Wisconsin Tribune

HISTORY OF ALCOHOL
Alcohol was invented 650 years ago, by the son of a strange woman, Hagar, in Arabia. Ladies used it with a powder, to paint themselves, that they might appear more beautiful, and this powder was called alcohol.

During the reign of Wm and Mary, an act was passed encouraging the manufacture of spirits. Soon after profanity prevailed to such extent that the retailers of intoxicating drinks put up signs in public places informing the people that they can get drunk for a penny and have some straw to get sober on.

In the sixteenth century distilled spirits spread over the continent of Europe. About this time it was introduced into the colonies, as the United States were then called. The first notice we have of its use in public life was among laborers in the Hungarian mines in the 15th century. In seventeen hundred and fifty one it was used by the English soldiers as a cordial.

The alcohol in Europe was made of grapes & sold in Italy and Spain as a medicine.

The Genoese afterwards made it from grain and sold it as a medicine in bottles under the name of the water of life. During the reign of Henry the seventh brandy was unknown in Ireland but, soon its alarming effect induced the government to pass a law prohibiting its manufacture.

About one hundred and twenty years ago it was used as a beverage especially among the soldiers to the English colonies in North America under the preposterous notion that prevented sickness and made men fearless on the field of battle. It was looked upon as a sovereign specific.-Such is a brief sketch of the introduction of alcohol as a beverage, The history of it is written in the wretchedness, the tears, the groans, poverty and murder of thousands. It has marched the land with the tread of a giant, leaving the impress of his foot steps in the bones, sinews and life blood of the people.