The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-06-24
Alcohol and Commercial EfIeIenoy.

Boston IranscIlpt.
Alcohol and Commercial Efficiency
Under the presidency of the Lord
Mayor a conference Of business men
was held at the Mansion House Lon
don, recently, to consider the subject
Of Alcohol in Relation to Commercial
Efficiency" The gathering, which was
convened under the auspices OF the
National Temperance League, was
attended by large number OF proml-
nent and influential men.
Mr.. ]. w. Benn, M. p, who was the
first speaker, remarked that as total
abstainer OF fifty-four years standing
he desired to put in plea for the re-
duction of our drinking on the ground
of commercial efficiency. II those pre-
sent were to put down on a list those
who had fallen away through drink,
they would find included some OF the
most genial, promising and capable OF
their fellow-citizens. He did not want
to speak disrespectfully of stodgy, un-
interesting people, but, as matter OF
fact, they did not fall victims to drink
as did young men who were full OF
promise. His own experience in con-
nection with various institutions con-
trolled by the London County Coun-
Gil was that, instead Of killing cheer
fulness, the absence of alcohols from
asylums had largely tended to pro-
mote the percentage Of discharges.
Sir Victor Horsley, M. d., observed
that alcohol was not essential to life.
The medical profession held that its
use was one of the greatest national
evils, and he suggested that socially
and commercially it was far greater
evil than anything the profession con-
sidered 1t to be. There was a common
! belief that there was no harm, but ac-
tually some profit, in taking alcohol.
But they had no moral right to sup
port the continued use of something
which, on the whole, was a source OF
loss, and not of profit, to the nation
at large Of the annual outlay OF
e16O .OO0, 900 to e180,000 900 on drink
his view was that it was all thrown
away. That, however, was only one
part Of the bill. They had to add to
that the cost of crime, of poverty, OF
the premature death of bread-winners
and of preventable disease. That cost
was largely due to alcohol. From a
| medical point of view, he wished tc
say that from all this great expendi
ture there was no profit. Neither was
there any profit in the dietetic use oi
alcohol. In reality it had a paralyzing
effect. People said that they talked
more, but whether they talked better
was another matter. So far from
thinking quicker, they thought more
slowly. and instead of calculating bet
ter they calculated worse. Any imag
ined benefit was absolutely swampet
by the depressing after effects.
DR.. T. B. Hyslop questioned whethe
a nation could call itself prosperou
when there was an increase of ineffi
clients and of those confined in asylums
When Britons were an agriculture
race, they might have been able t
imbibe ale, but in the present state O
their existence men could not wit
impunity allow ale to play dali
pranks with them. They were not t
be compared with the four-bottle me
of their ancestors. He believed that
the present generation undertook sue
e-eesses as their ancestors did the
would soon find themselves in the as,
lum. In the healthy body the use {
alcohol was an abuse. The man i
the city who resorted to the restau
ant and took alcohol under the in
preston that he was doing his bod
good was Actually lessening his con
mercial efficiency.
Mr.. J. Y Henderson mentioned ths
the nations drink bill had fallen o
by five and half millions, compare
with the preceding year, but remarke
that IL we drank no more than tn
, Americans we should save $4,000
, 900 per aInum.
3. r.t-t. R~.~~x n@4