The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-04-25
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF lNTEMPERANcE.

Alcohol and CrIme-Dr. Otto julius
burger Says That the Main Source
OF Lawbrsaking Is Rum-An Entirely
New Method of Fighting the Evil.
Writing in the Hilfe (Berlin), DR..
Otto Juliusburger analyses the infiu-
ence Of alcohol on crime. There IS no
doubt, he says, that the main source
Of crime is to be found in the excess
sive use of alcohol. Statistics prove
this. The results, for instance, OBJ
tanned by the municipality Of Zurich,
Switzerland, are striking. In 1891 ZIG
persons were sentenced for inficting
bodily injuries. The deeds were com
mitted on Saturday by eighteen, on
sunday by sixty, on Monday By TWEEN
ty-two, and on each Of the other days
by four persons. Similar experiences
are reported from other places. In
the city Of Edinburgh the arrests for
in%toxication between s o'clock Sun
day morning and s o'clock Monday
morning were, during two years, 1857.
This was before the closure of saloons
on Sunday. After the closure, the ar
rests were 32S, and in 1867 only 223,
in spite of the increaserd population.
In Ireland the imprisonments on Sun
days in 1S77-7S amounted to 1855, be-
fore the compulsory Sunday closure,
but from 1885 to 1886 only $500 az
rests were made, though the law was
only effectual in part.
Commenting on the English military
stationed in India, Sir Richard Tenn
ple states that if the soldiers only
could stop drinking they would be prac-
tically free from crime and military
faults. Tie chief surgeon Of the Swiss
| army states, on the same line, that
if it were possible to eliminate alco-
boil from the garrisons the military
courts also could be removed.
The Swedish writer, DR.. Helenius,
In his celebrated work or "Alcohol.
ISM" proves infinitely the influence OF
| alcohol ON crime. Among 954 GRIM
mails condemned to the ~renitentiary,
6O.2 per cent. were ~drunkards; but
! among backsliders, sentenced the Sec
ond time, the percentage was Still
larger. The writer found, in peniten-
! tiaries for men, among $685. sentenced
for the first time, 1913 per cent; among
4733 oftener sentenced, So per cent.
In prisons for men the percentage was
much larger, but still more among
women. where he found II per cent.
out Of $40 sentenced for the first time,
and 46 per cent. out Of 534 condemned
several times, for crimes committees
under the influence Of alcohol.
In view of those facts we will hrst
thoroughly understand the words or
the famous criminologist, List: "Our
penalties do not improve nor brighten
criminals; they do not at all prevent
crime but work the other way,
STRENGTHENING it." This argument in
duces DR.. Juliusburger to suggest an
entirely new method Of fighting the
evil. One Of the chief prejudices for
alcohol drinks, he says, is the belief
in their value for nourishment and
strength. The moment these idols tall
to the ground the diffusion OF crime
will cease. Public schools should I'll
ally begin to teach upon this most I'M
portant subject. Moreover, society
should change it's attitude toward
those sentenced for acts committed
while under the influence of alcohol.
If we simply shut up the delinquents,
and only remove the alcohol Tor the
time being, we will not obtain an es-
sential improvement Of their nature
The p%enitentiary or prison penalty
should be supplanted by q thorough
and serious education. The victims
must learn that alcohol is their de-
stroyer, but any one-sided moralizins
method of teaching should be avoided
Instead, they must, according to ca
pacity. be led into q knowledge OF the
effects of alcohol and equipped with
all the weapons Of science.