Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-03-01
FFFECrs OF DRINK IN ARMY,
Facts Cleaned from Soldiers During
Active Service.

-
The people OF the United States
are taxed to support the army Ia
order that there may be body OF
trained men always ready as de-
tenders OF that civil order anywhere
within our own borders which we
call liberty and defenders also
against the invasion OF any possible
foreign foe. says a writer in the New
Voice. The strength of this form OF
national defence depends upon the
capacity OF the individual men who
compose this army. Hence the peo-
pie have right TO demand that
whatever will contribute to the eff
cheney OF these men shall be furn-
ished them and that whatever d.
minishes their efficiency shall be
withheld.
II beer and intoxicating liquor
containing ethyl alcohol is sub
stance which by nature contributesto
human strength and efficiency then
It should be provided our soldiers
But IL on the contrary. as shown b.
modern science. it is the nature of
alcoholic liquors, beer included, to
diminish strength and impair Ell
cheney, then the people have a right
to demand that the government shall
prohibit its being furnished as a
supply to our soldiers. Consequently
the question of the desirability OF the
sale OF beer being allowed in the
army canteen turns on whether il Is
the nature of beer to make a man a
better defender OF his country's lib
critics.
G. Sims Woodhead. Md, Profess
sor of Pathology. Cambridge Uni
versity, England, writing in the
Journal of Inebriety. of an extern
sive experiment made In the English
army. says:
'The Sirdar, Sir Herbert, Kitch-
ener, and General Gatacre, in their
advance up the Nile strictly forbade
the supply of alcoholic liquors under
their command They took this step
on two grounds. First, on the ground
that from long experience they were
convinced that the physical condition
OF the troops would, under these cor
ditions be enormously improved, AMI
the men would have much greater
staying power, while their dash, de-
termination and steadiness woui
also be increased.
'The second ground appears to
have been that the mental and moral
stamina OF the troops would be pre-
served in a far greater degree than
could possibly be the case If alcohol
was served out. The result has been
that the health, spirits and conduct
of the troops have been the admira-
ton of all those who have had any
dealings with them and this expert
ment on large scale has been a~suc-
cess"
In other words. those qualities
looked for I'm the ideal soldier.
health, strength, endurance and
courage, as well as their intelligent
obedience to command and to the
higher demands OF the moral law.
were conserved In a marked degree
by this order, which denied to them
any malt or spurious liquors.
And in the latest war It has often
been shown in both army and navy
that, as William Durham, B.A..
points out:
ut is the canteen which is killing
Russia. 1t is temperance which has
saved Japan"
Henry +. Hewes, ABB. MD, In
structor I'm Physiological and Clint
cal Chemistry, Harvard Medical
School, says:
In skill and accuracy in the di
rection and expenditure of energy
the man who has taken no alcohol
has great advantage over the man
who has. He is more calm in an
emergency and can Judge better how
to make his strength most effective.
This effect of alcohol was remarka-
bly, demonstrated in the battle OFF
Santiago In the recent Spanish
American war, In the capacity of
Workmanship shown by the Spanish
gunners, who were given alcoholic
drinks under the false idea that It
would 'fortify' them for their
work"
England no longer issues grog be-
fore battle, and thus the three great
naval powers consider sobriety ne
cessary to good Workmanship and
successful maneuvering.