The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-08-18
TEMPERANCE TEXT BOOKS.
The Board of Health and the Wo-
mems Christian Temperance I'm
ion.

| To the Editor ofthe Press:
The National Women's Christian Temper
ance Union has been earnestly engaged for
several years in the endeavor to procure the
enactment of laws in every State for compul-
sorry scientific temperance education in all
public schools A newspaper came to me to-
day from Chicago with the names of seven
teen States where this system has been al
ready adopted. Within five yeaFs-at most,
ten years-iti is believed every State in the
Union will follow their example in this mat
ter.
The W. c. T. Union in preparation for ac-
tual work in the schools in this Imost impor-
tant branch of instruction, has caused to be
prepared and published such text books as in
their judgment would be suitable and proper
to be put into the hands of pupils and teach
ers These books have been submitted to
the examination, and have the approval of,
medical men whose standing in their pro-
fession is second to that of no others in this
country. These books are not new from the
press, but have been widely circulated
throughout the Union, especially in States
where by law temperance instruction is i'm
mediately to be taken up in their schools,
and this without one word of unfriendly
criticism, except from the Maine Board of
Health.
This criticism has all the character of an
attack upon the w. G.. I. Union, especially
personal to those who have been active and
foremost in this project for temperance
teaching and in the preparation and publica-
ton and circulation of these books. All the
temperance men and temperance women of
the country who sympathize with the W. G.
Tnfn in ifc IfeI
effective work in the temperance cause, and
who approve the books referred to, must feel
themselves included in this attack by the
Board of Health upon that great organiza-
tlon OF cultivated, self-sacrifcing Christian
women.
The Board of Health might be justified in
such a rude way of dealing with this matter
if the books referred to contained erroneous
teaching in important matters by which pu-
pills were liable to be misled to their harm.
But even in such case the better way would
have been to intimate to these ladies, pri-
vately and kindly, that their books ought to
be corrected in matters very material to prop
er and useful teaching. But instead of this,
the Board of Health stigmatized the w. G.
L. Union, through the press, as being entire
ly unfit to carry on the work which they have
so boldly undertaken. This attack, however
intended, did in fact hold up these women
before the public as unworthy of confidence
and as unfit to act, much less to lead in, the
young. Ii the w. G. L. Union should lose
the confidence and respect of the people,
their power for usefulness will be gone
However intended, this result was sure to
follow the attack upon it by the Board of
Health, provided these ladies could be proved
to lack the knowledge, good sense and good
Judgment which their work required and
which the Board of Health charged against
them as not possessing.
These ladies were greatly moved by this
rude attack upon them by the Maine Board
of HEALTH not being sure but its learned
and astute chairman had found some dan
gerouS, if not fatal, flaw in their books which
had escaped the careful examination of MANY
men OF general intelligence and of learning
in medicine equal, perhaps, to that of most
men other than the members of the Board of
Health. The Board says:
"A book prepared under the direction of the
w. G. I. Union has too little instruction concern
ing care OF the body generally, and gives rabid-
ly one-sided view Of the alcoholic question.
Even children will detect the fallacy of many of
its statements, and will thus lose faith in all asso
ciated teachings. Intemperance of speech is not
conducive to temperance in living"
This is a very rude personal attack upon
the W. c. I. Union by name. Let us see If it
is justified by the facts in the case.
The President of the Maine W. G. Z. u,
Mrs. l. NJ. N. Stevens, and Mrs. Mary H.
Hunt, Supt. of Dept of Scientific instruction
of the National W. G. t. u, waited upon DR..
Gerrish, chairman of the Board of Health,
dent inaccuracies" in these books which had
escaped the observation of many able men
skilled in medicine, but which even ''chil-
dren can detect, as the Board of Health de-
clares. Mrs. Stevens, with paper and pen
ell in hand, wrote down DR.. Gerrish's re-
plies
l.. "The book does.not refer to the medical use
of alcohol"
!, 2, 1T does not sufficiently emphasize the fact
that very many people can habtualy use mod
crate amount of alcohol and not be appreeiably
injured by it."
g. ut denies that alcohol is food.
These were all the objections made by him
to the book prepared under the direction of
the w. c. L. Union" He did not urge ''the
rabidly one-sided view of the alcoholic ques-
tion, which was probably, after all, the head
and front of the offending of the w. G. T.
Union in the view Of the Board of Health.
Let us look at these objections.
l. There is no reason why children should
be taught the medical use of alcohol what
ever that may or may not bet hat would not
apply to teaching as to the medical use of
arsenic, mercury, opium, tobacco, Strychnine
or prussic acid, and all other drugs. Such
teaching is for medical schools, and not for
children in public schools. Everybody can
see how absurd it would be in the w. G. T.
U. to attempt to teach the children all this,
as the Maine Board of Health thinks they
ought to do. This objection of the Board
will be seen to be simply an attack without
cause upon the W. G. T. Union.
2.No, the book does not admit the truth of
the affirmation of the Board of Health that
the habltual use of alcoholic drinks is wise
safe and harmless. On the contrary they af-
firm that such practice is unwise, harmful
and dangerous, and they are abundantly sup
ported in this by the most eminent medical
men in this country and in Europe. The
whole temperance movement is founded on
that fact; and the Maine Board of Health in
affirminglthe propriety, safety and wisdom of
the habitual use of alcoholic drinks antag-
onizes the vast body of temperance workers
n.all English speaking countries.
DR.. MuzZy, an eminent American physi-
clan says:
"Alcohol is a poison to the animal organization
Alcohol is poison in any form; mix it or cover it
up as you may, it is never digested or converted
cotco-aerid poisons."
Prof. Pariera says:
"Alcohol is powerful irritant and narcotic
poison"
DIR. c. A. Lee:
"All writer's on mdterid naedica now rank alco-
hol among the. powerful and fatal narcotic vege-
table poisons."
DR.. McCulloch, of Scotland
''Alcoho stands high in the list of narcotic poi
sons in all standard works on posons."
Prof. Yoomans:
"Alcohol is specifically poison. 1t seizes with
diSorganlZlng energy upon the brain, and it is this
their tremendous interest in its use"
Prof. Christian ranks "alcohol with night
shade, nux vomica and tobacco in the class
with double poisons."
DR.. Alden says:
"On every organ it touches alcohol operates as
a poison"
The late DR.. Willard Parker of New York,
than whom there is no higher medical all-
thority, says in public address:
'Alcoho is a poison. 1t is so regarded by teach
ers on toxicology. Orphila Chrstianson classes it
with arsenic. sublimate and prussc acid Intro
duced into the system it induces a general dis
ease. as well marked and intermittent as small
poX or lead poison"
In letter to Rev. DR.. Patton, DIR. Parker
says:
''Alcohol is the one evil genius, whether in wine
Whiskey or ale, and is killing the best of men ;
stay the ravages of this one poison the mightiest
worker of the devil, and the millennium will soon
dawn. Alcohol is naturally poison to the hu-
man constitution, and can never be innocentIy or
safely imbibed except when incidentally present
ed as an antidcte to some more dangerous and
deadly evil which it is calculated to dislodge.n
DIR. Parker was of national reputation.
Sir Ashley Cooper says:
Il never suffer ardent spirits in nv bouse he
leving them to be evil spirits If the people co1ld
see the White llvers and the shattered nervous
systems which have seen as the consenuence of
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