The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-31
ELIOT FOR
NO LICENSE
Haryard'S President Changes
Attitude
FORMERLY DID NOT OPPOSE
Moderate Drinking-New Views Told to
No-license League--Address Gives
New Interest to Anti
Saloon Work.
F0RMERLYDID NOT OPPOSE

Boston, Oct. 31.--President Eliot Of
Harvard, honorary president of the Bos-
ton No.License league, in an address
before the league last night declared
that although he had been moderate
user of intoxicants all his life, his views
On the subject had changed somewhat
recently. and he now believed that even
the moderate drinking of alcoholic
LIQUORS was "inexpedient"
President Elliot's address was in part
Of follows:
Il have been all my life what is some
times called q moderate drinker. ! have
used beer and wine on occasions, not
hsbituaIly, and / have never experience
ed any i'll effects whatever. from either.
recognize of course, the truth of the
Bible saying that wine 'maketh glad
the heart Of man.
"But whether it be expedient that the
neart of man should be made glad IN
that way is doubted. ) There is no
doubt that wine or spirits will momen-
tarily make glad me heart of man. The
dinner at which we are now seated has
cheerful aspect, but for hilarity,
iollity and boisterousness it cannot be
compared for moment 10 one OF the
Ancient and Honorable Artillery com.
pany.
Il have recognized the fact that alco-
holic drinks have a tendency to cheer
the people up and make them jolly and
noisy; but the question OF eXpediency
of that kind Of elevation has gained on
me as the years have gone on. II seems
10 me that the recent researches in
physiology and medicine tend very
strongly to show that the moderate
drinking of alcohol is inexpedient.
"As a result of experience it is fact
that men who are to be exposed to cold
or heat or hardships Of any sort are
not prepared or braeed for such encoun-
tiers by any form Of alcohol.
at is so in regard to most intelli-
gent labors. 1t is well known that al
eonol, even if moderately used, does
not quicken the action of the mind or
enable one to support mental labor.
I'VE have had a great deal of Ger
man investigation and some American
investigation in psychological laborator-
les in that direction, and the results
are perfectly plain, and they are all
cne
I'm the past twenty years have had
f sppsEAeaty IF lsaEpipg some Of the
tbat it il possible to exclude the saloon
absolutely from city of 10000 inhabi-
tants. and have no aieoholis substitutes
therefor. ] didn't believe that years
ngo. / have seen something Of prohibi-
ton in Maine, and ] knew tsat the pro-
hibitory law was failure III that state
q dead failure.
$50 you see, ladies and gentlemen,
that have had some reasons that |
can state for changing my mind on the
subject Of no license, and / would like
10 state them here in order that they
NAV perhaps fall under the eyes of my
many friends who have not yet chang
ed their minds on no-iicense. There are
n good many Of them. There are good
many moderate drinkers whose support
far no.license is still essential to the
success of that Apolicy. The no-license
policy Of Cambridge was at first effect
ed and has been long sustained by the
votes of men VINO are moderate drink
cry. 1t ii just 80 today. It is probably
90 iii almost all no-license towns and
cities Of this Commonwealth. Still, /
believe that it is desirable to carry
these men further, just as I have been
carried further, and to procure from
them d downright genuine support of
no-license for its own sake; that Is for
the good it does to all men, women and
children"