The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-10-12
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
DEALING WITH DRUNKARDS.
Some Expert Opinions on the Subject
From Across the Water.

enness and its treatment in Great Brit
ain. Its inquiry covered a great range,
and secured the testimony and recon-
mendations of mary physicians, police
and prison officers, and others well
qualified to discuss the matter. The
results of the commissions work have
now been published in Blue book,
and are replete with interest. Sir An
drew Clark, for example, expressed a
poor opinion of institutions-as at pres
emit conducted-tor the reformation and
cure of drunkards, and thought it a
shame that England should maintain
them. They were, he believed, espec-
tally worthless for the cure of women
drunkards. The statement that from
thirty to thirty-five per cent. of the in
mates were cured was, he thought, in
accurate and exaggerated. Il am
speaking" he said, as a private physi-
clan, dealing with these cases just as
they happen to turn up. When the
vice has become a habit it is difficult to
cure in men; it is all but impossible in
women. When taken early in hand,
cures are obtained in both sexes; but
even then the proportion in women is
painfully small"
The manager of one of these asylums
confirmed this theory that women are
harder to cure than men; perhaps be-
cause, he said, the man has more like
lihood of having an occupation to keep
his thoughts from the one subject than
a woman has.
Sir John Bridge gave police JUS
tees opinion on the subject of the ar
rest of men for intoxication. 1t would
he said, be positively wrong to sum
mon to court every man who gets
drunk. "a man may get drunk, l will
not say without blame, bnt in a way
thing bad in ITSELF
at present anyone can bring such
cases as this before you if they
choose?"
"Of habitual drunkenness bad
drunkenness-no doubt they can"
But, in point of fact, it must rest
with the police"
at must rest with the police, and
they, think, should only do i'll mean
my own opinion would be that they
should only do ton receiving such
sufficient information as to the real
habitual conduct of the mans drinking
as to make it proper for the superinten-
dent of police to take out a summons
against that man."
ION the existence of such notoriety
in each case?"
;-l q, he
summoned simply because he is little
tottering in his gait as he walks along
the Streets or anything of that sort;
but where a mans habitual drunken
ness has become real evil to his family
or to the neigh borhood, then they
ought to do something there.
in the case you put of a man being
drunk once or twice week, and going
home and beating his wife-that would
be an entirely different matter. ! am
speaking of simple intoxication. I'm
mediately a man adds beating his wife
to it, it is very different matter"
Another official view appears in the
testimony of Lieut.. Col. McIlardy, the
Scottish prison commissioner. 1T
would" he said, "be best for me to
point out that in Scotland the number
of people who have to be dealt with as
offenders for drunkenness is very enor-
nous | think you will find that the
proportion of apprchensions in Scot
land is very much greater than in Eng
lard for crimes that are either pure
drunkenness or Immediately connected
with drunkenness, such as breaches of
the peace"
"Of course you are not alluding,
when you say breaches of the peace, to
simple assaults-assaults where there
is bad blood and there is no drinking in
the question:"
81 think they may be taken as syn
onymous with drunkenness there are
1850 in round figures out of the
whole 1900 approximations 1t is an
enormous proportion, You see"
1.-THE $50, 900 covers every crime?"
"The $50, 900 covers every crime"
"Larcenies and shopliftng, and
everything of that sort?"
Every crime, murder and every
thing else SO that really drunkenness
is the great bulk of magisterial work
and prison work in Scotland"
On the subject of hereditary drunken
ness, Prof Clifford Adult of Cam
bridge said: ''The curious thing about
drunkenness is that it is SO generally
hereditary in that particular form-as
drunkenness. With regard to klepto-
mania, father might be a dipsomaniac
and child might be a kleptomaniac.
mean the malady might not appear in
the same form in that case. But drunk
enness generally comes in the same
form and manifestations; it appears not
merely as general tendency to insan-
ity, but as a special form of it. ! have
been very much struck in practice by
the extraordinary drinking streak
which runs through certain families,
and this in many cases where the mem
bers have not had very much assOcia-
ton with each other. 1t seems to me
to be very strong hereditary tendency
to a special craving"
Prof. Adult believes that the evil is
steadily diminishing: Public opinion,
education, physiology and 50 on are
having such strong effect that | think
the thing will in great measure die
out. am not very keen, personally,
to take any very large steps in the