
mixed-drinks, for which they serve as a basis. It will, perhaps, startle
the average reader when the statement is made that whisky and its near
relatives just referred to, particularly when diluted by water, are by
far the least harmful of all alcoholic drinks. Their bad reputation lies
in the fact that on account of their large percentage of alcohol they are
usually preferred by drunkards, and that when consumed in excessive
amounts by those unaccustomed to their use there often follow those
frightful crimes with which these particular forms of alcohol are so
odiously associated. The facts are, however, that when taken in
moderation they are much less prone to produce indigestion than wines or
malt liquors, and where one is determined to drink, they should
unquestionably receive the preference. It should not be understood that
the writer is in any way advocating their use, but the facts of
experience compel him to state frankly that the least harmful of all
alcoholic beverages is whisky, or its near relatives.

_Wines._--There are a large number of fermented juices of fruits that are
known as wines. They are either sweet or acid in taste, and both are
peculiarly prone to induce dyspepsia in persons with delicate stomachs.
Irrespective of their delicate flavor, which, in many instances, appeals
strongly to the palate, the only virtue that they may be said to possess
is that they contain alcoh