The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-01-17
TEMPT RANCE.

writer III tiit De'h -! f''N'i Us
uses these striking words: Put a
knife To thy throat. II thou be man
given to appetite Thus Is gathered
into few words the very essence OF
! temperance without which no char
acter can be. strong. Temperance IL
one of the cornerstones Of character.
{ without II n man is like a liner at SEA
without rudder: the power of self
control g gone.
/ The very essence of temperance is
self control. that the determination OF
which makes for ones own best de-
I veiopmenf and for the highest good of
others. Lack az such control is often
the fly in the ointment Of an other
wise beautiful character; and the bet
/ ter the character otherwire. the more
unsightly the fly. Temperance has a,
wider meaning than that which Is fire.
auently attached Ia it. for it means
more than abstinence from intox!cat-
/ ing liquors. Temperance means mod
Grafton in the use of things not es-
sentially. harmful or wrong. and en-
tire abstinence from things which arr
. essentially harmful nr wrong.
Every man should exercise modera-
ton in eating. Food is good. II Is
necessary to life and health. But too
much food is injurious: and no man
is temperate VIII, is glutton. Like
wise everyone should he moderate
in his use Of language: for many
person otherN.se. very moderate is in
temperate in speech. Language may
he Incorporate because il expresses
uncontrolled anger or malice or vi
ciousness. or it may be incorporate
because II is uncontrolled as to the
quantity of /: or as to the propriety
III it. Exaggeration is a form of in
temperance in language: and 80 IL pro-
family.
Temperance has an important appli-
cation In the sphere of amunements.
although many seem not TO realize il.
Most forms of amusement are in them
selves not evil ar harmful But the
best Of them can be made means of
harm by intemperance. Not long ago
n young woman in Butte was brought
near deaths door by what was called
Marathon waltz. She danced con-
tinuously for more than II hours That
was glazing instance of intemper-
ance. In outdoor sports, in theater-
going. in card playing. or in any other
form of amusement. many persons are
gnilty of varying degrees of intern
perance: for by immoderate indulgence
In what is in itself not harmful. they
either injure their bodies. or weaken
their minds. or waste much valuable
time. This kind of intcmperance
should he carefully guarded against.
Regarding the use of tobacco there
Is perhaps an open question. Many re-
gard the weed as unharmfui. while
others contend that it is injurious.
However that may he. there is de-
velOping more and more nearly
unanimous Judgment that cigarettes
are harmful Anti-ciSarette bills have
been introduced into several state leg
islatnres and into the United states
senate; and the introduction OF such
measures Is always accompanied by.
If not actually caused by. largely
signed petitions from influential citi-
Zens. And IL is worthy of note that
such petitions are more numerOusly
and more eagerly signed by physicians
and school teachers than by persons
OF any other class or calling. Gig
arctic smoking il also considered in
furious from strictly business stand
point. The Rock Island and the Bur-
iipgton railroads have forbidden their
employees TO smoke cigarettes. "Ex-
perience has shown that the confirmed
cigarette smoker is sleepy and of no
account" says President Purdy. of the
Rock Island.
But when il comes To Intoxicating
liquors there IN no room for question
Science and religion and experience
unite in the conviction that liquor is
harmful. Alcohol is a poison. In this
sphere temperance can mean nothing
but total abstinence Physicians and
specialists in insanity have set forth
startling arrays of facts and statistics
showing the terrible physical and men
tai effects of alcoholic liquors; and
these have appeared in books. in pro-
fessional journals and in popular mag
azines. For the Jake of the health OF
ones own body. the soundness of ones
own mind, and for the sake of the
physical and mental welfare Of ones
children. liquor should he entirely let
atone
Moreover. the use Of liquor stands in
the way nj success. &. W. Plunkett.