WHAT "CHRISTIAN NATIONS" PAY FOR DRINK.
THE following, from the Oakland Times of recent date, a Democratic paper, presents some statistics worthy of consideration. While the United States spends about five million dollars for the conversion of the heathen, over one billion is expended for indulgence in that which does no good, but untold evil:— In almost every respect the United States is a more extravagant country than England, although England is the most extravagant country in Europe. But in the consumption of spirituous liquors the English exceed us both in the quantity and cost of the liquor consumed. Americans consume a trifle more ardent spirits than the British, but when it comes to wine and beer and other malt liquors of that class, the English are away ahead as drinkers. The British consumption of ardent spirits is 1.18 gallons per capita, while in America the consumption is 1.50 per capita. When we come to the beer and wine, we see a still greater disparity in favor of the Americans. The English drink 36.17 gallons per capita annually, while the Americans guzzle only 15.54 gallons per capita. But the American gallon is smaller than the imperial gallon, and if we reduce the latter to the American measure, the total British consumption of liquor amounts to 37.71 gallons per capita annually, against an American consumption of less than half that amount. But liquor costs more in this country than in England; and for that reason the drink bill of the mother country is not so much greater in proportion than the liquor account of the United States. The English pay $17.58 per capita for their liquor, against $15.53 per capita paid in the United States. Last year the total cost of the liquors consumed in the United Kingdom amounted to $675,739,025, for a population of 38,429,000. In 1892 the drink bill of the United States was $1,014,894,364, for an estimated population of 65,000,000. Scotland drinks more spirits and beer per capita than Ireland. She also drinks more spirits than England or the United States, but her consumption of beer is smaller than that of either. Ireland consumes a trifle more spirits per capita than England, but drinks less than one-third as much wine and beer. One feature of these drink statistics is the fact that the consumption of liquor in America is lowest in the Southern States. Judged by the amount of liquor consumed, the people of the cotton States are the most temperate white people on earth. It may be surprising, but it is a fact that Georgia consumes much less whisky and less than half the beer per capita that is drunk in Massachusetts.