44 / 102
writer,
in
traducing
Absinthe,
points
out
that
it
is
twice
re-
ferred
to
in
the
Bevelations
o£
St.
John,
and
quotes
the
folio
w-
ing
:
"And
the
third
angel
sonnded
his
truinpet,
and
there
fell
a
great
star
from
the
heavens,
bnrning
like
a
lamp,
and
it
fell
upon
a
third
part
of
the
rivers
and
npon
the
fonntains
of
waters.
And
the
name
of
the
star
is
called
Wormwood,
and
the
third
part
of
the
waters
became
Wormwood,
and
many
men
died
of
the
waters
becanse
they
were
made
bitter."
However
correct
this
qnotation
inay
be,
the
alleged
"revela-
tions"
of
Miss
Corelli
embody
the
worst abuse
that
has
ever
been
heaped
upon
Absinthe.
It
came
into
vogue
as
a
fébrifuge
or
cure
for
fever,
and
in
this
way
by
easy
stages
to
Paris,
and
there
became
a
popular
drink
on
the
Boulevards,
where
the
five
o'clock
gossip
hour
at
the
cafés
came
to
be
known
as
"the
hour
of
Absinthe.'
1
Thereafter
the
manufacture
of
the
article
devel-
oped
into
an
extensive
industry
in
France
and
Switzerland.
It
is
classified
as
a
liqueur
or
aromatized
spirit,
prepared
by
pounding
the
leaves
and
ûowering
tops
of
various
species
of
worniwood
with
angelica
root,
sweet
flag
root,
the
leaves
of
dittany
of
Crète,
star-anise
fruit
and
other
aromatics,
and
mas-
cerating
thèse
in
alcohol.
After
soaking
for
about
eight
days
the
compound
is
distilled,
yielding
an
emerald-colored
liquor,
to
which
a
proportion
of
an
essential
oil,
usually
that
of
anise,
is
added.
An
American
authority
includes
in his
recipe
ver-
mouth,
small
fennel,
coriander,
angel
sweet
root,
liquorice,
calamns,
bitter
almonds,
small
leaves
of
vermouth,
peppermint
leaves,
camilles
and
juniper,
and
gives
from
three
to
four
weeks
as
the
distilling
period.
There
are
four
ways
of
serving
the
drink,
and
possibly
more,
but
thèse
are
known
best
:
Absinthe
Cocktail,
Absinthe
Frappe,
Absinthe
a
la
Parisienne,
and
Absinthe
aux
Dieux.
This
brief
narrative
is
x>erhaps
interesting
at
this
time,
be-
canse
the
law
prohibiting
the
manufacture
of
Absinthe,
follow-
iug
one
already
existing
prohibiting
its
sale,
became
effective
in
Switzerland
last
October,
This
was
voted
upon
by
référ-
endum
nearly
two
years
ago.
In
fact,
both
the
sale
and
manu-
facture
were
legislated
against
at
the
same
time,
but
the
opéra-
tion
of
the
law
as
regards
manufacturing
was
deferred
until
the
distillers
Avère
afforded
an
opportunit}
7
to
dispose
of
their
stocks.
The
French
cantons
voted
against
the
prohibition
law
in
the
référendum,
but
were
outvoted
by
the
German
cantons,
where
little
Absinthe
was
consumed.
An
item
of
interest
in
connection
with
the
new
law
is
the
adjustment
of
the
terras
of
compensation
which
the
Fédéral
Government
desires
to
make
to
the
distillers
for
the
losses
which
its
passage
and
enforcement
involves,
and
which,
by
the
way,
rather
points
a
moral
for
ému-
lation
by
those
of
our
States
that
have
wiped
out
distilleries,
breweries,
etc.,
without
any
suggestion
whatever
of
compensa-
tion
for
disturbance.