25 



to the value, swelling it to $5.85. By the time it reaches 

 the retailers it has been " reduced " in strength and increased 

 in quantity by the admixture of water, and some more 

 harmful substances, so that its measure has at least been 

 doubled; and the corn, when it begins to drop into the 

 drinkers' glasses on the bar, represents about eight and 

 one-half gallons of drink. Allowing 60 drinks to the 

 gallon, the official bar average, the bushel of corn will fur- 

 nish 270 drinks, which, at an average of 15 cents to the 

 drink, will take $40.50 from the pockets of the consumers. 

 This, added to the $5.85 put into the corn up to the time 

 of reaching the jobbers, making a total of $46.35. Sub- 

 tract the 30 cents which the farmer received for the corn, 

 and the balance, $46.05, will show the amazing profits made 

 by those who do not till the soil to raise the corn, but who 

 multiply infinitely by scientific means the evil powers of 

 the grain, and who from this hurtful multiplication reap 

 easy, large, and reliable profits. The original price of the 

 bushel of corn is contained 155 times in the ultimate re- 

 ceipts from it. In this way the enormous wasting power 

 of alcoholic drink can be easily understood. Political re- 

 formers and statisticians, who talk so learnedly about "hard 

 times," appear to have skipped such calculations as these. 

 It may not be out of place to state that in 1880 there were 

 99,997 insane persons, 76,891 idiots, 88,665 paupers, 

 59,255 prisoners, or 316,812 persons, every one of whom 

 can trace a portion, at least, of his trouble to liquor. 



CONCLUSION. 



It was originally my intention to have prepared, in con- 

 nection with this paper, a chapter relating to soil, particu- 

 larly as to the importance of keeping up its maximum 

 producing power ; but it is already of quite sufficient 

 length for one sitting of an audience. Suffice it now to 



