The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-09-02

when they are d1vested OF every ele-
ment of hysteria, every trace of
pathos, are as eloquent of tragedy as
the stories of individual strife on the
bloodiest battlefield.
A fairly large share of the tragedy
Of the world is the tragedy of alcohol.
Physicians will tell you that what Is
generally regarded as moral and
psychological battle is in reality a
physiological battle-a fight against
disease. The neurologist, the special
ist in mental diseases, will declare
that the dipsomaniac who uses every
effort of will power and resorts to
the aid of science to be freed from
the curse of drink Is victim of
heredity; he fights double battle
that against himself and that against
his ancestors.
A peculiarly disheartening feature
of this conflict of man against the
enemy which overwhelms him, in the
view Of the scientific observer, is the
waning resistance of the victims will
under the insidious and aggressive
power of alcohol. Usually the victim
is unaware that each fresh wrestle
with the enemy weakens his deter
mination, giving alcohol, in its physi-
illogical action, distinct advantage.
The purpose of this article is to
record plain, unembellished stories
of men in all clases of life who did
their best to overcome the drink
habit. Some of them won out, and
some were defeated. Some of them
ire alive, and others dead. In some
instances the will power alone seems
to have been the conquering agent,
while in other cases artificial aid in
the shape of the newer devices of
,cience were brought into play.
A Case of Inheritance.
The first instance is that Of a
brain-worker, man in his early for
ties. His story, as told to the writer
by himself, indicates a strong hered-
itary element.
my father" he said, "drank mod
erately in his early manhood. He re-
ceived a sabre cut on the head in the
Civil War, and l feel sure that his
mentality was impaired as result.
Later in his life he began to drink
heavily. He was clearly victim of
alcohol. Finally he became practical
ly mental wreck from it, and he
ended his life with shotgun. Two
of my mothers brothers died as the
result of drink.
Il began to drink at fourteen; in
fact, at that age l walked four miles
through the snow at night to distil-
lery to get brandy. l got gallon Of
it, and with the assistance of some
young friends drank it. l kept on
drinking. When young man I be-
gan to study for the ministry. l put
in three years taking a course in
theology, and as student preached
in three parishes in one of the South
ern States. l still drank, and l sud
denly abandoned all thought of the
church.
1T was necessary to do something
else, and l engaged in literary work.
J kept on drinking, and lost position
litter position. l was prevailed upon
to try one OF the so-called cures.
| remained in the institution for
five weeks, taking the full course of
treatment. A week later I.was drunk,
and kept on getting drunk. A year
passed and / took the same course of
treatment, but two days later / was
drunk again. Then I took another
variety of cure got drunk again,
repeated the latest treatment / had
tried, left the institution and went on
a prolonged drinking bout.
II went on this way as the occasion
arose until eighteen months ago.
Then l regained my senses after a
long spree and announced that in
thirty years l had had my share of
rum. l said l would drink no more,
and have not touched liquor since"
In the northwestern part of the
State there is a lawyer, an old man
now, of whom his friends used to say:
"If it hadn't been for rum he would
have been President of the United
States long ago."
This mans battle with alcohol and
the domination of his iron will is the
most remarkable instance of the kind
that has come under the personal OBJ
servation of the writer in an expert
ence in this line of observation ex-
tending over two continents.
The lawyer, a brilliant man in his
profession and an eloquent pleader
at the bar, was, to use his own ex-
preston, drunk for thirty-nine
years." He became involved in an
argument with school principal one
day on the effects of alcohol on the
human anatomy.
why, Judge" said the teacher in
conclusion, "you couldn't stop drink
ing if you tried, and If you did you'd
die"
You're liar, Sir, to both of those
propositions, was the furious retort
"Ive been drunk for thirty-nine years
and I'm an old man, but I'll stop now
Not another drop shall pass my lips
He did stop-for eight years. And
he Ala mt die but for three months