The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-06-18

that babes are made inebriates in the
/ cradle and nursery. That the inno-
cents should have inebriety forced
upon them brings a shudder of pity.
Here in the nursery and in the cradle
the child is in its mothers hands-in
her very arms. How can child under
ate? Babes are made inebriaties, of
course, by mistake. No mother would
voluntarily do anything that would
poison her babe or cause it to grow up
a drunkard or drug user. Alcohol is
the same liquor on the nursery table or
sideboard as it is in the saloon. 1t has
the same effect when given to babe
as when taken by an older person. If
it is ''good" for any purpose in one place,
it is in the other. If physician pre-
scribes it, a friend ''treats" it, man
takes it himself, or if it is drank as a
compliment, or fashion, medicine,
luxury, or as habit, one dire result is
the same in all cases. The result is
that inebriety is produced proportion
ately to the amount of liquor drank.
Other inebrieties are the penalties of
babyhood, the nursery, and thought
lessness. The soothing syrups contain
opium-all of them. Soothing syrup
given to "quiet" babes poisons them
with opium and causes opium inebriety.
Mothers and nurses know how difficult
it is to wean babe from favorite
soothing syrup which has been used
habitually for some time to keep the
child from crying, or even to treat dis
ease. The reason is that the child is
an opium inebriate and is enduring the
pangs and torture imposed by this poi
son and by inebriety. Everyone knows
that the use of soothing syrups and
liquors is almost universal in child
hood. When child is born, alcohol,
in some form, is generally there. 1t is
rare that child escapes liquor in its
first bath, or its first twenty four hours
without few drops of "sling." Very
likely within week it gets dose of
syrup or other preparation of opium.
The agent of inebriety continues along
with the development of the child.
Little nursery ailments are treated by
these domestic remedies, and where
these fail, as 1 shall show, the physi-
clan prescribes the same cure. When
the diseases of childhood come on, the
same remedies are used. In fact, the
principal treatment for diptheria is
alcohol; children are sometimes given,
under direction of physicians, tea
spoonful or more of whisky every two
hours for this disease. The other dis
eases of childhood, measles, scarlet fe-
yer, whooping cough, etc, are treated
in similar manner. 1t is rare indeed
that child succeeds in getting through
even its teething period without the
penalty of alcoholic inebriety, and it is
fortunate, indeed, if it is not both an
alcoholic and an opium inebriate.
Much has been said about the hered-
ity of inebriety. There is no evidence
that this disease is hereditary. If it
| be possible that its heredity reaches
back any farther than the cradle and
the nursery, then it certainly can reach
no farther than the influence that aco-
hol may have on an unborn child, if
liquor is drank by the mother. l do
not doubt that inebriates are born and
made in this manner. Mothers may
sometimes be inebriates, or take liquor
as remedy. The danger is to the
child. The alcohol, no doubt, circulates
through the brain of the infant unborn
under such circumstances, and puts
the stamp of inebriety on the delicate
tissues. When the child is born its
first crying breath is likely to inhale
the odOrs of liquor. 1t enters the era
die and its cry is stified by opium and
whisky. It has the diseases of child.
hood and these drugs are used as rem.
edies. 1t then goes into the world eau
toned to "Touch not, taste not, han.
die not" possibly it may not; but this
child is already an inebriate, unknown
to itself, and its first drink may lead
into prolonged and breaking
debauch. He enters upon the career
of drunkard, and unless cured will
torture existence for few years with
an inebriate's misery of life, and then
fill drunkard's grave.