Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-07-21
F allure in All Ages
Lessons Cleaned from the
History OF Prohibition in
Anoiens and Modern Times
Fourth Article.

Fourth Article.
To the Editor Of The Bee-In my last
communications 1 have argued against
prohibition as wrong in principle and prac-
tice. Let me now warn the incautious
reader against confoundlng prohibition with
total abstinence. Prohibition is a matter
OF state policy; total abstinence is a mat
ter of private practice. 1t is perfectly con-
sistent for a man TO be a total abstalner
and an anti-prohibitionist 1t is equally
consistent for drinker to favor prohibit
ton. Total abstinence Is as old as 20
rooster, or the Kenite founder Of the Rech-
abites. Thus Il reaches back almost to
Solomon and, perhaps, to the date Of Abrs-
ham.
But who was the author Of prohibition?
1t was a man who, in some respects was
the greatest man that has lived in 1900
years, Abul- em-Ibn-Abdallah, better
known as the Arabian prophet, Mohammed.
He lived, as you all know, in the seventh
century of Christ Mohammed thus en-
forces his iron law: III a drop OF wine fall
in well; IL the well is filled up; IL grass
grow above It; IL a sheep eat of that grass,
then shall my followers not eat mat NUT
ton" When Mohammed's successor, Kalif
Oman, took Jerusalem, A. D., 637, and then
and there enforced the first prohibitory
law In a Christian country, Sopronius, the
Christian patriarch, exclaimed: This Is Of
truth the abomination of desolation spoken
of by Daniel, the prophet standing in the
holy place" The Moors conquered Spain
with the aid of Count Julian, the Greek,
and held II for seven centuries. They pun
ished any person found vending wine by
pouring molten lead down his throat. This
may be commended by some extremists,
but let us see what is the final outcome of
Such a policy. The Parsis, Mohammedans
and Brahmins made up the dominant forces
in India prior to Gives conquest Though,
like Caesars Gauls, they differed among
themselves in respect to customs, insti-
tutions and laws, they all agreed in dis
carding the use of liquor. England brought
Bibles and beer But let us look back, and
see the effect of liquor abstinence In India.
The fact is that man Graves a nerve food;
whether he really needs 1t or not do not
presume to determine. But he Graves II,
and will have it, either as alcohol, nicotine,
morphine. or what-not. In India they have
10 900 acres devoted to the raising of
peoples for opium. They chew betel, a
narcotic stlmulant, which consists of the
leaf of one of many species of pepper
These leaves are plucked green and spread
over with chanum, or moistened quick lime
obtained from calcined shells, and wrapped
about scrapings of the aceca nut, known
as pinang. This abominable connection is
put into the mouth and chewed. Men and
women chew this stuff from morning tc
night In fact, IL Is now a matter of ETH
quette, as is the snuff box in Europe. II
| gives the saliva the color of blood, the lips
are blackened and the teeth destroyed by
its continued use, so that young men of q
are often toothless. Hashish, the intoxi
eating extract of hemp is used in India
| by those who can afford the luxury. Any
one who has read Dumas Monte CristC
knows the effect of Hashish. The book II
fiction, but the picture is real. The Eas
Indians smoke the strongest tobacco an(
drink the strongest tea. The same is trut
| of other countries, where enforced absti
nence from liquor has prevailed. For sever
| centuries the Moors enforced prohibition
in Spain until the Christians were 81
/ thoroughly trained to abstinence that the!
are now the lghtest liquor drinkers II
Europe. But the cigarettes they smoke
and. the coffee they drink is alarming. Il
Vermont prohibition existed for twenty
five years; and the sale of morphine, co
caine, etc. at drug stores increased witt
each year. One of the strongest total alb
stainers in this state smokes regularly IF
teen cigars a day-a dry drunk l kneN
another total abstainer who drank eigh
teen cups of coffee a day. Prohibition
swaps the drunkard for the dope fiend
How do you like the exchange?
WILBUR F. BRYANT.