The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-20
Side Doors to Saloons.

Side Doors to Saloons.
Some time ago the mayor of Chicago
declared that, in his opinion, the private
diningroom was productive of more evil
and intemperance than the saloon or the
dive This theory is confirmed by re-
cent utterances of New York City mag.
istrate.
The latter says that he not infrequent-
ly has to pass sentence on apparently re-
spectacle women who have been arrested
while in an intoxicated condition, and
that if it were not for the side-door ar
rangement of the saloon nine-tenths Of
these women would never get into such
trouble. He reasons, very sensibly, that
If these women had to walk into a pub ic
barroom to get a drink they would go
without the liquor. but that when they can
go in at the Raines hotel side entrance
with friend and get drink, without any
one being the wiser, the consequences are
apt to be disastrous. He adds that he
has puzzled considerably over the prob
lem of drunkenness among women, and
has concluded henccforth to treat a
woman who is arrested for that offence
to be the only thing which he can do to
check the evil.
There is no question that secret in
temperance is an evil so much worse than
open indulgence in strong drink that it
can hardly be considered in the same
class. In dealing with an appetite which
a certain number of people in every COM
tie use in prohibitory measures. They
do not stop the determined. and by fore
ing those who engage in the traffic to
do so secretly, they make it possible for
numbers of people to indulge their de-
sires without anyone's knowing of it. An
evil which is open to inspection can be
checked and regulated, but one which is
clandestine cannot.
Aside from the direct consequences of
secret intemperance upon the physical and
moral health of the community, there are
Indirect consequences which are quite as
bad. 1t is always evil to encourage dis
honesty of thought or act, or to counte-
nance it. SO long as a community or a
State cares more for appearances than for
makeup. A church begins to go to pieces
when the communicates attend it not be-
cause they need something 1t can give, but
because they wish to appear religious.
Education is futile when directed not to-
ward solid and useful acquisition. but to-
ward superficial accomplishments. There
is wide difference between the scholar
and the pedant. The former wishes to
know; the latter desires to appear wise,
and the two are very different things. 1t
is better in all law making, to have a bad
or imperfect law enforced to its full limit
than to have a good one which is a dead
letter. The faults of the bad law are quick
ly discovered when it is enforced, and it
becomes intolerable, and is repealed; the
inadequacies of the imperfect law are dis
covered in the same way. But when a
good law is passed, and not enforced.
there is a tendency toward anarchy. We
have not yet become accustomed to the
rule Of the majority. This phrase means
just what it appears to mean If the ma
jority of the people do not wish a thing
the minority, no matter how superior it
may be, has no right to bring It about by
force. determined minority can do most
things which are worth doing by taking
the right course, but If 1t attempts to eff
feet any purpose, no matter how good and
wi5e. by lawlessness, the majority VIII
nullify its work through the inevitable re-
action. We have realized the fact, through
the study of history that a king who is
good, but weak, may injure his realm; we
have not yet come TO understand fully
that a good minority acting in defiance OF
public opinion has much the same effect.