Evening star., 1907-09-02
II Different COUNTRIES
Represented at Eleventh International
Congress at Stockholm.
RAPID GROWTH OF TEETOTALISM
Extreme Section Of Reforrners Claim a
Majority Of Membership Of
Congress for Abstinence.
Special Cablegram to The Star.

| STOCkHOLM, September 2.-The most in
| terestng point in connection with the
| eleventh international congress against
| alcoholism, which opened here two weeks
| ago with a demonstration of temperance
societies, and brought together representa-
| tiveS Of seventeen different countries, does
not appear in the official program at all.
though 1t is none the less vital to the
| character. and especially to the future, of
| these biennial gatherings. Prince Gustav
Adolf, grandson of the king, when opening
the formal business of the congress
summed up the original and primary pur-
poses thereof when he said that Ito fight
| against the misuse of alcohol was one Of
the most important social questions of the
day Here the word of special significa-
ton is misuse"
Strictly speaking, the international con-
gress does not, or should not seek to re-
strict a reasonable use" of alcohol. and
In the Introduction of this years program
references are made to the great and i'm
portant science of alcohology,' to "alco-
holism' and to ''the alcoholic problem" all
of which phrases seem to suggest the idea
Of actual social or physical evils, and the
cure thereof. rather than the teetotal idea
| OF absolute abstention, irrespective of
whether the individual Is an actual victim
to alcoholism or not Thus the congress
should not be regarded from the same
standpoint as a national conference of total
abstinence societies, and its primary OBJ
ject, as thus stated, must appeal to the
sympathtes of a much wider class of the
community.
But ever since the inauguration of these
gatherings there has been a certain dvi-
sion in the ranks of the adherents brought
about by the attitude Of a section which,
not satisfied with seeking to suppress the
evils Of misuse of alcoholic bever-
ages. has sought also to put down their
use In any shape form. 1t is matter
of history that alcoholism" came into ex-
istence with the introduction of spirits,
and did not prevail among those of our
forefathers, who consumed only beer and
cider, but the extremist section Of the
congress is inclined to draw no distinction
between use and abuse, either of ardent
spirits or of wine and beer. This ten
dency came into evidence at the interna-
tional congress of 1885, held at Antwerp
In the twenty-one years which have
elapsed since the extremist section of the
international congress has been steadily
increasing in numbers and influence and
its members claim that they now consti-
tute the majority, while the 'moderates"
| may not, sooner or later find themselves
as one of them has expressed it,
"swamped"
Based on Different Principles.
To understand the position Alright, how
ever. one must bear In mind that the larger
proportion of the Temperance societies
on the continent of Europe with which the
international congress has hitherto been
| mainly associated) are based on principles
differing essentially from those of the tee
total-temperance societies of the United
States. In Scandinavia the leaders of the
temperance movement, anxious in the early
days thereof to Wean the people from the
spirit drinking, which was the curse of
these countries, agreed to recognize the
| consumption of light beer, and in Den
mark, about the year 1894, the brewers
were even asked by some of the temperance
societies If they could not produce a beer
| o. practically Notwithstanding qualities,
which would have better keeping qualities
than the so-called white beer" popular in
that country for generations past. This
white beer, made by the experimentation
process, was very unsatisfactory produc-
ton, readily turning sour, but it was not
until 1902 that there was finally produced
in Copenhagen by the bottom fermentation
process a thin Bavarian beer which really
answered the desired requirements. Since
then brewery firm alone in the city
has increased its output of this temper
ance beer to 10000 barrels the year--a
figure not inconsiderable in view of the
fact that the total population of Denmark
is only two and half million, and that
there are, in the country, no fewer than 369
breweries producing "duty-free" beer Chat
is, beer having less than 2A per cent weight
of alcohol. equal to about . per cent of
proof sprit).
Beers in Sweden and Denmark.
In Sweden the legal limit of alcohol for
! "duty-free" beer is 2h per cent in volume
(not weight, in Denmark), with per
cent of extract, though brewers who pro-
duce not only "svagdricka," as such beer is
mostly called, but beers above the said
limit. have to pay duty on their total con-
the two varieties are produced, the excise
authorities declaring that they cannot
check the respective quantities, so that the
freedom from duty for Temperance beer"
MI IN Cyxyad mi in n
cries where such beer alone is produced. The
fact that the temperance societies of
Sweden. almost without exception. have
hitherto recognized the consumption by
their members of beers Of the kind in ques
ton has, undoubtedly, done much to con-
tribute to the magnitude OF their member
ship, SO that the 10000 temperance people
who took part in the procession were not
all "teetotalers.
Today the production Of light. duty-free
beer in Sweden has attained to the proper
ton of 1,5OO, 600 hectoliters the year, and
nearly the whole Of this is consumed by
Temperance" people, including women and
children. Reckoning, also. beers OF
stronger type and ranging in strength up
to about per cent of alcohol beer repre-
sents about three e-tenths of the total con-
sumption Of alcoholic beverages in Sweden.
the remaining seven-tenths being repre-
sented mainly by brannvin, the so-called
native brandy The sale of the latter is
the monopoly of the Gothenburg system,
and that it does a vast amount of harm in
the country is undeniable.
Hostility to Drink in Sweden.
Curious to say, however. an important
section of the most active temperance lead
ers in Sweden are adopting a far more hos
tile attitude toward the consumption of the
aforesaid beers than they are toward the
spirits. which contain over 40 per cent of
alcohol as against pa to per cent in the
beers. Their allegation seems to be that
the beer does more harm than the native
brandy, because the former is consumed by
women and children, who do not touch the
brannvn.
AS typical of the sort of argument in
dulged In by the Swedish teetotalers the
following extract from an article by one of
their number, DR.. R. Silfverskjold, may be
given: "A murderer is innocent as a
lamb compared with a brewer or distiller
Like flood. beer mandates the country,
sweeps away cottages and houses from the
land. and browns the child in the cradle"
So the transition which is taking place in
the international congress corresponds to a
movement that is spreading through the
Swedish temperance societies, each favoring
extremist rather than moderation Ideas
The international congress certainly seems