244 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



and to what end ? That some dozen harpies 

 may fatten on your flesh ; that your labor may 

 give them leisure ; that your suffering may give 

 them pleasure ; that your sweat may cool their 

 brows, and your money fill their tills ! 



" What do you get in return ? Whiskey, to 

 poison your bodies and pervert your minds ; 

 whiskey, to make you fierce beasts or dull 

 brutes ; whiskey, to make your eyes red and 

 your hands unsteady ; whiskey, to make your 

 homes sties and yourselves fit occupants for 

 them ; whiskey, to make you beat your wives 

 and children ; whiskey, to cast you into the 

 gutter, the most loathsome animal in all the 

 world. This is cheap whiskey, but it costs you 

 dear. All that makes life worth living, all that 

 raises man above the brute, and all the hope of 

 a future life, are freely given for this poor 

 whiskey. The man who sells it to you robs 

 you of your money and also of your manhood. 

 You pay him ten times (often twenty times) as 

 much as it cost him, and yet he poses as your 

 friend. 



" I'm not going to say anything against beer, 

 for I don't think good beer is very likely to 

 hurt a man. I will say this, however, you 

 pay more than twice what it is worth. This is 

 the point I would make : beer is a food of some 

 value, and it should be put on a food basis in 

 price. It isn't more than half as valuable as 

 milk, and it shouldn't cost more than half as 



