The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-10-25
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF iNTeMPERANcE.

New York American what Moderate
Drinking Is Doing For France-A Ter
ribIe Enemy 10 Personal Health.
The French Government Is face to
face with the most serious problem 1t
ever had to deal with.
France is dying from alcoholism"
or will be pretty soon unless something
is done to prevent 1t, and that some
thing the authorities are trying hard
to do.
All France is being placarded with
large posters describing the evils OF al
cohollsm, and imploring the people to
refrain from the use Of all alcoholic
liquors.
Tracts upon the blessings of temper.
ance aud the evils of the drink habit
are being scattered throughout the Re-
public; the clergy are preaching upon
the ravages that alcoholism is working
among the people. and the whole force
OF the Government Is being centred in
the one grand effort to save the nation
from the destruction with which 1t is
threatened.
Let it be said Just here that the trous
BILE in France is not that of drunk
enness. as that term is generally un-
derstood. The claim, long made with
are nation of moderate drinkers Is
a perfectly correction
1t is this moderate drlnking"-not
drunkenness. but continuous, respect
able alcoholism, the screwing up of
nerves and heating of blood. day and
night. year in and year out-that is to-
day threatening the very existence OF
the French nation!
A drunken man. other than a for
eigner. is rare sight in France, and
yet while very few Frenchmen drink
excessively, nearly all Frenchmen
drink moderately"-w the result
that they are being actually threatened
with national extinction!
1t is an open secret that, for gener-
alton or more, France has been losing
its vitality. 1t was only little while
ago that the fact appeared that the de-
creased vitality was due to alcoholism,
the poisoning and weakening and gen.
eral Generalization of the system by
the steady though moderate, use OF
spirituous liquors.
That France is in a most dangerous
way is clearly shown by the statistics
gathered by her own Government Off
cials.
Suicide. insanity, tuberculosis, dia-
betes. Bright's disease, epilepsy and
idiocy are alarmingly on the increase.
The physique of the French people
is being undermined. Their blood is
turning white. Moderate drinking is
killing them.
For q decade or so the birth rate has
been abnormally low, as compared with
the death rate. The 'desire to live"
and to perpetuate ones self is losing
| its hold upon the French mind.
Government, alarmed ny the steadily
| decreasing birth list. is obliged to offer
| rewards for maternity!
There are here and there in France a
| few spots that are unalcoholized, and
| in those areas the human animal is
still strong and vigorous, as he was in
| Caesars day, as he was even so late as
the time of Napoleon the First.
In the unalcoholized departments
there are not only a great many more
children, but much greater percent
age who reach the adult age.
The comparatively temperate depart
ment of Gers loses annually but ninety
one children in their first year; the
Nord. strongly alcoholized. loses 284
out of the same number; the Seine In
ferieure 256, and so on in proportion.
| ana SO, IL appears, lue mOuerhtt
drinking of the great French people i;
slowly but surely destroying them
Brilliant, affable, generous, brave
among the oldest of the friends of lib
erty and of man. with past that il
glorious to reflect upon, the French
people must soon do one of two things
wipe out their alcoholism, or at the
hands of that alcoholism perish!
We of America would do well Il
carefully note one of the posters thai
are now being placed throughout
France 1t reads as follows:
mo one requires alcohol either as
food or tonic.
'Alcohol weakens a mans self-con
trol while exciting his passions, hence
the number of crimes committed under
its influence.
whisky rapidly produces alcohol
ism, but milder drinks, such as beel
and cidG: nrn-luna -afteg z t,fII=. aIco
holic poisoning with equal certainty.
1.-The sins of alcoholic parents are Wis
tied on their children. If the children
survive infancy they are threatened
with idiocy, epilepsy and consumption.
I'm short alcoholism is the most ter
rible enemy to personal health, to fam
lily happiness and to national prosper
ity."-New York American.