August Horn Versus the Soda Water Devotees

Here’s a little 19th-century snark from August Horn, the president of Horn and Schwalm’s Brooklyn Brewery. Horn was a Bavarian immigrant who came to Oshkosh in 1852. He became a naturalized citizen in 1889. This quip is from 1886…

“Were the logic of some of our temperance apostles true, the inhabitants of Germany - instead of attaining the proud eminence they have attained - would through this harmless habit of drinking beer have become the most degraded of nations. Facts, however, are decidedly stubborn in their nature, and so Gambrinus is still hale and hearty, and very able to cope with any soda water devotee we ever saw.”

Here’s the complete, erudite article as it appeared in the 1886 Oshkosh City Directory.

Click to enlarge.