Semi-weekly herald., 1913-11-03
MANY NATIONS HEADING
FOR THE WATER WAGON

Are the nations heading for the
water, wagon 2" Is the worship of
Bacchus to become as dead as defer
ence to Pan? Is the gayety of wine
to pirouette from view and the sol
emnity of water to flood mankind?
Questions similar to these are be
ing asked by temperance workers and
by liquor capitalists alike, since the
news came out of Germany few
days ago that the kaiser had order
ed his secretary of the interior, DR.
Delbrueck, to sound the governments
of the German states on their views
as to the enactment of law regard
ing the sale of beers and liquors. This
sounding of official opinion through
out the empire is now in progress,
says the New York Times.
The general roll call of the nations
today shows the temperance hosts
land temperance is not used as mean
ing absolute prohibition) to be pow
erfu in the United States, all the
Scandinavian countries, and the chief
English colonies. In England herself,
in France, Germany, Switzerland,
Holland and Belgium the temperance
crusade is important. Very recent
years show growth of the temperance
cause in India and Japan.
But, taking a sweeping view of ma
tional results, temperance has not i'm
pressed itself much on Spain, Italy,
Austria, Russia, the Balkan states,
China, Mexico, Central America or
South America.
1t was obviously along scientific
lines that the kaiser's mind was work
ing when he issued his order to DR..
Delbrueck. He is evidently afraid
that too much beer and liquor may
damage the physique of the German
army. The cables telling of his latest
move say that Wilhelm believes that
"the race for future greatness and
dominance in the world will go to the
nation which is mentally the clearest
and physically the strongest"
Kaiser Wilhelm himself is now vir-
tually teetotaler. Lemonade is his
favorite tipple. Nor is he alone among
the crowned heads in taking to water
Other abstainers are the king OF
Italy, czar of Bulgaria, king of Swed-
en- and king of Spain, so the cables
declare. The crown prince of Sweden
is also stated never to touch alcohol
An odd manifestation of the TEN.
perance movement is that students
at Bonn university have recently ask.
ed the university senate to erect q
milk booth on the college grounds. A
milk drinking German student is Ger.
tainly cataclysm for tradition.
The premier of Sweden is flatly
aligned with the prohibitionists. Ad
dressing the Northern Temperate,
congress at Stockholm last July, h,
declared that he favored prohibition
for Sweden, but that it should only
be instituted gradually, after a tria
of partial restrictions.
The prohibition group in the Swed
ish diet is very large and influential
and this fact aids in fostering the be
lief among the "drys" that Sweder
will soon abolish liquor.
Norway is also apparently moving
toward the water wagon, although
scarcely perhaps, as fast as Sweden
A large proportion of the sitting
members of parliament are in favol
of prohibition, while some member.
of the cabinet are total abstainers.
Iceland and the Farce islands, boti
Danish possessions, have prohibition
Iceland being the first country OF
modern times to enact a constitution
al prohibition. against the manufact
ure, importation and sale of liquor.
Denmark herself is joining in tn,
general Scandinavian advance agains
the tipple which may inebriate. Tn,
question of prohibition is in activ,
politics.
Last year the National Union OF
Danish Farm Laborers voted for pro
hibition. This year the Union OF
Small Landed Proprietors has don,
the same.
Finland, the last of the Scandin.
avian countries, has twice voted for q
national prohibition law, but the czai
OF Russia declined the necessary i'm.
perial sanction to make the law eff.
fective.
Turning from Scandinavia, other
European realms offer more gratifi.
cation to the legionaries of Dionysus
In England, while there is wide.
spread temperance crusade, govern
mental activity, national and NUM-
cipal, is far behind individual effort
Through Bands of Hope for children,
and through strong, aggressive tenn
perance societies. stiff fight is be-
ing put upon behalf of water.
France is furious battle-ground
On one side stand the vast interests
financial; political and social, of the