" DOWN GLASSES."
[To THE EDITOR or THE 0 SPECTATOR.")
Sm,—In view of the correspondence that passed unchallenged in the Glasgow Press, it seems strange that Mr. Weir, Sanitary Inspector, Ruthorglen, should go out of his way to belittle, and try to gloss over, the scandalous drinking habits of Glasgow at the present time. I am bound to say, Sir, there is not one word of exaggeration in the letter sent you through your correspondent
J. C. F." Mr. Weir charges you with publishing a misleading statement, and thinks you should have verified it first. The Glasgow Herald of January 5th and the Evening Times of December 29th and many other local papers which you may have seen before you received Mr. Weir's letter acquit you at once on that score. (I enclose some of the correspondence.) Why did Mr. Weir not challenge these? Are we to assume that Mr. Weir is the only truthful person in the Glasgow district? Is Mr. Weir serious when he asks your readers to believe that the crowds outside the two old-established wine-merchants' shops were regular customers? Again, are we to assume that these are the only two places in Glasgow which have a high reputation for honest .dealing? Mr. Weir also tries to bluff your English readers into the belief that these shameful proceedings are merely the outcome of an old Scottish custom—a necessary evil, so to speak, which must be put up with, war or no war, and that to make it out a case of excessive drinking is a libel on the second city of the Empire. Second city, forsooth! Poor beleaguered civil authorities, may the fable of " Ignotus " wake you up soon to a realization of your shame, and compel you with direful earnestness to re-echo the Spectator's call to " Down
Previous page
