Temperance activists knew that if alcohol was removed from the culture,
replacements would be required both beverages to replace liquor
and pastimes to replace public and private drinking. Fruit juices, carbonated
sodas, and even plain cold water were offered in taverns and homes. Cookbooks
suggested substitutes for alcohol in cooking and baking, and special temperance
grocery stores sprung up in cities. A variety of activities could take
up the hours previously reserved for drinking, and temperance activists
suggested venues other than taverns for relaxation and congeniality.
C.E Hires Company. Hires Improved Root Beer.
Philadelphia, 1883.
Trade card for C.E. Hires, a Philadelphia-based business, identifying
root beer as a "delicious, sparkling and wholesome temperance drink."
Testimonies on the reverse of the card proclaim the beverages medicinal
qualities: H.G. Fulton of Kendall, Kansas writes that it "seems to
cleanse and purify the system as nothing else will do. My little boy feels
much better than he did before using it."
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