Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-09-25
w. CT U. COLUMN.
conducted by the Ladies of the W. C. T.
THE BLIGHT OF RUM.

THE BLIGHT OF RUM
In paper read at the seventh inter-
national congress against the use of
alcoholic liquors n. 5. Davis, M. D., of
Chicago said:
The more direct object of this paper
is to invite attention to the effects of
alcohol not only directly on the nerve
cells of the brain connected with the
manifestation of the higher and more
distinctive mental and moral faculties
of man. but also to the perpetuatlon of
these pervadlng aud degeneratlng et-
fects by hereditary descent from gener-
alton to generation. Communities and
nations are all composed of individuals.
Consequently whatever is clearly trace.
able from parent 10 child in the family
is equally applicable to the aggregation
of families composing the nation.
The history of the nOtoriuusly intem-
perate woman and her descendants civ
en- by one Of the professors of the Uni.
versity of Bonn is only one of many
that might be cited to illustrate this
subject. 1t is stated that the woman
was born in 174O and died in 1900. Her
descendants during the past century
have numbered S34, of whom 700 have
been traced from their youth. OF these
were convicted of murder, 76 of other
crimes, l42 were professional beggars,
and 81 lived on charity, ana $50 of the
women lived dlsreputable lives.
In 1894 the legislature of the state of
Massachusetts directed Horace g..
Wadlln, chief OF the labor bureau, to
ascertain how much crime and pau
perism are due to alcoholic drinks He
consequently made careful examina.
tion or the inmates of all the public
charitable institutions, prisons and asy-
lums for the insane in that state in
1895 and made his report in 1896. The
number of pauDers examined was q, 62O.
% per cent of whom had been addicted
TO the use of alcoholic drinks; As per
cent had one or both parents likewise
addicted to the same drinks. The
whole number confined under convic-
ton of crime during the same year as
1852, of whom 80 per cent were more
or less under the influence of liquor at
the time of committing crime; 1852
others were under the influence of liz.
u0r when the intent to commit crime
was formed, making 81 per cent of the
whole users of alcoholic drink. OF
these % per cent had drinking fathers
and q per cent drinking mothers.
Of the insane l 1886 cases were exam.
ined, OF whom 81 per cent had been ad =.
dicted to the use of alcoholic drink. OF
these Is per cent had one or both par.
ents addicted to the same drink, and
81 per cent had grandparents with like
habits. Mr.. Wadlin's conclusions were
that the use of ''alcOhol tends directly
to create permanently pauperized
population and ITO create criminal
instincts. The same direct and thor
ough examination would show the same
or worse results in every state and coun.
try in Europe and America. How could
| this be otherwise if, as shown by DIR.
Debove, from the most authentic sourc-
es, the amount of absolute alcohol con-
sumed annually in France is IA liters
for every man, woman and child; in
Belgium and Germany each 10 S llters:
IN the British isles 925 liters; Switzer-
land. SIS liters; Italy, 6 60 liters; HoI.
land, 6.25 llters; United States of Amer
lea, 10 liters; Sweden. so liters; N or
way, 3 liters; Canada, 2 liters?
When it is remembered that in all
these countries there are many men
and much larger number of women
and children who drink no alcohol, the
total amount drunk is such as could
not fail to produce the most important
degenerating influence on both the
mental and physical condition of those
who drink it. Indeed the facts to
which we have already alluded are suf-
ficient to show that if those who do
drink any kind of alcoholic liquors were
compelled to intermarry only among
themselves their part of the population
would become extinct in one or two
centuries. Their free inter marriage
with total abstainers is all that has pre-
vented their extinction long ere this,
and yet 1t Is this that has enabled them
to dlffuSe or propagate their moral and
physical degeneration through all ranks
of society and ill more almsSouses, asy.
lums and reformatories and prisons
than there are schoolhouses and church.
es and to fill important space in almost
every daily newspaper with accounts
of vicious revelry, burglaries. highway
rObberies murders and suicides occur
ring in even the very centers of popu-
lation and wealth.
The earth brings forth annually
enough food and clothing to supply the
necessaries of the whole human family,
and there are abundant facilities for
their distribution if properly used.
But so long as enough such food mate
rial is destroyed to make millions of
barrels of alcoholic drinks and billions
| of dollars are paid by those who con-
sumo it annually, so long will poverty.
! imbecllity, insanity and crime increase.