The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-09-20


Statistics which Show That the Total
AbstaIners Win In the Longevity Race
Evidence Gathered by Actuaries.
Drunkenness is universally con-
demned, and all concede that 1he
drunkard's health suffers and bis life
is shortened by his excesses. But
when seeking to persuade men to alb
stain entirely from alcoholic beverages,
we urge their habitual use Is Injurious
even In quantities so small as not to
produce intoxicatlOn, our position is
questioned by many. When we quote
the testimony of eminent scientific
men as to the ultimate banefu effects
even of moderate drinking on the va
rlous vital organs. an answer is often
made which to many, at first view,
seems quite conclusive. 1t Is to This
effect: "Whatever the doctors may say,
we can point you to a man over eighty
years of age who has always taken his
daily dram" OF course. to thoughtful
minds the fallacy in this answer will
be manifest A generalization that
shall have any value must be made
from premises much more extensive.
Could reliable statistics be produced
showing the comparative longevity of
n great number Of total abstainers and
of moderate drinkers. the conclusion
from such statistics would be incoD-
testable. But whence shall such vital
statistics be secured? The committee
of investigation which we have been
long but valnly asking from the United
States Congress might have done such
work. Were any temperance agency to
attempt the task effort would, of
course. be made to discount their re-
port on the ground of alleged partiallty.
Most heartily, therefore, will the
friends of temperance welcome the an
nouncement that this important inves-
tigatlon has been made, and the re-
suits published by one of the great life
assurance societies of Great Britain.
We are indebted to Mr.. Chas w.
Scovel. manager of the Western Penn
sylvania agency of the Provident Saw
lngs Life Assurance Society. of New
York. and DIR. Geo. =. Donehoo, super
intendent, for n booklet entitled. How
Abstinence Pays: The Latest Word of
Science" which presents some OF the
results OF the investigation Of Mr.. X.
NJ. Moore, actuary. as reported to the
British Institute of Actuaries, to he
published in the official journal Of that
body. The United Kingdom General
Provident Institute. of which MT.
Moore is actuary, supplies in It's CON
tinuous records. which cover siXty-one
years. all the required data for cach or
about 125 900 individual cases. the ab-
stainers having been kept separate
from non-abstainers. In the latter
class no drunkards have been Included.
but only moderate drinkers, and not
the general run of moderate drinkers,
but selected equal to the best accept
ed standard of assured life.' After
eighteen months of special work. with
a corps of clerks canvassing these rec
ords. Mr.. Moore has presented his elab-
crate tables, diagrams, etc, which
proye that the entire working years or
life together. from the age OF twenty
TO seventy. there are among abstainers
1O.935 deaths. while among moderate
drinkers the deaths numbered 46,9o6.
When the fifty working years are di-
| yided into decades and the compara-
five mortality in the two classes re-
| spectively for each decade computed
| the resultant figures should startle
mlddle-aged non-abstainers, for 1t Is
shown that between the ages OF forty
and fifty the death rate among them
lacks only twenty-siX per cent. of be-
ing double the death rate of abstainers:
The investigation which produced
these most valuable statistics was un-
dertaken solely in the interests of an
| insurance company. The service rem
dered to the cause of temperance Is
quite incidental, but not on that ac-
count less valuable, but rather more
so. The question as to the effect OF
moderate drinking on the duration OF
life is n question no more.-Presbyter-
| ian Banner.