The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-11-10
King Alcohol Receives a Hard Knock.

The State Department has just publish.
ed the findings Of it's representatives to
the International Congress on alcoholism
recently held in London, England.
The conclusions reached by the congress
point to O verdict to the effect that alco-
hol and alcoholism are common enemies
of mankind.
twenty-five nations were represented in
this congress, and the fact that so many
nations in common conclave reached this
conclusion tends to strengthen the YER
dict.
The congress urges most rigorous re-
st%rictions on the sale Of alcoholic liquors
and urges also the education Of the youth
to O true knowledge Of what alcohol is and
what its effect is on the system.
There is hardly any one so foolish as to
claim that there can he any good in the
drinking Of alcohol as a beverage. Even
the devotees of the old King acknowledge
that he Is a monster Of frightful mein.
1t seems the concensus of opinion of the
congress that the proper way to fight Al
~ SyOIS"1 vi OuuCdUlOu, DtHlu-
ming in our common schools.
AS many know we now have a textbook
in our p~hysiologies, the primal purpose of
which is to enlighten the pupils on the
dangerssof Alcoholism.
Some men claim that the physiologies
overdo the thing, that in their zeal to
awaken in the pupil a fear Of alcohol the
authors have sometimes strayed from the
truth. While there is nothing to be
gained by overdrawing the pictures, 1t
is to be doubted whether the pictures
have been much overdrawn.
There can be no doubt, whatsoever that
alcohol is a poison, and while it may take
very large doses to produce death immed-
lately, the system can be thoroughly pois-
oned by continued use Of it in small doses.
On this point the congress was divided.
Some thought that small doses were
fraught with no danger, while others
thought that harm would come to q man
who used it it in any shape or form.
How to deal with drunkards in the
courts came in for discussion. One of the
delegates won the support OF the others in
the adoption Of a plan to suspend sentence
in the case of every first offender who is
brought into court charged with drunken
ness. This involves such first offenders
signing a pledge to abstain for one year.
II the practitioners fail to live up to their
pledge they may be arrested and summar-
lily sentenced. The knowledge that one
drink may mean a prison sentence keeps
many a man straight until he has time to
collect himself. The penalty for failure to
keep faith with the court was not settled,
several of the delegates arguing in favor
Of various degrees OF punishment. The
principle, however, was regarded as ad-
mirable, and 400 delegates urged it's adop-
ton by the various governments of the
world.
This principle is already in vogue in
many Of our municipal courts. Atlanta
has its probation officer, and In his last re-
port he said that the system had succeed
ed, as far::as Atlanta Is concerned.
Those who 60 so far as to say that alco-
hol has nc medicinal value are doing the
cause Of temperance more harm than
good. Any man with a caret Of grey mat
ter in his Uranium must know that Alco-
hol is a splendid medicine. The fact that
alcohol is poison does not preclude its use
fulness as a medicine. Strychnine is g
poison and yet it is one Of the most useful
Of medicines.
What we should do is to teach our youth
the truth. Let them know that alcohol is
a poison and yet a medicine. Teach them
that it is a medicine, and not a beverage
that as a medicine, it may be helpful un-
der certain conditions, that as a beverage
in can only be harmful. In other words
just tell the truth about it, and trust the
matter to providence.