The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-11-13
TIVE WARFARE AGAINST DRINK.
TEMPERANCE BATTLE GATHERS
STRENGTH EVERY DAY.
Scientific Explanation Of Why Beer is
More Deadly Than Whisky
Terribly Misguided by Superficial
ThinLnrc Iho peI lis IIse.

" Soo
Terribly Misguided by Superficial
Thinkers Who Encourage Its Use.
There is a scientific reason why
beer is more deadly than whisky. hi
process of fermentation is far from
being completely understood by sci
entists. Fermentation is the begin
ming of a process of decay. In this
process there are many noXious aka
loids, acids and other dangerous SUBJ
stances formed which may exist only
temporarily, and then be again disin-
tegrated. In fermentation there may
20 on a process akin to that which
forms the deadly ptomaines in putre-
flying meat. When the fermenting,
rotting mash" is distilled these dan
gerous bodies are left behind, while
the less harmful alcohol is distilled
off.
There must necessarily be some
thing of this kind to explain why beer,
produces so much nor degradation
of the bodily tissues both of men and
animals than does alcohol in the
shape of whisky. No n can deny
this who studies even casually the
general appearance of a beer-drlnker
and contrasts it with that of a
whisky-drinker. Every educated
physician will unhesitatingly testify
to it. The Germans have the reputa-
ton of being the most scientific peo-
pie in the world, and of studying
these abstruse problems with more
zeal, industry and thoroughness than
any other in the world. To-day every
scientific man in Germany Is engaged
in an active crusade against beer
drinking as the sur source Of con-
tamination and degradation Of the
physical stamina of the German peo-
pie. The great Olympian games at
Athens, where the German athletes
made such a poor showing, have fur
nished them a text upon which they
are preaching most effective sermons
to their people. They are showing
that the labby flesh and muscles of
ever the moderate beer-drinker and
his physical powers even when moved
to the highest effort in a worldwide
competition, cannot approach the
achievements Of the non-beer-drink-
ers Of other countries. The astonish-
ing superiority shown at that time
by the American athletes over even
their British cousins was accepted as
a demonstration that they had been
more abstemious in the consumption
of fermented liquors than the British,
and, of course, far more than the
Germans.
The German railroads have found
by actual daily experience, with all
their prejudices at first in favor OF
beer-drinking, that their employees
who drank even occasional glasses
Of beer were not nearly so safe and
reliable as those who refrained alto
gether from the dangerous brew.
Therefore, the railroads have found
it very profitable to furnish their en-
ployes with coffee, tea and similar
drinks at the expense of the corpora
ton, rather than have these men
tipple, no matter how lightly, In the
saloons. This takes the matter clear
beyond the realms Of theory and
morals and puts it in the cold, search
ing, unanswerable light of business
experience.
These pregnant facts give burning
point to the fear Of the enormous in
| crease of beer-drinking in this coun-
try. In the old days before the war
our people drank no beer. There was
some ale brewed in the country, but it
was inconsequential in amount and
substantially all the evils Of intern
perance were due to the drinking Of
the "old-fashioned, handmade
WHISKY" These we're so enormous,
however, that people looked about for
a remedy, and they were frightfully
misguided by the talk of superficial
thinkers that there was no drunken
ness in Franco and Germany because
the people there drank only beer and
light wines. We followed off this
ignis fatuus with the wild enthusiasm
that we are likely to display toward
any new idea, especially in temper
ance Breweries sprang up all over
the land like mushrooms.