The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-27

CExciusive Service the Survey Press
 Bureau)
 A miracle has happened in Russla-a miracle that has put bread in the cup boards of the poor, fires on the hearths, the wife-beater. lifted people from sunenness and despair to happi- ness and self-respect,
 And the miracle. strangely enough. was made possible by Russia's autooratic form of government, under which the Little Father. by one stroke of the pen. put vodka and it's temptations beyond the reach of the people-by prohibiting the sale of strong drink in any part of the empire.
 What an American Business Man Saw Henry w. Miller who for the last 3l years has spent half of each year in Russia, managing silver shops for Tiff fany X Co, told me of the wonderful change that had taken place there, and explained that there was nothing half way about this prohibition
 '1 had just landed in Moscow" he said. 1T felt a little chilly and sent out for some rum to put in my tea Not a drop was to be had.
 q hadn't heard till then of the Czar's tikase. but l soon saw the effects of it upon the men when I went to the shops. I want to say that I never lived through n miracle before, but the regeneration that l saw there was nothing short of mira oulous.
 "The Russian peasants speak always of Black Monday in Russia for they usu- ally come to work sodden, stupid and depressed after Il day spent in the wine shops. And they're lucky too. if they don't miss at least one day through the working week for the same reason-drink. Or pay day the wives who came-so un- derfed, 80 badly clothed--to wheedle from them part of their earnings to buy food for the children, usually came too late all gone
 Better Work and Living
 Now" continued MT. lIiller, this marvellous change has swept ever Rus sia like a cyclone-with the noise left out. It Is wonderful The men come to work cheerful. sober; their work has m- proved incredibly. And the women--as I met them on the streets q great burden was gradually lifted from me. They ceased coming after their husbands' pay; and as the weeks wore on. they and their children began to loolx-well, as if they
  meals a day.
 "This is the outward and visible sign of the change--a change from a peop-e starving, hopeless. inefficient slaves to drink. to a people we'll nourished, indus tiious. regenerated.
 And mind you-T left Moscow the last Of October--this was the result Of less than three months under this regime.
 '"The chief of police of Moscow was jubilant over the almost incredible de- crease in crime. My job is fine. he said genially. There's comparatively no crime 1t used to be a common thing to see men and women. too, I am sorry to say lying dead drunk in the side streets. You don't see drunken man now and women can walk about without being in- suited
 'oThe Russian peasant, YOU know, is the kindliest fellow in the world-but let him get two or three drinks of vodka ("wodky'' MT. Hitler pronounces iD and he's the devil incarnate. When l lived in Siberia I had a cook wro was the gent lest sort of fellow, ordinarily. but who had beeen punished five times for mur- der after drinkng-and he'd have com mitted another if I hadn't knocked him senseless with log one day.
 Don't think said MT fIiller. that tnis regenera ton came in a moment from the Czar or his despots The Russian
 
 It owns the liquor trade and gets from 1t yearly revenue of q billion dollars. Now, the peasant knows that his glass of vodka is not good for him and eats up his money and his ambition; but 1t has a terrible hold on him.
 Czar's Act Makes Reform
 Years ago great movement against liquor started, an expression of resentment against a government that traded upon the curse of its people. Then came the war. The anti-alcohol people said. Nov is the time tO strike; it will help mob- ilization and moreover the czar will be afraid now to refuse us And the Czar had the power to accomplish at one stroke what some have been working for for years.
 Do you hear grumbiing? Not very much Of course, there are always those who think they must drink or die. and they did die-some of them. for they even took to wood alcohol, poor fellows. in place of vodka. These cases, however, were few in number. As class. the peasants were jubilant over the results of having been put beyond the reach of temptat,on. They could not but aclSnowl- edge that 1t was most beneficial thing" AssI heard this story of a remarkable national reform l fell to wondering. 'If this marvellous change has come about in Russia don't you suppose the other