The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1909-10-28
By American Delegates to In
ternational Congress on
Alcoholism.

~ i1's<Ae'AAAAN1AONNt b.i W. WV. o
Alcohol and alcoholism are two OF
the real and substantial enemies oil
the human race. according to the re-
port Of the United States delegates
to the twelfth International Congress
on Alcoholism, made public by the
State Department today. The dele
gates were appointed by Secretary
Knox as one OF his first official acts.
The Congress was held last July In
London, and twenty-five governments
were represented. the delegates OF
each concurring in the genral And
ing that alcohol not only was unnec-
essary to human life and comfort bur
was tnimical to both.
Three departments of the United
States government were prepreseht-
ed by delegates, the State Navy and
Treasury. Twelve representatives.
went abroad. and all Of them unani-
mously signed the report made pub
lie today, the finding Of which is to
condemn the drinking habit as dam
gerous to public health and morals
and subversive OF national, moral,
commercial and military greatness.
According to the report the inter-
est shown in the congress was great
er than was ever before. Because
of the information evolved at the
congress, the delegates accepted the
invitation of the Queen of Holland
to hold their next meeting. two years
hence. at The Hague in conjunction
with the conference of the committee
that is working for international
peace.
While the congress urged the ne
cessity of imposing most vigorous re-
Istrictions on the sale and traffic in al
cohoiic liquors. 1t regarded as equal
ly important the need of educating
the younger generation to true
knowledge OF what alcohol is and
what its effects upon the human
system are. The delegates believe
that the numerous recent discoveries
as to the harmfulness OF drunken
ness and even of moderate" drink
ing, also. should he set before chill
dren in order that they may see the
danger of the practice. The Amer:-
can delegates sum UP this phase of
their report by saying;5
Increased -teachtngeas to its char
acter and influence should be pro-
vided. to conserve industrial effici-
ency in the economical competition
of nations, as well as to promote two
of the chief objections of govern
ment: the public health and NOR
ais"
The value of this method of COM
batting the growth of the liquor
habit is emphasized in the report.
While acknowledgment is. made that
the organization OF associations OF
juvenile abstainers is useful. 1t is
declared. the chief reliance should
be placed on scientific temperance
education in the public schools as a
means of Kidding the public mind
of errors about the effects of alco-
hol and substituting the facts that
science is declared to have evolved
about the use of the beverage. even
when taken in small doses.
TN furthrance of this plan. Mrs.
Edith Smith Davis. of Milwaukee,
Wis. superintendent of the Worlds
and National Christian Temperance
Union. and one of the american DEL
egates. urged the necessity of get
ting to the root of the matter by
compelling the curricula of normal
schools and universities to include
such education. In this way, Mrs.
Davis continues. the younger genera
ton would be assured of proper in
|struction on the subject.
Miss Cora F. Stoddard, of Boston,
another American delegate and sec
rotary of the Scientific Temperance
Federation, also devoted to the same