The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-06-12
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANcE.

Away with Alcohol-Important Document
Published and Circulated by the Aus
trian Government - why Alcoholic
Drinks Arc No advantage ::Whatever.
Along with consumption, alcoholism is
one of the most deadly foes to health IN
our nation, SO that the public health as
we'll as social progress urges the need OF
fighting an enemy like this with steady de-
termination. With this trouble, more than
any other, the remedy lies with the people
themselves. If only they were armed with
sufficient insight into the truth and were
firm they could Danish all that enormous
train of disease and misery that follows
the use of Intoxicating drinks.
The first thing necessary is to root up
every prejudice in favor OF splrltuous
liquors we still find everywhere. Every
one of the drinks, including beer, wine
and whisky, contains the same polson--al-
cohol. Experience every. day shows that
men are made quite as drunk on beer as
on whisky. The only. difference is in the
relative quantity it takes As for whisky,
the strongest spirituous liquor, that con-
tains from one-fourth to one-third alcohol,
wine about one-tenth and lager beJr, one
twenty-ffth. This being the fact any one
who drinks quart of beer swallows the
same amount Of alcohol as if he tossed off
an eighth of quart of whisky.
People say alcohol nourishes. That
statement is based on mistaken convic-
tion. It his no power except to deaden
the feeling of hunger, like any other mar
cotic poisda, opium for example; yet no
one eveS dreams of calling opium food,
although it also benumbs the sense of hum
ger. The fact is, experiments made by
L.. kal hat faln hal
cannot prevent the waste of flesh, the
most important requirement of food; it
only promotes diseased accumulation of
fat in the body. This being the case, it
cannot be true food. Beer, of course,
does contain trifing amount of nourish.
ment from the malt, but it costs from ten
to twenty-five times as much as for cor
responding amount of the same nourish-
ment in the form of bread, or sugar. As
the matter stands, the man who buys
these elements of his food in beer is very
poor manager.
People also declare that alcohol increases
strength. That is another opinion based
on self-delusion. Here again it is nothing
but the supplying effect on the senses that
produces such an impression; the serse OF
fatigue is blunted, and people imagine their
power to work increased. Numerous ex-
peElueuCS nave uSuOusIldISo Wlenohe Ca
ception that workers of all kinds can ac-
coinplish more, and bear it better, with
out spirituous drinks than if they are used.
Millions of laborers in England, Sweden,
Norway, North Germany and Switzerland,
who never drink drop of alcoholic liqT or,
bear the same testimony. People who llde
the bicycle, turner's and mountain climbers
have long been aware they are more sue
cessful in great feats when they let alcohol
alone.
Finally, people MAINTAIN that alcohol i'm
parts warmth. That is another delusion.
A thermometer cannot be bribed, and that
proves that the effect of alcohol is to coot
the body; the deceptive sensation OF
warmth is derived from the fact that alco-
hol sends more blood to the skin. Practl-
cal experience bears the same testimony.
In the coldest regions on earth, the polar
regions, people of experience like the
North Pole explorer, Nansen, avoid using
alcohol because of its danger. Repeated
instances of drunken men freezing Illus
trates the same danger here at home. ..
1t is plain, therefore, that alcoholic
drinks are no advantage whatever, neither
for food, for strength nor for warmth.
They do nothing whatever but delude peo-
pie, instead of nourishing. Strengthening,
or warming; their only effect. is to cause
| an injurious benumbing of the sense OF
hunger, weariness and cold.