Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-01-21
DRINK IN GERMANY.
THAT NATION CONFRONTED BY A
SERIOUS PROBLEM.

Some Appalling Statistics Cleaned
From Various German Political
Observation-Disclosures by No Means
Confined to Beer and Wine.
1t is little wonder that German po-
itical economists are appalled, at their
alcohol problem, says Mrs. j. 81. w.
Stuckenberg in the Christian Endeavor
World. An article on drunkenness in
the sixth volume of DR.. Konrad's ''Cy-
clopedia of Political Economy C'Hand-
worterbuch der Staatswissenschaften
makes the statement that one-four
tenth of the men in gainful Occupa-
tons are employed in the manufac-
ture and sale of Intoxicating liquors
and one-ffteenth of the arabic land is
required to grow the materials for
these drinks. The government Of
Wurttemberg has statistics showing
that 1873 per cent of the average in
come of it's inhabitants is spent upon
liquor. Throughout Germany the aver
age expenditure for family Of five
for drink is $62.5O annually.
The author of this article, DR.. W.
Bode, proceeds to declare: AFTER such
figures it is not necessary to state that
| this immoderate drinking depresses the
national welfare and is the occasion of
the poverty of thousands" He fur
nishes a table showing that the Ger
mans do not confine their drinking to
| beer and wine. but also consume near
" twice as much whisky of the same
grade for each inhabitant as the Unit
| ed States more even than Russia
| Only France, Belgium and Denmark
exceed Germany's per capita consump-
ton of distilled liquors. We have heard
there is little drunkenness in Ger
many" but DR.. Bode here states that
in Prussia alone S,163 cases of de-
lirium tremens were treated in the hos
pitfalls in 1885,"
He says, "a great proportion of the
| epilepsy, idiocy and mental deficiency
is also due to the drunken habits of the
| parents or of the afflicted themselves"
In 1850 one person in every 1915 Prus-
slams became insane by means of drink.
He mentions that prison officials like
Baer, Illig and krohne estimate that
at least half of the crimes and misde-
meanors must be attributed to drunk
enness and that 93,576 acts of violence
tried in the courts in 1889 were the re-
suit Of drink. Experts in the care OF
the poor trace from so to 90 per cent OF
the poverty to the drink customs. Dur
! ;,Cr 1890 200 fy.ar frt
the German labor colonies All but %
per cent of these were thus degraded
through drunkenness" He quotes DR..
Won Birch Hirschfeld, who said: Ion
the whole insane people are not as dan
gerous as drunkards. Many more acts
of brutality are committed by drunk
ards than by the insane. Both the
financial and moral conditions Of fami-
lies are much more endangered by to-
pers than by insane people. Infamous
outrages occurring within family cir
Giles are almost without exception COM
mitted by drunkards, and within re-
cent years these tragic crimes have in
creased alarlningly.''
The estimation in which liquors have
been held has been greatly shaken in
medical practice. The time has come
at last when beer drinking is beginning
to be opposed with all the decision ever
employed against whisky. Professor
Fisk writes, Il believe that if only we
could drive out this social beer and
wine imbibing at the tavern in Ger
many we could make quick work with
the spirituous liquors, which nobody
earnestly defends" Luther said, "The
man who first brewed beer was the
curse Of Germany"
The accident insurance department Of
the Austrian government last summe'
published and distributed 100000 copies
of pamphlet entitled Away With A.
cohol." This pamphlet contains the
statement that lin Munich every six
tenth man dies of beer heart. And this
does not include the number whose
lives are shortened by other injuries
from the use Of beer, to the vessel
walls, the liver and other organs" A
Bavarian, the eminent authority in the
department of hygiene, Professor Max
Won Pettenkofer, has repeatedly de-
clared that "the use Of beer not only
fails to diminish the use of schnapps,
but that the alcohol swallowed in beer
produces the same drunkenness and a
variety Of beer diseases into the bar
gain"
Let no one unchallenged quote the
present situation in Germany as proof
that the German use of beer is harm
less. Our knowledge Of the situation
there and Of the recent reinforcement
to our total abstinence ranks of so
many eminent investigators should in
spire US to new hope and redoubled en-
ergy.
| What Absinth Does.
A volume might be written on the
strange Authorizations which absinth
drinking develops in its votaries. The
doctors are unanimous in saying that
constant nipping of the stuff even
|