The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-10

without thought or embarrassment.
All good manners depend upon the
cultivation OF these social habits.
f"nqlly, above these. lie the reasoning
faculties. the powers of JUDGMENT and
b.. elimination, these powers exert
control over the social habits ard
through them over all the other likes
IT the mind, ard aGt rs the governing
forces that determine personality.
character morals and manners. III Is
thus seen thai the mind may be con-
ceived of as made up of various levels,
each of which Is governed and re-
strained by those above it. and the
iosspSt of All the WI and the reason.
being responsible to nothing but IL
sell. iiij9 strong governor or king.
And our manners will pe GOOD or iafi.
our characters human or beastiy, in
proportion as our lower levels are
dominated by the higher.
Now, when we drink alcohol, in
stead of stimulating these higher
levels. increasing thtir power and
function. it does just the opposite. Il
depresses them; it clubs them into IN
sensibii!ty. when the higher level is
thus put to sleep, what happens? The
drinker just becomes "befuddled' his
thoughts are elouded, his Judgment
faulty. his win perturbed The re-
stra!nt upon the lower levels is weak
ened or removed, These thereupon eX-
ert themselves, like savages freed
from their bonds Thus we get an
apparent Ia !. I,ha-aG.nl-as
becomes ahnormally polite. lie is an
usually careful to 60 nothing to Offend
the prophecies. lie carries good man
ners to q erotesque extreme. But does
he do so because his good manners
are stimulated? BY no means. He
does so because the restraints of the
higher levels, which prevented gro
tesqueness. are depressed, arc asieep p.
After awhile tho alcohol takes hold
Of the social habits and depresses
them They so to sleep. The re-
stralnt they exert upon the lower
levels Is gone The drinker thereupon
becomes noisy. profane, wants to fight,
is dangerous to women, becomes in
every degree offensive Does he do
SO because his bestial instincts are
stimulated? No. He does SO be-
cause they are unleashed, given their
freedom. by the drugging OF the
laboriouslv acquired restraints of good
manners and civilization.
So on throughout ali the many
levels Of the mind. One by one the
higher levels are drugged- Their re-
stralnt removed. the lower, the rrimi-
tive, the so-called hestiaI levels. are
fFctH anu take auNdHtaEe oi iiftli
freedom The progressive depression
goes on until nj last nothing ia left
awaa.e and func.ioning except the lorw-
est level Of all that Of the automatic
vital reffexes. The heart beats. the
lungs expand the DREAMS function,
but that Is all The drinker lies ike
a machine, nnconscinus and uncaring.
And # the alcohol he not stopped in
It's action soon Il seiTeG upGn whit fs
left. depresses even the vital reflexes.
and death results.
In other words, we may employ n
somewhat imperfect figure and Inn
. "ire tbs mind to be like an engine:
alcohol does not feed more steam into
the cylinders, nor superheat and
thereby increase the function of the
steam already there. On the con-
trarv. 1t releases the governor. and.
incidentally, cuts down the quantity of
steam. OF course. despite the lessen
ed pressure. the engine speeds up.
Soon II runs awav and is something
Is not done, II shakes itself to pieces
and stops, TO run no more.
II you want to find out just what
II means to drink alcohol, ask some
engineer to explain to you Just what
It means to take the governor off an
engine
Ali this would not he so bad II 1t
were not for one peculiar character
ist.c Of the mind. That characteristic
may he stated thus: When alcohol
puts to sleep the various levels OF the
mind these levels never entirely wake
up afterward. They are always and
invariably injured. Their restraint Is
never again as effective. The springs
of the governor are permanently
weakened. This accounts Tor the