The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-11-06
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
STARTLING FACTS.


gives concern to all far-seeing citi-
zens, that there is too rapid increase
In the number OF the criminal, the in
sane or idiotic, and the otherwise de-
fective classes in this country. The
fact Is proved that their total number
increases more rapidly in proportion
than the inhabitants of the United
States; the ratio of the total Of these
three classes OF defective ones to the
total population shows steady and
increase, which can not, OF
course, be due to the natural increase
Of the population. And it is an ad-
pitted fact on the part OF specialists
in mental diseases that this cause Is
rum. 1t is to intemperance that this
condition Of things is due.
1t is also admitted that three-fourths
OF the crime in this country is the direct
or indirect result Of indulgence in intox-
icating liquors, and that at least thrce-
fourths of the total cost of the ponder
Gus police and criminal court ma
chinery, Of the prisons and work.
houses and penitentiaries, are directly
chargeable to the account of rum.
Nor does there seem to be any
reasonable doubt that the same pro-
portion of the total number OF cases
of insanity in the country are due to
the same cause, The percentages
given by the various investigators,
in different asylums. vary from fifty
per cent.-one half-to ninety per
cent! We therefore take seventy-fve
per Observation-Disclosures a fair
average of the percentages given by
these various authorities. It is not
meant that in all these cases the
insanity results directly from the
effects OF rum-drinking on the part OF
the parent himself. though the cases
where this is true are many, and
every superintendent Of an insane
asylum can point out large number
of cases OF insanity from drink
among his patients. These percent
ages include persons driven insane
through the intemperance of others
such as those whose minds have been
unbalanced by grief, or loss of fort
une or OF social position-as in the
case of the wives of drunkards, and the
victims OF a thousand other proximate
causes, which in turn have their
origin in the use of rum.
The influence of heredity steadily
works to increase the number of in
sane and idiotic. 1t ought to be plain
to every thinking person that man
whose physical system is soaked and
permeated with rum. every organ of
his body being more or less unfavora-
bly, influenced by the poison of alcohol,
its destructive presence constant in
blood and brain and nerves, can not
transmit to his children sound, strong
constitutions Idiocy and insanity fire.
quently appear in such children; or II
they have escaped, the malign influ-
ence of rum upon the parent is seen
in epilepsy or melanchoha; ia long
train OF obscure and intractable nerv.
GUS diseases are liable to be the in.
herited result; or the child may be q
cripple or may be born deaf and
dumb. Moreover, where the children
OF drunkard are apparently healthy,
that mysterious law of heredity, by
which a hereditary curse skips ovel
one generation to reappear in the sec
ond, often comes into play; and though
the children of a sot may escape. theil
own children pay the awful penalty Of
the grandfather's slavery to the rum
habit.
The net result of all these influences
the direct and indirect results Of run
lis seen in this too rapid increase il
the number of criminals, of the insane
idiotic. epileptic, deaf and dumb, ant
other defective and dependent classes
who, being incapable of maintaining
themselves, become charge upon tn
State; and, year by year, as their mum
bers steadily increase, the burden o
their maintenance becomes heavie
and heavier upon the Taxpayers. Gu
prisons are enlarged to find more room
for the increased number OF criminals
our asylums and hospitals are adde'
to, that room may be made for the un
fortunates who need their shelter; GU
poor-houses are crowded with tn,
homeless and helpless; and rum is tn
fons ct origo mali-the great cause Q
the States being compelled to i'm
prison or shelter fully three-fourths Q
the sum total of all these people.
As the system by which these classe
are supported divides the statistics u
so completely that the average citize
is, as a rule, in entire ignorance OF tn
enormous total Of the burden thu
thrown upon the States, and borne b
the taxpayers, we will, leaving tn
moral side Of the question entirely out {
the discussion, look upon the pecuniar
side, and find out approximately tn
indirect cost of rum to the peopie-fo
the expenditures under this head ar
not part Of the enormous direct ar
nual drink bill Of the Nation.
By the census Of 1880 there wei
$50. 1000 insane, idiotic, deaf. blind
pauper and criminal persons IN the Ell
tire country. Three-fourths of this
S37, 1000 These can not cost tho pei
pie less than $l75 ayear each on an a.
erage. This gives total cost of almo'
$50, 900 year-over 81 each for ever