The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-10-03
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DRINKING AMONG THE WOMEN

Not Only Ignorant and Criminal Who
Give Way to Appetite, but Many
OF Superior intelligence.
ms IS, Of course, a very important
subject. l have worked a good deal
among women; and you have only to
work among women to feel what this
subject means. When the wife is a
drunkard, the home is truly miserable
for the husband, the childran. and the
woman herself. The woman viii do
anything to get money for drink,
writes Mrs. Guy Saint in Temperance!
But 1t is not only women in that class.
1t Is not only the ignorant and the
criminal who give way to TINS; 1t IS
often the most intelligent who have
fallen the victims to It. Now, how is
1t that this takes place? What is the
reason Of this extraordinary power
that drink has over people? Ii We
are going to work amongst women,
we must realize what this extraor-
binary power of alcohol Is. Alcohol
has a great effect upon the liver and
other organs Of the body, but l want
to speak especially of the effect on
the controlling part of the mind.
When any thought comes into your
mind, that thought tries to express IT.
self in action, and it does not do SO
because you have the controlling pow
er, which says, No, that is not
thing for me to do" Your power OF
saying Mo-" your power Of express
sion or remaining silent. your power
to make you speak when speaking is
a great effort-all that Is the con-
trolling power of your mind; and it is
extremely important, because il helps
to make or mar your character. After
all, oar character is the th'"@ chat we
are making in this world-the one
thing that We are carrying beyond it.
Therefore our character is extremely
important; and alcohol has an intlu-
ence over that character; it can in
jure it, and therefore it is an extreme
ly dangerous thing. How is 1t that
alcohol has this power over people?
How is it that they can so easily take
it to excess? Now, | think there are
three points we might take up. The
first is that alcohol is always so handy.
1t is so handy, too, in large houses,
for the servants can easily get it in
many cases. Then, people can now
order it from their grocers, and ladies
can get It at railway refreshment
rooms, and so on; you have no idea
Of the harm it does It is so handy
that the temptation Is always there.
Then, secondly. there are so many oc-
casions for taking it, People are SO
ready to suggest, Have a little wine,
or spirits" You know, it IS the rush
of today. We allow no time tor any
thing; and among the poor people,
too. there is a continuous rush. A
great many of the women in our
large cities have to be up early 20 90
and clean Offices, and they go back
again in the evening. It is always a
rush to and fro, and during these
rushes they think they will have just
a little Of this ard that rne-ea1 OF
taking food, which is what they want
All these women want teaching, and
that is what we have to do-try to
educate the women. We do want
these women to realize that alcohol is
not thing to fall back upon. They
use it for an emergency. and once
you begin to make emergencies, they
come one after another Alcohol is
not the best thing to nurse upon. You
want plenty of fluid, that is true; only
a good nursing mother wants to be as
placid and as calm as possible, and
alcohol is not conducive to pIacidity
and calmness. Nursing mothers are
much better by taking plenty Of milk,
even weak tea, or pure water The
third reason is: How do we know in
taking alcohol when we have had sui
ficient? oh" you say, any one with
q little common sense knows that"
Now. this Is q very important point
You say you know 1t is your judg-
ment or discretion that teaches you
when you have had enough. We find
that alcohol. even in small doses, in
tluences your judgment; your judg-
ment is not so good after You have
taken alcohol as it was before you did
So It is this Judgment on which you
are depending as to whether you have
had enough. Your judgment that you
were going by has been altered.
think that, ii you consider these points
you win partly understand the reason
why so many take to drink to excess.
Lastly, alcohol IS absolutely unneces-
sary to health Is it safe to deal with
a beverage which has such very real
potential dangers?
Poverty BY Alcohol.
General Booth, in his book, Dark