The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-12-24
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS AsoUr
THE VICE or iNTEMPERaNcE.

Tho Question of rnsbristy % the Nev
York Sun Sees ft.-rhs Saloon Exisis
Because It Provides Grati6oation Eos
the Appetite For Alcoholic Stimuistios
At discussion of the question of "The
Saloon, It's Function and Perils," by cleri-
cal and lay philosophers, in New York. .
clergyman OF Pittsield in Massachusetts,,
the Rev. Raymond Calkins, is reported to
have made these rather surprising re.
marks:
"The saloon is ministerins to the social
instinct Of the people and that is why it
exercises its mysterious and powerful in.
fuence in every community. It is an in.
formation bureau, it is a labor bureau,
postoffice, place of recreation, amuse.
nent and fellowship.
Picture the condition of young labor.
ing man alone in the city. As he goes to
his room in his boarding house, past dark
and gloomy churches. he finds one door
opens to him, and he finds justification for
seeking his amusement in the saloon in
the cold and uninterested attitude OF our
Christian society"
The influence exercised by the drinking
saloon in every community Is not at all
mysterious" Mr.. Calkins, but 10 due to
cause which has always been apparent.
The saloon exists because it provides graft.
fcation for the appetite for alcoholic
stimulation, an appetite which has been
powerful from the time when Noah, after
landing iron, the ark, "began to be hus..
bandman," planted vineyard" and
drank Of The wine and was drunken"
Neither in Pitts6eld nor in New York do
people 90 to . saloon to get information or
simply for recreation, amusement and fel-
lowship. They 60 TO it to get drink. At
a great part OF the bars the customers
tarry only long enough to pour down their
doses OF liquor, though at the beer gardens
o spirit OF sociability may prevail. The
great and primary attraction at all Is the
stimulant.
Neither is the Rev. Mr.. Calkins justified
in attributinR the tendency TO frequent sa-
looms to the default.of churches and Chris
tians. No "young laborins man alone in
the city" is driven to the saloon by their
neglect to exercise the influence proper 70
going to drinking place unless he ia seek
ing to manufacture o pretext for gratify-
ing his appetite. Nothing except his de-
sire for a drink Is responsible for his
course.
How to find "a substitute for the "a
loon" was o question much discussed at
this conference. Such q substitute, it
seems from statistics gathered by Dr.. Cro-
theirs, has been found by great numbers OF
people in the secret use Of morphine, and
we are receiving letters from victims Of
the habit which confirm his observation
and conclusion that IL IL widespread, all OF
them being from men far above the aver.
age in intelligence. It 10 demonstrated
that when the appetite for artificial stim.
ulation is thwarted in one direction it may
be diverted to another and still more
dangerous and pernicious form OF indul-
gence;, that frequently men and women
who detest alcoholic drunkenness fall .
prey to an infinitely worse intoxication.
The cure for the influence Of the saloon
which seems 90 mysterious" to the Pitts.
field clergyman is not in improving drink
ing places 30 as TO make them more desir.
ably efficient in "ministering to the social
instinct of the people," but in controlling
the appetite for stimulants to which they
minister, 6rst Of all. So long a. that ap.
petite is left unrestrained tho evil results,
whether there are or are not saloons at
which to crafty IL. A druEkard does not
need to 20 to saloon to get drunk. he
can keep the stuff at home. The strictsst
abstainer from alcohol may secretly keep
hypodermic syringe with which to inject
morphine into his system, to his utter un-
doing. The question Of inebriety IL very
much larger than the saloon question:
New York Sun.