The Democratic advocate., 1909-08-06
THE MODERATE DRINKER|
is NOT HELPED BY ALCOHOL EITHER
INTELLECTUALLY OR PHYSICALLY
Men Can Do More Work and Better
Work Without II
BY Charles w. Eliot, former Presi-
dent Of Howard University.

4 ed moderate drinker--that Is to say
have used beer and wine on occa-
sion, though never habitually-and I
have never experienced any iIl-effects
/ whatever In my own person from
either beer or wine Again, have
always recognized the truth OF the
Bible saying about wine, that 1T
/ maketh glad the heart Of man" There
Is no doubt OF that fact; nevertheless,
1t may be doubted whether II be ex-
| pedient that the heart OF a man
should be made glad In that way.
Frequent observation has made me
sure that alcoholic drinks have a ten
dency to cheer people up temporarily.
and make them jolly and noisy, but
the doubt about the expediency OF
that kind OF elevation has gained on
me as years have passed
The recent researches I'm physiology
and medicine tend strongly to show
that even the moderate drinking OF
/ alcohol ia inexpedient Al a result
OF experience, one old practice In re-
gard to the use OF spirits has been
absolutely abandoned No longer are
men who are to be exposed TO cold.
heat, fatigue, or hardshlps OF any
| sort, prepared or braced for such
encounters by any form OF alcohol.
II used to be considered essential
that n sailor In the merchant marine
or In the navy should be braced every
/ day for his arduous work by grog:
! but now grog has been abolished In
( our navy for many years and Is no
longer served In weil-conductsd ships
\ OF the merchant marine The result
! Ia n - rat hag -.
exposed life OF sailor was not really
+ helped by the moderate use Of alco-
/ hol; In truth II was injured. No cap
tain Of an ocean liner ever supports
I himself now against the fierce ex-
( posures Of the bridge by means Of nj
cohol He may take hot tea, coffee
or lemonade to help him keep warm
and awake; but he never bracea him
self when exposed 10 terrible weather
by means OF alcohol
4 II n lust so Ia regard TO strenuous
I intellectual laborn II vas long sup
/ posed that nobody could bear the la
/ borB OF a Prime Minister OF England
LIN the House Of Commons late every
night. and ia Downing Street during
long hours every dny---unlena he waa
/ supported by one or two bottles OF
/ port per day Many famous men have
/ lived that laborious life under such
/ stimulation, but all such practices
are now absolutely abandoned. II IL
we'll known that alcohol. even II mod
erateiy used. does not quicken the
action Of the mind. nor enable one
better to support hard mental labor
/ On the contrary. all intellectual work
era fud alcohol a drag on their men
I tai processes. and II they get Ro-
cuatUmed 20 working on alcohol they
I are apt 10 Offset Ita effects by an Inn
moderate use of tea or coffee. Hard
mental workers who uaa the double
stimulation OF wine and tea or coffee
are admittedly burning the candle al
both ends. On this suhtect--,hc value
Of aicoholio drinks 20 men engaged 10
intellectual labor have myself wit
messed a n great change Of opinion
among well Informed men. The new
/ psychological laboratories OF tive
learned world. some German and
some American. have supplied yslu.
able evidence on this subject, and
their reHulta are plain and all 20 Une
I way, For Instance. the effect of a
moderate use OF alcohol on cicrks
whose principal function IL 10 add ~
columns Of Hgurea has been Through
ly studied II such clerk drinks
during the day 4 moderate amount OF
beer or wine. II has been proved that
he cannot add as well the next day
AS II he had taken no alcohol the day
before. These experiments have been
conducted on n large number OF per.
sons, 80 large as 10 establish the pAy-
Geological fact
An interesting line OF experiment,
has been on what is called the time
reaction by time reaction Ia meant
the interval that eiapses between
hearing a sudden noise. or seeing .
fash OF light. and putting the mua-
cles OF the hand and arm IN motion
10 touch a given spot or object THE
signal enters tho brain through the
eye or ear. and the viii then set the
motor nerves OF the arms and fingers
90 work TO make the indicated motion.
In different individuals this interval
varies much, Now II has been demon
strated that alcohol--eyen In the
most moderate quantity--nifects un-
fayorably the time reaction---that is,
II slows down the whole nervous
action Of the man who takes It, and
this slowing effect lasts for hours aud
even days
Some years ago ! had occasion 20
learn about the actual time reaction
OF n well-known puhnist lie was ex-
pecting to light In a city some dis
tance from Boston. The day OF the
tight had been fixed but the pugiliat
had been on succession OF sprees
His trainer could not control him.
and he had been under the influence
Of alcohol a good part Of his time He
was brought to Cambridge and bis
time reaction was vested. II proved
to be slow. Now this man had al
ways been famous for his quickneas
OF eye and fist. A prizenghter has
I need of a very short time reaction.
He must see by the motion Of his ad-
versary's fist Just where his Rdver-
sary is intending to strike, and he
must put his own arm quickly In the
right place to fend Of the coming
blow. slow time reaction viii
make success impossible for a boxer.
a fencer, or runner OF short races.
The effect OF alcohol on the time re-
action of the human being has now
been tested carefully In hundreds OF
NHPNol anu NHNAS - AV HNcHAloh hbbuA
the ill-effect OF alcohol even in moder-
ate doses That means that alcohol
even In moderate doses. diminishes
the efficiency of the skilled workman,
or. In other words, makes him inca
pable OF doing his best In the work
Of the day
Benjamin FraHklin made q very
early observation Of this subject when
be first worked, as q very young man.
In an English composing room.
Drinking no beer he found ne could
easily eurpass the English worlxmen
in the printing Office, end he attribu-
ted HIS greater capacity IN his an