Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 November 1889 — DRINK AND DRUNK. [ARTICLE]

DRINK AND DRUNK.

An Institution Translated from the Old Country to America. Tell ine what a ‘commers’ is, anyway?” asked an American of 1m German friend. The two were seated together at lunch in a club house, and | the fact had been mentioned that there had been a very “Hotter commers” at the Fidelia headquarters the night before. , The German looked at the American in amazement. Evidently this was an aggravated ease of woeful ignorance. “You don’t know what a commers is?” he queued, and there were about nine-ty-nine exclamation points in the inflections of his voice. "No,” said the American. “Well, to express it briefly, a commers is a of a time,” smilingly ; tht» xiihflr. .“Or. to .put It In more diplomatic language, a commers is a drinking bout, with speeches, songs and witticisms liberally sprinkled over it, conducted according to certain rules, formulas and ceremonies. The word ‘commers’ originally was a Latin one, meaning Intercourse; in this case social intercourse, The thing itself is practiced with the greatest degree of perfection by-the students of the German and Austrian universities. But’ the commers was imported into thisj! country by the old German university- ! men who came over here after the uu- | successful revolutionary rising in ’4B j and ’49. And they have perpetuated the commers in America, and their children and grandchildren have fol-! lowed in their footsteps. Of course, I not every commers is a success, no more than every banquet is a successs. It takes a number of concurrent conditions to produce what we Germans call a ‘Hotter commers.’ ”