The people's recorder. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1893-1925, 1901-12-21
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF lNTEMPERANcE.'


The BLOOD of tho ,N~tton-nIo.t EXCESS in
tho Use or 4 Alco1,ol IL Not Due to
Primitive Appetite - Tho Power or
Bad Influence.
President David Starr Jordan. Of the
LELAND Stanford University. has nub-
lishcd in the Popular Scicrcn MONTHLY A.
series Of articles omitted "Thc R'ood Of
the Nation: A Study Of the Drcav of
Faces Through the Survival Of The Unfit"
That class Of rhilosonhars who are en-
dcavoring to establish tho theory TINT
drunkenness and it's ATTENDING vices and
miscrics are clearly a rart Of the progress
Of tho human rare will find little comfort
in DR.. .Iordan's article. Conceding to
which it would he extremely difficult to
nrove in behalf Of their theories, DR.. .Tor-
dan enys:
"Thc effect Of alcoholic drink m race
PROGRESS should II" considered in this con-
rection.. Authorities do not agree as. to
the final result Of alcohol in race sc1cc-
lion. Doubtless. IN the long run. the
drunhard will be eliFainnted and ncrhans
certain authors are right in regarding this
rs a gain to the race. On the other h,nd
ner's remark. that of all cn"stics eannrcnc
is the most expensive; The people of
Southern Eurone nre relatively temperate.
Thev have used wire for centuries. and it
ls thought by A-chfaH Rcld nnd others
that the raucr OF their Temperance is to
he found IN this Id ,lp nsc Of alcoholic bcv-
erares. All those With ritiatcd uncnn-
trollnhlc appetites nave heen DESTROYED in
the long cXnerie1}:e with wine. leaving
orlv those with nd :mn' tastes and normal
ability of resistance. The free uae Of wine
ia. therefore. in ths view, cause Of
final tomperancej while intcnnerancc
RACES on;v among those races which have
not long known altoho'. and have not he
come by sclecfiort resistant to it. The
ea~ane races whicN~have never known al
coho! are even less }rcsistant, and are SOON
CT 1cstrovrd Nv it'll
an al this thcrl must he = certain c'e-
ment of truth. he view. however. iC-
norcs The evil cff1't on the nervous syz-
tom o. lonr-cont'nucd poisonirg. even if
the noison hr ONLY in ,n"de~nto amounts.
The tc-,neratc Italian. with his daily s"mi-
saturo tio0. is TO more = normal man than
the Scot"', farmer with his orras,onal
snrers. The ner'-c disturbance which wine
effects is nm evil. whether carried to "v-
cess in rrrn'aritv or irrngu!arify. We
know tor little of it's final result On the
raco tn give certainty 70 our snccuntiors.
IT. is moreover trre thai most cxrcss in
the rer of alcohol * not dive to primitive
annette. Tt is dr"l- which, causes aprc-
tito. and not annGtite which socks for
hut verv few hc"omc such through in
born anoctitc It ; influence OF had ex-
anne, lack of corr,"p. fa'<c idea ns mar-
)ncss. q" som" defect in character or MS.
fortune in cnviro"re"t which lc"ds to the
first sicna in drunkenness. The taste
on"' established takes care nf iIse:f. In
car. times. when the nature Of alcohol
was unLno'vr and total phstincn"c was I'M
drcamoI Of. it was to" strong. thc boisf"r-
oue. The energetic. the anost'c IF the
strenuous life who carried all things to
cvcese. The waesail howl. The bumper of
ale. the hapoa of wine. al, these were The
attribute Of the strong. We cannnt say
'''"t those who sar's in alcoholism th"r"!'~
rstratnd the. surv:H.l nf the fittrSt Non
"a say that as thc Latin races :
teinnerafn thew did not also bccom.. nori!'
and weak? In other words. considering
the influence cf alcohol alone. unchecked
hv an educated conscience. VIC must adj
nit that it is th2 STRONG and vigorous. not
the weak End nervcrtad. that are de-
strOvrd hv it, At :hc hest, We can only
force. which makes fo~ tcmp"rancc-if Mt
nll nj n fearful cost of lii" which without
alcoholic temptation would he well worth
preserving"
DR.. Jordan. it is to be presumed. would
not care to he understood rs indorsing the
, idea that the winc-;;rinkinC countries 1T
Enror" have bcpn ,nndc temrerate by their
winr-drinkins IIc is nrobahlv r,rch tho
well ACQUAINTED with the current history
of France and the other so.callcd wine
countries" to hr in ignorance nf the true
state Of affairs there. New Voice.
Dangers ct AlcoholiSm.
1t ia needless to enter into details AS 10
the consequences cntailed by overindul-
gence in the use Of alcohol. Most Of us
f,r, 1,or of lS-ec nd