The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-09-26
TIE GREAT DESTROYER
SOLE STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF-INTEMPERANCE.
The Publicity Cure "A Man Who
Does Not Wish It Known That
He Gets Drunk Should Not Get

The Publicity Cure "A Man Who
Docs Not Wish 1t Known That
He Gets Drunk Should Not Get
Drunk.
We nave commented before upon
The case Of the special inebriates'
train run by one of the railway COM
panies in Liverpool, England. The
company had arranged to run a
special evening train for drunkards
on the night of the bank holiday
there, but to their surprise there
were TO drunkards, consequently
no special trains we're required. One
of the railway officials speaking In
explanation of this recently is re-
ported to have said:
The premature publication OF our
Intentions ruined our plans. The
regular topers who before could be
relied upon to travel home drunk,
have been shamed into sobriety. The
Idea of being placed in a compart-
ment with the other .drunkards dis
gusted them, consequently they re-
solved to keep sober. ] consider we
have done more for the cause of tenn
perance than any amount OF Ieglsla-
ton could possibly do.
1t would seem from this that a
good cure for drunkenness is pub
hcity.
In oldel times the pillory was con-
ceded to be a most extreme form OF
punishment. This was largely be-
cause the exposure of those thus
punished to publicity and contempt.
To-day a man may get drunk, and
1t is hushed up. He is either slowed
away in some room in the convenient
hotel or taken care of by his boom
companions, or perhaps sent home in
cab. And many men whom people
would not suspect OF such conduct
have been the worse for liquor.
From the standpoint of the COM
munity this is hardly right. Tne
community should know what kind
o. citizens men are. People should
be apprised of the character or men
whom they are called upon to do
business with or who it may be are
candidates for some Office of public
trust. e.
A man who does not wish to have
It known that he gets drunk should
not get drunk. The fact" of drunk
enness is more disgraceful and more
degrading than the knowledge OF
such fact. The wrong is not In
being found out, but in getting
drunk. That which makes a man
unfit for society and untrustworthy
in the discharge of his duty is not
the public knowledge Of his inso-
briefly, but the fact of it. Society
is therefore wronged by the suppress
sion of facts regarding the mans con-
duct in this regard, and men are
trusted who would not be were the
facts all known.
It might not be a bad plan to
adopt the publicity cure for drunk
enness, to make known TO the public
those who degrade themselves In this
way, so that all men, both high and
low, rich and poor, should simply
appear 10 their fellow-men as they
are.
We fancy that If the limelight OF
publicity were thrown on some mems
lives their action in regard to the
use of intoxicating liquors would be
vastly different to WnaC IL Is.
The Liverpool incident would seem
to show that however carelss men
are regarding their behavior they are
careful regarding their regulations.
Why should the rich club fire.
quenter be allowed to tipple and
carouse In secret and yet retain a
high position in business, and the
.ordiporv waee-earner he forced into
the police court and be discharged
from his employment for exactly the
same offence?
The fear Of sneers has induced
many young men to drink, and fear
of sneers would induce many men to
keep sober.
Were the odium attached where
it really belongs, some good might be
done.-Pioneer.