The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-10-28
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
ALCOHOL AND THE LABOR
PROBLEM.

Fn09LSMs
What 10 the alcohol question to the
Workingman-the day laborer? Why,
there il no question OF such imminent
and foremost Importance to him, says
Axel Gustafson, the Social Science Ex-
pert In lecture at Exeter Hall, Lon
don. As things have been and as
they are today, this life of the laborer
and Of his family 10 an existence In
conditions of unrelieved drudgery.
And this existence is dragged on
within sight of life passed In condi-
tions of the fullest power and priv.
ilege. The cruel contrast does not
inspire hint dulls him-or it In.
furiates him-yet it is the power OF
the working-cla to peaceably and
certainly change all that is really
false in this inequality, il they will
unite against the drink traffic; If they
will only see that there is no sobriety
but abstinence; il they can only be
taught to see that this is really the
true practical working truth, and the
cardinal truth for the best outcome of
work.
The fact that the workingman be-
ileves, as many of them do, that beer
taken In moderation, is good for him,
does not change the physiological fact
that it is bad for him, that it will do
his body only harm and not good.
His ignorance. If he is honestly igno-
rant in the matter, will not save him
from any of the physical and spiritual
consequences of taking this poison:
and as he goes on taking it he has
to pay for it. What will he have to
pay?
First and always the money which
buys it; next more or less slowly and
half-unconsciously, he must pay away
his health, his energy, his clearness
of mind, his natural ambitions, his bet
ter hopes, his honesty, sincerity, ten.
derness, his manliness, the rights of
his family, the claims of his God. And
during this process, as he gradually
sinks under the combinations of
greater outlay, decreased income, wan.
ing health, fading prospects and sense
of ill-desert, he seeks more and more
for the beautiful oblivion of alcohol.
Finally, the drink crave sets in, and
he completes the sacrifice, adding him
self and his poor family to the pauper
or criminal lists, and his end is the
grave of the drunkard. The contri-
buttons of the working-cla to the
tills of the public houses are one great
source of the very revenue by which
constituencies capital is able to 60 on
degrading and subjecting labor.
A Bane to Business.
AS to the capitalist, he looks at the
drink problem from a different point
of view. He has plenty of amuse-
kment, plenty of money, plenty OF di-
version. He is thus not so constantly
driven to alcohol as the one only
means for drowning care Self-inter-
est has taught him that alcohol units
a man for the conduct of business,
and therefore large business ii often
strong safeguard against indulgence
in alcohol.
But even the most moderate use
has a hardening and coarsening effect
and leads the capitalist to treat his
poor employee more harsh1y than he
would if his habits were. such as fitted
him to realize that the workingman
was his brother i'm Gods sight. How
clearly is this condition IL things visi-
BILE in this country (England) at the
present moment.
We find that when wages are low,
the labor market disturbed and agi-
tated, business generally depressed,
thousands and thousands starving, the
drink traffic still fourishes. Business
may be bad, but there is one business
that prospers at the expense of all
other business, and that is the drink
trade; and if business men would but
really consider the facts in this direc-
ton they would find that they would
sell infinitely more of their goods II
they would help to crush out this
awful traffic
Why, by the destruction of the
drink evil some two or three hundred
million pounds-taking the direct and
indirect effects of alcohol-would
actually be distributed in ratio Of
fiye-sixths among the laboring popu-
lation. And would not that practically
solve all the difficulties about rent and
tenancy, food and education, which
now are SO to the fore?
The higher possibilities of the hui
man race depend upon the proper So
luton of this problem; for IL our
highest faculties are the first to be
struck down by alcohol, surely we
must destroy this destroyer, or there
will be practically stoppage to the
civilization.