The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-21
Should It Not Be Studied
BY EDWARD A. RAND.

Amy works on hygiene as eonnecte
with physiology, that should be taugt
in our schools and yet never make an
reference to such a possible thing a
poison would be considered fearful
lacking. 1t is with fitness, then that "
noticed in one of our text books
long dark list of poisons, brightene
only by the mention of their antidote:
In such work it would be though
timely to refer to the possible poisonou
exhGlations escaping from drains o
marshes or flats. If there should b
anywhere flats % vast dimension
| breathing up their poison toward tn
| sky, how that spot would branded ant
labeled as one to be Stunned
| If its Dimensions should be 5,
great as to be of national peril, yol
would have had hygiene tocsins ringing
out their alarms in every schoolroom
The subject would cover pages of ou
textbooks, and be thoroughly investi
gated.
Now there is poison going up all owe
the land. Over our great cities how it,
exhalations hang huge, terrible clouC
of death! Over our towns and village.
float smaller and yet pestilential cloud
masses. What corner of the land doe:
not know something of the sad effects oi
alcoholic poisonings? Do we realize
how great the evil is, what seriousness;
invests the drink-problem? A man
staggers by us in lit of intOxication
this case becomes a kind OF loophole
through which we look upon the nation
al peril. We say alcoholic poison is the
sexton covering 10000 bodies every
year. 1t is the furnace whose tongues
of fame lick up hundreds of millions of
dollars every year. 1t is the tempter
Turing to their crime nine-tenths of the
Cransgressors of the laws of the land.
1t feeds poorhOuses, stufis jails, compels
armies of poll e to tramp up and down
tue land day and night. 1t brings hun
ger and cold and nakedness into thous-
tnds of homes 1t is the prolific parent
# 'hard times" 1t is the great dragon
raving the morals of the land.
We begin to say all this, as we notice
shat one case of intoxication. But our
h jme may be in some city where fire.
Iuent cases alarm US. The evil of
alcoholic poisoning may stagger against
is daily, disgust, and at the same time
terrify us. We think of our chill
lren. We would save them from
the evil, and drive the evil away from
.hem. The least we can do is to warn
them, and warn all our young people of
the terrible effects of alcoholic poisoning.
We can't sound the warnings too soon.
Not far from the writer's home, little
oov, not over seven years old, obtained
/ bottle of liquor while at play with his
companions one day. He little under
stood that so much death was there
bottled, corked, and sealed. He drank
rely only to sleep profoundly, and at
last the sleep that knows no waking.
Where was the parent, the teacher, the
iriend, to explain to the poor little vic
sim that death was in that bottle? We
cannot begin too early to indoctrinate
she children in our schools.
What if we should hear some day,
chat the Chinese Government had
resolved to put into the schools of China
/ textbook on the nature and effects OF
We should call it wise
craftsmanship. We contend that our
n -cessity is as great. If we don't
5rouble the drink problem, it will
trouble us-is indeed troubling us.
Here is a peril to the national health,
the national finances, the national in
dustries, the national morals, to the
very existence of the nation itself.
The nation is divided as to the
methods for averting the peril. Some
lesire moral suasion, and others would
ldd the argument of the law. There
ire those who stand with the Maine
armers, ''for the law, but ag'in its
enforcement" All substantially, though,
ire agreed concerning this thing-that
the young shall, or should, grow up
pure of the evil of intemperance.
We will commence with the vonng,
md, to reach them most thoroughly,
md combat most successfully the
national peril, let us start in the public
schools. We would make the study of
tlcoholic poisoning as thorough and
scientific as possible. In the books
On hygiene generally used, we think it
will be found that this subject is gin
rarly noticed. In one we noticed that
/ part of the antidote for alcohol was the
pouring of water on the head. We wish
IL had said more about putting 1t into
he stomach, in the first place. Inyes
tigation should go rightdow to the bot
tom of the evil and thea reach out as far
Is it extends. Under this head of poison,
notice could be fttingly taken of various
ooxical substances. Let one read an
article by Dr. Richardson, in the Con
temporary Reuieis, on "Chloral and the
Narcotics" That gives broad, COM
prehensive survey of the whole subject
If toxical poisons, shows us what pow
der magazines are all about us, and sug-
gests to us our duty of enlightening the
minds of all. 1t is DR.. Richardson who
has prepared text book-what he terms
Temperance Lesson Book-that has
oeen introduced into schools in London,
Edinburgh, Leeds, Brighton, and adopt
ed indeed by all the large school boards
in England, and most of the smaller
ones. What a gain must come to Eng
land from this!
The young will appreciate such study.
The boy who sees a young man tossing
off glass of liquor may not see any
Improbable ill-effect at first, and Won
iers where the harm is. But the study
would show that Nemesis sits by the
side of the first glass, and retribution
begins at once 1t begins unseen in the
body, that is only veil to-day, hiding
the sad results of wrong, but soon be
comes the white shroud covering souls
dead hopes.
But one may ask, How shall we secure
the introduction of this textbook! Let
any one that reads this start petition,
20 be signed and then handed to their
school committee. Are the readers phi
lanthropic, patriotic women? let them
not forget their influence; and let them
remember with what new power in
school matters the lawsof various States
invest them.
And the result of what may be done
in such school study of alcoholic poison
ing-wiIl it prove to be little thing?
look behind me; see so many of the
generation tipsy and staggering, with
blinded vision and trembling limbs
look upon their poverty and distress;
see their unhappy homes, the wife and
children in rags and tears see my
country, too, staggering as these poor
victims of poison stagger, burdened with
their poverty creppled with their lame
ness; in finances, industries, and morals
feeling the paralysis of their shiftless
ness, idleness, and sin. But / look
ahead, and see generations coming.
catch the echo of their energetic tramp
7 ooo THAR faeoS of health and life