SIGNS OF THE TIMES IN THE UNITED STATES.
[Rene Bache, in Pearson’s Magazine, Jan. 1906.] "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the Flood they were EATING and DRINKING, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the Flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." Matt. 24:37-39. "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Tim. 3:13. In the year 1850, there were in this country four hundred and thirteen concerns engaged in brewing beer and ale, the total amount of capital employed being $4,072,380. The enormous growth of the business since then may be judged from the figures of the census for 1900, which gave the number of breweries as fifteen hundred and nine, and the total capital as $451,284,468. In the same length of time the number of distilleries in the United States has not grown at all—indeed, it has diminished by one, from nine hundred and sixty-eight to nine hundred and sixty-seven—but the capital used in the production of fire-water has increased from $5,409,334 to $32,551,604, while the value of the output has gone up from $15,770,240 to $96,798,443. This value represents the cost to consumers, at wholesale. Inasmuch as the cost of materials used has advanced