Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-05-13
PROHIBITION DEHf0LJlTCED
By HARVARD SCIENTIST
by Prof Hugo Mdnsteiberg Of Harvard.

For clear. scientific and logical
statement on the evils that followed
In the path bf prohibition, the reader
Of the Bulletin. whether prOliibi.
tionisis or nnti-prohlbitionists, Is adj
yised to turn to the article by Hugo
Munatt rberg. professor of SOCIOLOGY
lat Harvard University. Professor
Munstefberg Is scichtist of interna.
tlonal reputation and in the course OF
his experiments as professor of psy.
chology at Harvard. has given pnrtc.
ular attention 10 the effects of intern.
perance. Professor Munsterberg's
comments ON the attacks Of the prOhi.
bltlonlsts because he takes Issue with
their views, Is of particular local
bearing
We all agree that alcoholic intern
perance is one Of the greatest
sources of human misery. being the
direct cause of q large part OF
crime, OF poverty, of illness, of in
sanity. OF earth death, and In the
next generation. of idiocy and de-
pravity. We all agree further that
all alcoholic beverages are danger
GUS for children and psychopathlcs:
and we agree that TO fight against
such evils Is the duty of every con-
scientious reformer. Our possible
disagreement appears thus only when
We consider the means by which
these evils can be removed IN the
Llsiest possible degree without in
Producing other evils equally calam-
i'uls. After studying this problem
10 more than twenty years and aft
or repeating frequently in the psy-
Geological laboratory all the signili-
cant experiments. and after curing
scores of drunkards by psych0thera-
peutic means and thus being near
to the question all the time. am
fully convinced that under the pres
ont conditions of american life the
only wise way of reform Is by work
ing toward temperance and not To-
ward prohibition. II must be n
campaign Of education towards a
moderate use Of light alcoholic bev.
erages.
Since uttered this opinion pub
I.licly few months ago in popular
magazine, whole literature of So
called replies has gone up. There
was no lack of vehemence and an
abundance of misstatements, and ev-
en- the excitment Of the presidential
campaign would not be sufficient Ia
excuse the. denunciations and falsifi-
cations which my friends the Prohi-
lbitlonists, INDUCED in; but looked
in vain for single argument which
could change IN the least my opin-
ion. OF course, do not deny that
the other side has a much simplied
remedy. To exclude all alcohol from
this country by prohibition laws
seems to get rid Of the evil with one
stroke; it needs indeed much less eff.
fort than a true education towards
temperance. But the Prohibition
movement is Just like the free silver
movements in economics, or like so,
cialism in politics, or like spiritual.
ism in religion. or like Christian
Science in medicine, or like Prag.
matism in philosophy. They all con,
tain little core Of truth, but then
truth is old and they become new
fashioned movements only by new
sensational foundations which ap,
peal to the unthinkinp crowd. Blu
| just this always secures at first an
Immediate cheap victory: a super
fclality OF thinking prevails in the
world and can never resist the en-
thusiasm of fanatics. ] have hardly
any doubt that this Prohibition
movement, too, will at first over
whelm. by its very superfciality, the
sober efforts for education and re
form in this country, just as tn,
vaudeville and the operetta have ov
erwhelmed the serious drama, as thu
cheap magazine has demolished thu
book store, as the yellow press ha'
chptured the masses, and as In
hundred other forms the appeal Il
supcrfcial judgment has been sue
cessful, Then OF course the reac
ton comes in time, and the cry TO
prohibition will Just as swiftly dis
appear as the cry for free silver.
Our Habitual Disrespect for Law.
Let MS not forget that we want L
make laws for nation whose habit
ual disrespect for the written sta
I tutes has proved in the last years 4
be the chief source of Its troubles
and let us further not forget tina
we want TO lcgislate against phys
biological desire which belongs 10
majority Of men. The absence o
this desire In women or in larg
Number OF men whose nervous sys
TEN Is differently organized can eas
lily mislead, personally, for In
stance, brought up in temperate
household, have had my life long
|. physiological dislike not only TO