Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1911-04-26
ALCOHOL AND CRIME.
An Essay That Won a Prize in
the Recent w. c. T. U.
Contest. Quotes Webs
ter on Crime.

| CaClOn OF VeSeGdDlS Juices WulCli
contain sugar. 1t is the foundation
of spirits, W ines, and malt liquors,
and the substance to which the in
toxicating effects of these beverages
are due. So under the head cf alco-
hol we may discuss all injurious
effects and evils brought about by
the use of any or all intoxicants,
wines, rum, brandy, whiskey, or
beer.
What is crime? Webster says,
Crime is a violation of law" So
now our treatment of the subject,
alcohol and Crime resolves it
self into this. Whathave wines, rum,
brandy, whiskey, beer and the rest
of the spurious liquors to do with
the violation of law, Gods law, ma
lures law, and the law of the state?
Let US consider Gods law first.
What does he say about it in His
book? Who hath woe? who hath
sorrow? who hath contentious
who hath babbling? who hadh
wounds without cause? who hath
redness of eyes? They that tarry
long at the wine; they that go to
seek mixed wine, Look not thou
upon the wine when it is red, when
it giveth its color in the cup when
it moveth itself Alright. At last it
biteth like a serpent and stingeth
like an adder. Wine is a mocker,
strong drink is raging, and who
soever is deceived thereby is not
wise. He that loveth wine and oil
shall not be rich.
And let us look again, what is
this we find? Woe unto him that
giveth his neighbor drink, that put
teth thy Bottle to him and maketh
him drunken. Hab. 2:l5.
Does alcohol violate natu.e's
law: The answer is plain. Compare
the frank-faced, honest eyed, untidy
specimen who slouches by us in an
aimless, don't care sort of way, his
whole body saturated with alcohol,
his eye dimmed, his heart weakened,
his liver hardened, his stomach rem
dered totally incapable of digesting
wholesome healthful food to prop
|erly nourish Che body. Are The laws
of nature violated? Wesay they are.
How about the laws of the state?
Visit the penitentiaries!. How many
total abstainers will you find there?
Certainly alcohol is violator of
the laws of the state.
Let us consider the crimes alco-
hol causes to be committed under
three heads, first, the crime against
the user; second, the crime against
his family; third, the crimes against
society at large. First, the crimes
The user of alcohol commits against
himself. The use of alcohol is par
ticularly dangerous, because it fire.
quently obtains mastery over the
user without his realizing the fact.
1t Injuries the action of the heart,
interferes with circulation and i'm
pairs the digestive powers. More
over, it has a very important infu-
ence upon the moral nature. The
drunkard loses his sense of response
bility and ceases to be normal
man. His whole body becomes dis
eased and unable to carry on its
proper functions. His mind becomes
dull and his ambitions disappear.
The use of alcohol in large quanti-
ties destroys a mans chance of the
highest success.
Alcohol causes the death of thou
sands of men and women every
year. Some people use wines or
beers in small amounts for years
without being apparently injured
by them. Nevertheless alcoholic
drinks, when habitually used, even
in' small quantities, frequently pro-
duce decidedly injurious effects.
They are never needed by per-
sons in health, and they are cer-
tainly dangerous to all young peo-
pie. The effect of using alcohol in
small quantities does not appear at
once. It's action when so used was
shown recently by series of ex-
peripents upon dogs, made by DR..
Hodge, of Clark university. -Four
dogs were selected from the same
litter,< all as nearly alike as possible.
Two of them were given only Or
dinary food, the other two were
treated in exactly the same way, e1-
cept that they were given small
amount of alcohol. with each meal.
They were never given enough al
cohol to make them intoxicated, and
taking into consideration the rela-
tive size of the dogs and a man, the
amount given was relatively about
as much as would be taken by
many moderate drinkers. At first
the four dogs were practically alike,
but little by little differences began
to appear between those that had
nothing but the regular food, and
those that were given alcohol with
their food. In the course of few
months the alcohol dogs were quite
inferior in appearance to the other
two. By the end of a year and half