The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-11

teaching in the schools is i~nealculable.
Because of it alcoholic stimulant be-
comes to the youthful mind q thing of
evil. This influence is felt not alone by
the children of families in which the
finer mOralities are taught, but as well
by the children OF those families in
which the fnoralities are too frequently
of small concern
This temperance teaching, like all
other teaching, win Of course be unheed-
ed by many; but it is nevertheless an
important element in directing the con-
duct Of tens of thousands Of youth and
it is one of the grounds of our high hope.
Again, the hreside training OF today
includes far more than formerly the
teaching of total abstinence. The hard
cider in the farmers cellar is largely Il
thing Of the past. The boys of today
read of it in historical novels and think
of it something as they do Of bear bait
ing and witch burning. Formerly in
tOxicants were kept in the cupboard and
passed around on what were deemed
suitable occasions. Now the cupboard
frequently hasn't a drop Of whisky or
wine even for emergencies like snake
bites.
The parental injunction, BE tenn
perate. my boy" once meant be mod
erate:' now it means abstain" It
once meant. Don't drink enOug to
get drunk now it means, Don't
drink a drop"
This sort of family teaching has
found increasing favor for two genera
tions, and of course the more widely
it prevails, the greater its influence
will be. 1t is, as a rule, true that il
you train up a child in the way he
should or should not go, when he shifts
for himself he will show the effects of
his training. Hence the present home
teaching on temperance viii have most
weighty results for good on the coming
men and women who are now children.
The boys and girls upon whom the
49, Of fAz1-~ ono 81
ing Impressions that do not fade will
grow INTO a better temperance genera
ton than any of its predecessors.
Thus, in our fight against alcoholics the
present prevailing teaching of our
homes gives another ground for hope.
Again. the prOsaic and EnsentimentaI
business sense of the day declares
against alcoholic beverages. This is
peculiarly q business age n great at
tention is given to the various essen
tials of success in the conduct of af-
fairs. Whatever is found to detract
from a mans practical worth is black
listed by those who study the arts of
! achievement The drinking of intOxi-
cants is one of these things Therefore
to the live and progressive business
man the use of liquor becomes a grave
business sin.
BUSINESS MEN DRAW LINE.
Business corporations nowadays are
drawing the line against the mploy
ment of all who use strong drink. The
Bradstreet company requires appli-
4 Giants for positions to state their record
relative to the use of intoxicants. APP
4 plicants for employment in John Wan
amaker's establishment have to answer
the question. DO you use intoxicating
T liquors as a beverage the inference
being that a negative answer is to the
applicants advantage" 1t is growing
to be the fashion among the railroad
corporations to forbid drinking by their
employees, or even their entering drink
ing places while on or off duty. IN
surance companies are waking up to
the fact that a drinking man is a far
less desirable risk than an ~abstainer.
One company in Jul country insures
total abstainers at a lower rate than
nOn-abStainers, and at least one other
company places On-abstainers in d sep
arate class and gives them the benefit
of any advantage that may come from
a-lower death rate.
Thus the attitude of the world Of at
fairs gives US further reason for assur-
auce that the tide of victory is rising.
The present social customs of our DeO-
pie are also encouraging. Within the
memory OF those now living the use of
liquor was the rule in all social gather
ings, from the farmers bee. assem-
bled for rolling logs, husking corn or
raising a barn, to the elaborate dinner
Of the bon ton. Now the social gath
erings of the more respectable of all the
middle and lower classes are almost
entirely free from drinking. and as for
the bon ton, they can. if they choose,
dispense with their wine and still be
bon ton.
In certain circles. to be sure. the
social drink is still the fashion. but such
circles are happily becoming fewer ana
narrower. To turn ones glass down at
dinner is no longer an oddly. and the
stately repast without wine is by no
means the exception.
There was a time lei the claims Of
a presidential nominee were strength
fann1 fnM L. - - q c--z
ness for hard cider. but any wise candi
date today who by any strange chance
may have acquired a similar taste will
be more than careful to not let his weak
ness be exploited.
INFLUENCE OF WOMAN.
Successive generations have witnessed
the regal influence of woman in society.
Without the potent charm of her pres
ence society would be crude and I'M
graceful In the past she has known her
power socially: today she knows it bet
ter than ever before. She realizes as
never before how she may use it to
stamp her hig ideals with telling i'm
press uDon her &c. And woman. hav-
ing made the temperance cause her own.
is gradually banishing wine and spirits
from the social circle.
Again the science of our age diseOur-
ages the use Of alcoholic beverages.
Generations ago the alchemists. the sci
entists of their age. proclaimed alcohol
the long-sOught elixir, or water of life.
Today, students regard it as a chief
cause Of death. They teach that alcohol
de-energizes the nerve cells, abnormally
relaxes the blood vessels, imDairs phys
ical action. lowers bodily heat and him
ders the digestion and assimilation Of
food.
The teachings of social science. too. are
strongly opposed to alcohol as a bev-
erage. An a~lcoholized individual is .
serious social factor; when multiplied
into hundreds Of thousands, the sum
total becomes an alarming evil in our
civilization. producing disease, insanity,
and sorrow, slothfuIness. social inapLi-
tude. poverty, pauperism and crime.
Our sociologists assert, too. that IN
speakable hereditary evils are attrib-
utable to alcohol.
The oroclamations OF science regard
ing this drug are especially hopeful signs
Of the progress Of the temperance re-