The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-11-19
ALCOHOLIC EFFECTS
ON THE HUMAN RACE
FACTS AND STATISTICS GIVEN TO PROVE
WRITER'S CONVENTIONS
CHAUTAUQUA PAPER
Alcohol as a Beverage is a Curse to The
Human Race; and as to lis Medical
Proportions, II is Absolutely Value
less: So Asserts Medical Authority
By DR.. p. M.

The lex, "f my article will not be
a scientific. d .tinu O, or ciemica
ANALYSIS or the word Alcohol :
DECIDEDLY not. My object is tn refer
and talk to you about Alcohol III
general as All Intoxicating liquor; a
distilled spirit and beverage that
contains AN alcoholic percentage in
small or large Proportion, from the
foan,ing lager beer up to the spark
Ing champagne. 70 endeavnr this
and to give au illusiraiIan of the al
cohul's value aud It's financial stand
ing, have set forth plain state
menis of facts; tables of statistics
which may be rather dry affair IN
spite If the wet sounding name of
my subiect, but, they will be H.
strucling and educating.
Since Christopher Go IL II b u $
brave d ihe unknown seas in search
of the treasures of ln,ila, The world
has dug out of the earth fifteen
thousand million dollars worth of
gold. and since the panic of 1907
the American people have spent for
alcohol just fifteen thousand million
dollars. or to make mat atheuatic icai
conparison-th products OF 40
years of human sacrifice and toll.
daring discovery and exploration
anl engineering experiments, all
those products are equal of just SIX
years easy going expenditure of the
American people for alcohol and to.
baccu- the cup thai. cheers and The
weed that soolhes.
The yearly amount Of the drink
ing bill of the American people Is
about two billion dollars. This
means the comblued profits of all
tue manufacturing aud industrial
companies, banks and other tinan-
clal institutions railroads, tele
graphs, telephones and other public
service corpuratlons- OF these
combined profits are less than our
expenditures for drinks, but Oh the
other side, they are greater than the
nnemi. from the presidential SALARY
down to the lIitle rural school house,
and further. more than twice the
present amount of the national debt. 1.
and last-mure than all Europe Is
spending for he preparation of war.
Now, what is each mans share IN
this two billion dollar drink ng bill!
1t Is figured al $500 for every in
hahitant. Let us figure aud take
notice: The total amount of money
in circulation in The Uuiled States
is three billion dollars that means
$500 for every man. woman and
child. Comparing those statements
will bring to us the CONCLUSION that
it would take just about sixteen
months To swallow up that anlt unt
of three billion dollars, Including
every dollar in 'he National Treas-
ury. If all The nickels. .;lmes aud
dollars spent for The products of
breweries. distllleri-s and wineries
were boarded up as fast as received
10y the retailer "f this alcohol prod
uct. This Is certainly astonishing
-amaz ig. and will make us study
and c.n,slier. AT the same time
there :s one consolation of taking ~
consideration that our drinking hab-
lis compared with those cf the tor
eigu countries will show that we
drink less per capita ,han any Of the
leading countries, as England, Ger
many aud France, and not to over
look one more good poIu,; The all.
slainers and tee totalers have to
thank the users of alcohol for he,
ing to defray large part of the na
tional expenses of tue federal gov
ernmanl 10y the collections Of duties
and taxes on alcohol.
There are still few more facts
to he considered I'D regard to The
industrial standpoint and economic
aspect. First. figure up the i'm
mense amount of money put iuio
circulation; The large public and
private expenditures transferred in-
to large pay rolls. Further, consi-
der The thousands of farmers who
are engaged in raising hops, barley,
corn. rye, fruit ahd the raw materi.
al needed for the production OF
alcohol. then furthermore, The en-
ployment of an army of three
hundred thousand workiugineu in