Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-08-25
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UPAS TREE OF INTEMPERANcE
Why 1t Flourlshes While Other Vices
Yield to Reform-Men Labor un-
der Fatal Deluslon.

How shall we explain the fact that
the power of public opinion has proved
so much more effective in the struggle
against the spread of the gambling
vice and the social evil than In the
crusade aaginst the curse of the alco-
hol habit? The explanation can GER
tainly not be found In the lack Of per-
sistent effort Without the tenth part
of the energy and the moral enthusi-
asm devoted to the promotion of tenn
perance. gambling. lotteries and the
traffic in obscene literature have been
reduced to practical minimum. Gam
ing. in its worst form, enjoyed for
generations the protection of civilized
governments in Europe and America.
the interests of the gambler were pro-
tected by the inveteracy of the vice
and the lavish expenditure of money
bribes. and yet we see that in less
than a quarter of a century the pub
lie gambling hells Of Christendom have
been reduced to a den maintaining
a precarious existence in a small prin-
cipality of the Italian peninsula.
The only logical explanation can be
found In the circumstance that those
vices have been generally recognized
as unqualified evils, while a large pro-
portion of our fellow men still labor
under the fatal delusion of the belief
that, within certain limits. taste for
Intoxicating beverages can be In
dulged with impunity, writes Felix L.
Oswald. NJ. D., in the Union Signal.
They persist in calming their own mis-
hA1 inf In bn
lessness of moderate drinking, and of
the "moilder stimulants," and confess
the evils of intemperance only in the
sense of an admission that all excess
Is injurious. THE fact that stimu-
lants can be swallowed in health en-
dangering overdoses," they argue.
does not justify the plan to lessen
that danger by anti-liquor laws. We
might as well prevent the sale of meat
and sugar because a surfeit of meat
pies and pastry may result in dyspep-
sie. Be temperate in all things, and
defend the palladium of personal lib
erty'
And too many of our brethren en-
counlge those delusions by still ascrib-
ing intemperance to the temptations
of unrestrained appetite" and the
passions of unregenerate nature"
The dread of chronic alcoholism may
deter many young men from the peril
Gus first steps on the road to ruin,
and the grim logic of experience may
induce few half confirmed drunkards
to renounce their vice in time, but
we can never hope to get a stroke at
the root of the upas tree till we can
enforce the general recognition of
the truth, that the alcohol habit in all
its forms is wholly abnormal passion
as distinct from a natural appetite as
poison from wholesome food; that the
Indulgence of that passion, even in
the slightest degree, is resisted by
the veto of sanitary instinct which
can never be outraged with impunity.
and that the apparent exhilaration fol-
lowing the qualification of a long per-
verred appetite is invariably followed
by that depressing reaction which
makes every poison vice losing
game and inexorably defeats the at
tempts to attain surplus of happi-
ness by the influence of unnatural
stimulants. In other words, we must
deprive the rum seller OF a factitious
Hoidi support Dy opening the eyes OF
his victims to the fact that the alco-
hol vice is an unqualified evil We
must convince the dupes of the stimu-
liant habit that our protest is not d.
rected against an enjoyment injuri-
Gus only in case Of excess, but against
an unnatural vice, Incompatible with
the interests of health and happiness,
and moreover constantly tending to
assume the ruinous form of progress
sive and at last irresistible passion.
We must try to make moderate"
tippling as odious as moderate" theft
and moderate" polygamy We cannot
afford to waste our time in combating
the superficial errors of the alcohol
dupes. while We ignore the radical
mistake at the bottom of their defu-
sion. We must learn to direct our ef-
forts against the hidden germs of a
poison plant which has for ages re-
sisted our attacks upon its eEuber.
ant branches