cktimes.ca Archives for Cultural Musings on Chatham-Kent
Cultural Musings on Chatham-Kent
Alcohol use and abuse in the 1800s
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
It has always been a difficult thing to explain without offending modern day sensibilities and sounding extremely politically incorrect; however, the rather excessive imbibing of alcohol among our forefathers (and yes it was usually males!) does need some explaining.Alcoholic consumption in the early years of Chatham-Kent was a definite way of life for a large number of men for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons were rather sensible while others betrayed a certain uncivilized, boorish nature.
In a time and a place (Upper Canada in the early 1800s) when formal entertainment was scarce, the excessive use of liquor was often a ready substitute. In addition, the access
to quality water that was free of harmful and foul tasting additives, especially in the warm summer months in our area, was a problem ( not that it is not still a problem to-day!). However, distilled alcoholic beverages could usually be counted upon to provide a safe substitute.
From the 1700s to the 1840s, there were few concerted, organized efforts made to counter this "dependence" upon alcohol but with the dawn of the 1840s, there were certain changes in the local air that were about to take shape.
In 1841, not only was the first local newspaper (The Chatham Journal) published on a regular basis but the Chatham Temperance Society was also at this time formed.
The organization had Methodist minister William Griffs as its president and was determined to put an end to the kind of alcoholic dependency that was ruining families, corrupting moral values and leading many men to a life of crime, vagrancy and indolence.
In defiant protest to the Chatham Temperance , a group of local men, led by Edwin Larwill established The Free and Easy Club, which had as its main tenet, the right of every man to a drink as much as he wished, whenever he wished..
In retrospect, both groups can be seen as extremists in their own way.
The Temperance Society certainly had the good of the local community at its core, but in its zeal to rid the local community of a perceived evil, offended those respected men in the community who wished to be given the freedom to drink in moderation and not to be seen as immoral, corrupt individuals.
On the other side, The Free and Easy Society failed to recognize their role as responsible role models in a developing community.
By taking the high ground in both camps, the two groups were left battling each other rather than working together to create what both wanted – a better local community. However, there were others in the developing community who sought lifestyle and entertainment improvements in much less controversial ways.
In 1839, The Chatham Library and News Room commenced operation in the home of Joseph Bell. Reading material at the "Bell Library" consisted of ten British, American and Canadian newspapers, the Museum of Foreign Literature, Blackwoods Magazines and The Edinburgh Magazine.
These humble beginnings, in a local home, ultimately led to the construction of a Carnegie Library in Chatham in 1902.
The development of theatrical entertainment in any emerging society is without fail, an early preoccupation and the Chatham-Kent area was no exception to this rule. By 1844, The Chatham Amateur Theatrical Society was not only a popular source of entertainment but a profitable one as well.
As more people began to take up residence in the Chatham-Kent area, local hotels and taverns began to organize and host meetings, banquets, dances and even dress-balls. One of the highlights of the local social season was "The Young Man's Fancy Ball"
(what a great name, eh?) held each year in the British North American Hotel on King Street.
It was the area's first formal "dancing occasion" and its overwhelming success led to many similar balls being held in the ensuing years.
The transformation of local drinking establishments from places where men sought alcoholic refuge from the outside world, primarily with other men, to social gathering spots where men and women could meet, mingle, dance and converse, was a gradual one. However, in this regard, it was, in reality, very little different than any other developing community in Upper Canada in the 1840s.
If one were to speak in rather "sexist" terms, it could be argued, with some justification, that only when men began to formally socialize with women in organized activities, did civility begin to blossom in Chatham-Kent but, then again, you did not need us to tell you that now did you?
Jim and Lisa Gilbert are local, national and international award winning educators and historians.
