National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-29
L DARK SIDE THE HOLIDAYS.

4 DARK SIDE OFTHE HOLIDAY rs.
1t is the sad acknowledgment of thought
full people, alike in the District and in all
the thickly-settled communities of the
country, that the holiday season, which
began with Christmas just passed, has thus
far been the occasion of unwonted and ex-
traordinary drunkenness. Particularly is
this true regarding the youth of the Dis
trict, and, if our exchanges speak Alright,
| the same is true Of the youth of other Sec
tions. In short the enjoyment of the pres
ent week, devoted, as it is, to holiday
| pleasures and those warm social recreatiOns
which combine to make all Christian peo-
pie lean toward each other with religious
liberation and forgiveness, is marred by the
assertion of an indlsputable growth of
crying evil. No father or mother can deny
the truth of this painful declaration, al
though many Of them may have cause to
be thankful that the evil of " hich we speak
has not yet crossed their thresholds, to de-
stroy, with its venomous influences, the most
sacred surroundings of the home circle
We say they cannot deny this, because
they must have seen, as we have seen,
beardless boys staggering and Keeling
through the streets Christmas eve and
Christmas night, carrying to their homes
and friends the tell-tale evidence of de-
bauchery. Instead of observing the holi-
days as they were wont to do or rather as
their seniors were wont to do, as the occa-
sion of a semi-religious celebration and of
pure hospitable friendship and sociality,
these miguided striplings have profaned
them, and disgraced themselves and their
teachers. But while this evidence of youth
full indiscretion is so striking as to attract
instant attention, it must be admitted that
the vice of drunkenness has visibly in
creased among grown people. The records
of our own and the police courts of other
cities show that during the Christmas holi-
days the number of persons arrested as
drunk and disorderly is more than four
times as large as on ordinary occasions
while the amount and character of crime
and accident resulting from this GeplOrable
fact proves that with each annual recur-
renee of the season the habits of many of
our people degenerate toward a base recog-
milton of beastly appetites. For example,
we printed yesterday an account by tele-
graph of q man and wife who, while lying
in bed drunk, smothered their infant child,
and at the same time the Geographic "Rec-
ord of Crime" showed an unusual number
Of stabbing affrays and murders. We do
not now intend to venture to recommend
remedy for all this; because we believe that
our duty is done when we attract public
attention to the question. The moral in
fuence eXerted by its discussion will have
q more beneficial effect than any argument
or suggestion that we could advance, and
we therefore content ourselves with bring.
ing it forward as pertinent to the times. We
urge it now for the consideration of the
clergy, and upon the attention of moralists,
and earnestly hope that through the com
bined efforts Of all well-meaning citizens
the evil may be abated. How far this re-
suit may be accomplished by the example
of the women Of the community we will
not pretend to say. They must judge of
this for themselves, as well as of the re-
sponsibility which they must assume forthe
failure to employ their acknowledged infiu-
ence in behalf of the good cause.