Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-09
CONGRESS- ON ALCOHOLISM
Delegates to international Meeting
Report to Secretary Knox,
MIMICAL TO LIFE AND COMFORT
Delegates from Twenty-Five GOver
ments sign Report to This Effect
Campaign Of Education
Suggested.

WASHINGTON. Nov. S,--AIcohol and al
coholism are two Of the real and substan-
tial enemies OF moral. artistic and com
meiciai progress Of the human race, ac-
cording to the report 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 con-
Grcss was held last July in London and
twenty-five governments were represented,
the delegates Of each ~concurr,ng In the
general finding that alcohol not only was
unnecessary to human life and comfort,
but was inimlcal to both.
Three departments Of the United States
government we're represented by delegates,
the State, Navy and Treasury. Twelve
representatives went abroad, and all Of
them unanimously signed the report made
public today, the finding of which is to
condemn the drinking habit as dangerous
TO public health and morals and subversive
Of national, moral, commercial and mill
tary greatness.
According to the report, the interest
Ehown in the congress was greater than
ever was known before. Because Of the in
formation evolved at the congress, the del
cgates accepted the invitation Of the
queen Of Holland to hold their next meet
ng, two years hence, at The Hague, in
conjunction with the conference Of the
committee that is WORKING Tor international
peace.
While the congress urged the necessity
Of imposing the most rigorous restrictions
on the sale and traffic in alcoholic liquirs,
it regarded as equally important the need
- 49,. ~ 20 a
true knowledge Of what alcohol is and
what its effects upon the human system
are. The delegates believe that the num-
Gus recent discoveries as TO the harmful
ness Of drunkenness, and even of "moder-
ate" drinking, also, should be set before
children in order that they may see the
danger Of the practice. The American del
egates sum up this phase of their report
by saying:
Rigorous Restrictions Urged.
Increased teaching as 20 it's character
and influence should be provided to con-
serve industrial efficiency in the COM
mercial competition Of nations, as well as
to promote two of the chief objects of
government, the public health and morals
The value of this method OF combating
the growth Of the liquor habit is empha-
sized in the report. While acknowledg-
ment is made that the organization of as
sociations Of Juvenile abstainers is useful
Il Is declared the chief reliance should be
placed on scientific temperance education
In the public schools as a means of rid
ding the public mind of errors about the
effects OF alcohol and substituting the
facts that science is declaring to have
evolved about the use Of the beverage, ever
when taken in small doses.
In furtherance Of this plan. Mrs. Edit
Smith Davis Of Milwaukee, Wis, superin-
tendent CT the Worlds and National
Christian Temperance union, and one Of
the American delegates, urged the neces.
sity of getting to the root of the matter
by compelling the curricu,a Of norma
schools and universities to include sucl
education. In this way, Mrs. Davis con
tended, the younger generation would b,
as ured OF proper instruction on the sub
ject.
Exhibit of United states.
The United States, according to the re
Port, made an unusually Sood showing
in It's exhibits. Germany also was to tn
fore with a particularly fine collection O
colorCd charts showing the effect OF alec
kol on the body, the family and upoi
society. Especially effective It is said
were lnS sltISoplCOu slueS Oh Jne Ehtond
Temperance League OF Great Britain.
Th,ss stereopticon pictures, the repor
goes on to show, were largely reproduc
tons Of municipal posters that are bein
Issued by the city councils OF about II
British ~borroughs, The posters deal in
popular way with the deletorlous effect
o. alcohol on the human system. an
are Ios,ed by order of the regular official
OF towns in which the sale OF intoxicant
is licensed. This fact, however, does nc
prevent the officials from warning tn
public against the use of alcohol.
Following the example OF Great Britain
the city and district officials OF bot
France and Australia likewise hay