The Falls City tribune., 1910-06-17
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ANTI-ALCOH0L MOVE IN ITALY
Taking Strong Root in That Country,
According to Notes of Temper
anee Progress in Europe.

The movement against alcohol Is
taking strong root in Italy, according
to some interesting and detailed notes
OF temperance progress in Europe
gathered by observers on the field for
the encouragement OF temperance
workers in America. The report states
that in various eenters anti-alcoholie
leagues are being established. OF that
at Vincenza, which was started in a
meeting largely attended by civic as
sociations and presided over by Count
Valmanara, the eminent modernist and
author, Antonio Fogazzaro was elect
ed president. In Milan some of the
most active social workers of the city
have entered new movement. Among
these are Cassina, the head OF the
,Milanese labor party and former pres
ident of the labor exchange; DR.. Fer
rari, physician to the w%ell-known re-
lief society, "LUmanitaria;s Lazzari,
another noted labor leader and lee
turer on social questions, Molteni, a
Catholic socialist, and one of the best
known publicists in North Italy; Pas
,%torelli, an engineer, editor of an eth
ical review published in Padua. favor
ably known by his brochure, "L'Alco-
hol Diluito" diluted alcohol, and
Professor Pasquali, director of schools
In Brescia and a writer on alcohol
whose works are known outside of
Italy.
Many tourists, it is further stated,
think that Italy has nc special need of
temperance reform. But those whose
knowledge of the Italian people is
more intimate are of a different opin-
ion. Thus Giovanni Alloei, writing of
alcoholism in Milan, declares that
there are 1920 places where drink is
sold in that city chat is one to 1870
of the population); that the consump-
ton of wine is 9S liters per capita and
of Liquors, 4 %liters; that 1890 ar
rests were made in the year for drunk
'enness; that in two years, 907 Milan
ese died of the alcohol sickness-eirr-
hosts of the liver; and that one-half of
the patients in the provincial asylum
came from this drinksick city. An
tonini, the editor of the Fruili social
list organ III Paese," says:
The alcohol insane in our asylum
have more than doubled since 1906.
The alcohol-interested industrials con-
tinue to poison us because they have
their defenders in parliament. We
must begin the fight for abstinence,
not from the top, but from the roof
ii. e., from the people,"
And in a recent number of la
Luce" the Waldensian religious or
gan, a writer relates concerning the
rural communities of Italy:
They drink wine at dinner, at sup
per, in the hay fields during the dog
days, at breakfast, between meals.
They soak their bread in wine. The
father drinks, the mother drinks, the
children drink, down to the little one
OF a year old. | saw recently a Door
little creature of three who could not
walk, his whole body being SO swollen.
He lay outside his home on an un-
clean mattress in the shade. He was
suffering from chronic Inflammation of
the intestines at three years. The
doctor said he was an 'alcoholizato"
(drunkard) and was incurable, and
would never walk. Wine heredity and
the wine his parents had given him
from his first days were the cause.
"One rarely sees our p%easantry
staggering. They have drunk so long
that they can support much with very
little inconvenience. But what a sad
thing it is, The men seem STEPPED in
wine.
Yes, in this Italy which has a rep
utation for sobriety, there is a press
ing need that we enter the lists as
they are doing elsewhere to fight
drink"