The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1903-05-15

Dr~aker, the nIgnway roooer the SUI
eide and the murderer, plies his yoca-
ton both at midnight and at noon
day. Neither is the evidence Of a
"recklessly impulsive" spirit confined
to the so-called criminal classes, but
it is abundantly manifest in our 60
miles-an-hour railroad trains, 4O-mile
bicycle aud automobile riders, with
their destructive collisions, and in all
our athletic exercises and contents.
Looked at specifically, il would
seem as if we had developed genera
ton in which each individual is striy-
ing To outdo his neighbors, either in
gathering riches, displaying better
clothes, riding or running faster, or
exhibiting more brutal force regard
less OF consequences. Analysed more
closely. il is all seen TO rest ON an
uncontrolled selfishness, with but lit
tie regard for the rights or interests
OF others. II is all illustrated by the
man who mounts his bicycle or auto
mobile and runs IL over the public
highway at the rate of 30 or 40 miles
an hour, regardless Of men, women
or children, a. if the road were all his
own.
But from whence comes this vide
spread. dominecring selfishness in
people who boast OF a Christian ciyili-
lation resting ON the golden rule, do
unto others as you would have others
do untoyou?' Investigation will show
that a large majority Of those whose
unbridled seltishness drives them TO
criminal acts against life or proper
ty are in the early period OF life OF
less than 80 years of age. OF those
engaged in housebreaking, highway
robbery, suicide and murder, a very
large proportion are between Is and
25 years. Still further investigation
will show that threefourths Of these
were either habitual users Of alcoholic |
drinks and tobacco. OF other narcotic |
drugs, or they were begotten and |
nursed 10y parents whose blood was.
at the time, being daily impregnated |
with the same alcoholic and narcotic |
drugs. There is no fact within the |
range Of human knowledge more per
fectly demonstrated than that the |
habtual use Of anaesthetic and mar |
cote drugs-that is, alcohol, opium,
cocaine and tobacco-cause such i'm /
pairment Of the individuals sense Of
and self-control, and so be-
numb his conscience, that he becomes |
the obedient and often reckless sery-
ant Of his own selfish instincts and
passions. Nor is this all; there is album
dunt evidence that the presence Of
alcohol in the blood so changes the
quality of the protopasm of both the
organized tissues ard Of the corpus
cular elements of the blood that chill
dren begotten and nursed by such par
ents are possessed Of less vitality, and
those who survive infancy and child
hood are characterized by such men
tai defects or impulses as TO cause
many Of them TO become recruits for
he various grades Of vice, imbecility
and crime. as shown in an article pub
i>hed in the Bulletin for October.
1899.
Ii j. here that We see the truth Of
The startling declarations: THE sins
# the fathers are visited unto the
heads Of the children unto the third
and fourth generation" And the
syer-increasing ranks Of the imbecile.
he insane. the recklessly impulsive
and the criminal will continue as long
IS the people Of this country consume
annually two or three billions Of dol
ars' worth Of the anaesthetic and
narcotic drugs already alluded to-
DR.. y. :. Davis. in journal Of Inebriety.