The Detroit times., 1912-11-02
By 5WILLIAM r. ELLIS.

The worldcts becoming standard'ze
even In its mofal problems The tenn
around-the-world question. native
w. G. T. ". has been called into exist
ence In Japan. China, In adopting new
ways, II iearning to drink japanese
India. long the land OF sobriety. seems
tive liquor shops. The Mosiem lands.
supposed 70 be sostsinsrs by command s1d
increase in the use Of intoxicants dur
Ing late years, The Greek wine shops
which abound In the Mediterranean
clties--cairo and constantinople-have
a large share OF moderniEed Moslem
patrons In europe and America, IL
quor always has been a problem 80
we see that all over the earth TINS
issue OF the menace OF alcoholic drinks
Is e. very real one.
AS fashions spread around the world
the bad seem TO travel faster than the
good.
wlthal. there is new conscience
awaking Upon the evil OF intemper-
ance.. Changing world conditions
lengthen the battle line; the enemy
tSeIess. the cause Of temperance is
truly making progress One would
have to be blind TO the Idoings OF his
day to deny this. Consider the scottish
two centuries ago. Consider the amount
OF strong liquor that was drunk In this
land In the years Of its founding. Old
er persons now living can tell Of the
upon the sale OF intoxicants. Once,
and that scarcely more than q gener-
alton ago. II was counted bad form TO
decline d social glass, now, with per-
feet self-respect and entire lack OF
embarrassment. one may be total abb
stainer in any circles The mind OF
ma kind has advanced in it's view Of
the whole drink question.
Where there's drink there's dan
ger" No sounder temperance slogan
has ever been uttered than that. Dam
ger does not always mean destruction:
body but a mad man would counsel
youth 10 venture into needless dan
gers. Why pick ones way over the
quieksands when there IL safe. clear
highway at hand7 There IL no Inn
portant argument 10 be offered against
total abstinence; there are many OBJ
vious ones against the use OF intoxi-
cants.
Even the German emperor has urged
temperance upon his own nation.
which has beer for it's national oevsr-
age.
Recently have been working
through certain Pennsylvania towns
where the population Is almost wholly
Pennsylvania German. and whore
thrift and industry are the handmade
ems Of religion. In trying TO explain
why the Intellectual level OF those
communities IL not higher. and why
they lack public spirit and enterprise.
the answer came In the signs upon the
highways and in the reek that nlled
every hotel at which we stopped--beer
Tf these communities are not wholly
beer -drinkers-and ! know they are
not--then all outward signs belle them.
Before one can register at many Of
the hotels he must go into or through.
the bar-room. which IL the only office
A tremendous shaking upon this sub
ject Of temperance would mean the I'm
teilectual and moral emancipation OF
many communities
As the aIrshIp and submarine and
hiRh-power rifle have altered the char
acter OF war 30 new and unexpected
allies have OF late come TO the help Of
the temperance cause. The hrst OF
these n the economic argument Men
cannot AFFORD 20 drink IN this siren
nous day rs thew once did. Even the
Britisher in india has had TO reduce
the number 81 his "peRS" Great cor