The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1913-04-25
THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL
ON THE HUMAN BODY


CBy Willie Chapel, OF the Fifth Grade o
Dawson Public Schools A prize offered b.
Womans Christian Temperance Union TO
best essay on the injurious effects Of alcohol.
Alcohol is a poison. 1t is made
from the sugar in fruits. vegetables
and grains. Alcohol does not xii
all who drink it, but even drinking a
little at time Injuries health, causes
disease and shortens life.
The alcohol in wine comes from
the spoiled sugar in grape juice and
in other fruits used to make it. The
alcohol in beer comes from the spoil
ed sugar in malt, which comes from
barley. 1t is just a waste of fruits
and vegetables to make alcohol out
of them. The grain could be made
into bread for the drunkard's chill
dren. Alcohol also weakens the
heart The heart is kept from beat
ing too fast by little nerves in the
body. and alcohol puts these nerves
to sleep. Alcohol lessons the rate
and the depth of breathing, 1t is
not in any sense a food because it
does not build up the muscle, blood,
bone or any tissue of the body. Al
cohol deadens the nerves and lessons
the desire for real food. 1t weakens
the will and deadens the morals. Men
who use alcohol are not allowed to
be athletes or engineers. Every dose
of alcohol, even the most moderate,
diminishes strength. The bad effect
of alcohol on persons performing
muscular work is well known. Even
a small dose of alcohol has most
harmful effect on muscular work.
The children of drinking parents
do not inherit healthy nervous sys-
tens. Out of 10000 children exam
med four per cent of those free from
alcoholic faint were billiards, and Is
per cent suffered from organic dis
eases: while of those with alcoholic
faint Il per cent were billiards, 80
per cent were very deficient and 70
per cent suffered from organic dis
eases.
Beer, which is a form Of alcohol,
makes people old before their time.
It ruins the stomach, liver heart and
brain, and brings them into the poor
house and prison, hospital and asy-
lum, and early puts them under the
ground Life is considerably short
ened by the use of alcohol in large
quantities. Consumption is more
frequent among people who drink
alcohol, and shortens life five or six
years. Alcohol also has bad effect
on animals. An interesting alcohol
experiment was made with frogs
eggs. An English scientist took a
number of these eggs and put
one half of them into a bowl of wa
ter from the faucet; the other half
he put into a bowl Of water to which
a little alcohol had been added. He
kent these two bowls with the eggs
side by side and watched the tad
poles from day to day On the sixth
day the tadpoles in the pure water
were nearly twice as large as those
which were in the water with the
alcohol in it. The scientist afterward
found out that the tadpoles that were
in the water with the alcohol in it
never did develop. Alcohol even him
iers the growth of tadpoIe, and it
certainly will harm people who use it
Alcohol is also a thief, The poor
man who uses it could buy bread for
his Door little starving children. The
people who make or sell alcohol have
20 pay nigh taxes. The amount of
TAX on alcohol is $40 on every gal
lon manufactured, but alcohol may
be made undrinkable by the use of
1t is then called denatur-
ed alcohol. and is not taxed since it
is used for art and manufacturing
purposes. The man who does not
pay the, taxes the government re
uuires cannot carry on business.
The only safe rule is to let alcohol
alone