The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1905-03-02
THE MODERATE 0RINkER.
A Discussion as 20 Whether Alcoholic
Indulgence shortens
Life.

Drunkenness is universally CON
den,ped. and an concede that the
drunkard's health suffers and his ne
Is shortened by his excuses. But
when seeking to persuade men 10 alb
stain entirely from alcoholic bever-
ages. We urge that their habitual use
is Injurious even In quantities 50 small
as not to produce intoXication. our po-
si,ion is questioned by many. When
We quote the testimony OF eminent sci
entiRc men as 90 the ultimate banetm
effects even Of moderate drinking on
the various vital organs. an answer b.
often made which TO many, at hrst
view seems quite conclusive. Il d. TO
this effect: Whatever the doctors
may say. We can point you 20 a man
over 50 years Of age who has always
taken bis daily dram" or course Co
thoughtiul minds the fallacy iu this
answer will be- manifest A general
ization that shall nave any value must
be made from premises much more eN-
tensiye Could reliable statistics BE-
produced showing the comparative
longevity OF great number oi total
ahstalners and of moderate drinkers.
the conclusion from such statisilcs
would Doe incontestable But whence
shall such vital statistics ho secured
The committee of investigation which
we have been long but vainly ashint
from the United States congress might
have done such work Were any tcm-
perance agency to attempt Che tnst,
effort would. uf course. Doe made io d.s-
count their report ON the ground ol
alleged paruality Most heartily. there
fore. win the friends of Temperance
welcome the announcement that CHS
important investigation has been mace
and the results publishcd by one oi
che great life assurance societies of
Great Britain
We are indebted to SIR Charles ".
scovel. manager of the Western PENN
sylvanla rgcncy OF the Prov.dcnt Saw
ings life Assurance society ot New
York and DR. George q. nnchoo
superintendent. for O booklet entitled.
How Abstinence Pays The ia'Ds.
Word of Science which presents some
of the results III the Investigation oI
Mr r NJ Moore. acuRry. as reported
90 the British Institute of Actuarics.
20 be published Ia the official journal
OF that body. The United Kingdom
General pruvidtat Institute of which
Mr. Moore Is actuary. supplies in its
continuous records. which cover di
years. al the -equired data for each
Of about 1875 600 individual caEes, the
abstalners haYing been kent separate
I from nun-ahg 'ainers. In the latter
class no drunkards have been included
but ouly moderate drinkers. and not
the general run OF moderate drinkers
but selected equal 10 The best accept
ed standard Of assured life.' After
[ rs months Of special work. With a
+ corps OF clerks canvassing these rec
ords. Mr. Moore mas presented ia elab-
I crate tables. diagrams. etc, which
prove that the entire working years OF
life together. from the age Of 20 % 20.
! there are among abstainers 1925
deaths. while among moderate drink
ors the deaths numbered 1886, beine
D an excess OF % per cent
when the so working years are de
( vided into decades and the compare
/ live mortality In the two classes re-
spectlvely for each decade computed
Z the resultant figures should startle
| middle-aged non-abstainers. for Il is
| shown that between the ages of 40 and
| 60 the death rate among them lacks
only 26 per cent of being double che
death rate OF abstMners.
The investigation which produced
these most valuable statistics was un-
/ der.ahen solely IN the interests Of an
insurance company. the service REM
dered 10 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 durauS OF
/ lie is a question no more -Presby-