The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-08-16
THE RICHMOND OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES AUGUST is 1914

To the New YORK State Inebriate so
oiety, author and scientist. declared
u by Senator La Toilette. in his MAX
ing of America" to be Americas
leading authority on inebriety'':
The drink evil has followed the
race march as a shadow in outline,
generally growing less and less dis
tinct up to the last century. From
that time IL has appeared IN a new
4 form. The old time stupor from the
effects of spirits has changed to de-
frium decisions and crime symp-
q toms. Mental exhaustion. insanity,
4 and acute brain and nerve degenera-
! tion have become prominent In most
L cases. Moderate drinking Is hecom-
ing more and more impossible. The
d moderate drinker Of today becomes
4 the inebriate Of tomorrow. and dies
the next day of acute disease, or is
\ laid away in some asylum"
The student Of the Bible will re-
4 call how exactly the accounts Of
\ drunkenness therein given accord
A with DR. Crother' s@scieHtitc character
4 ization; how stupor seems to have
Il been lis predominant feature. and the
man who then drank 10 excess IS pic
tured as being his own worst enemy.
4 rather than n menace 10 the safety
and happiness Of others. Then. to
the very limited number who became
victims ef an iaehriety devoid Of the
demon element whtoh 0r. Crothers
calls "dehsions and crime symptoms"
the chief appeal might have been:
DO Thysetf No Harm new the
effect Of the fiery deeoctions. evolved
1 In laboratories where atans genius
presides, on the highly strung ner-
vous organisms Of the twentieth CEN
Z fury, is seen in such reign Of wretch
edness and crime. thai organized So
ctety must protect itself fT its most
I powerful means or ire false to the
4 very purposes OF its existence DR.
!. Crothers also discueses Tire PSYCHE
logical factor in this problem" and
Conclusiyeiy shows that IN the ineb-
rate of today the moral faculties
are usually disofganized and out Of
I harmony even when the intellect
seems to be unimpaifed; that often
these are at different levels in the
same Individual In me alcoholic vic
tim the moral Ecnse suffers first and
is always the most diseased And
yet there be some who saY this is
4 not moral issue
Again. the modern organized liquor
traffic immensely affects our present
day problem II has vast wealth at
It's command and the financial inter-
ests Of q multitude IA all the walks
N OF life are interviewer with it's fate.
1t is resourceful, and Il Is now des-
perate. It knows that It Ii fighting
| for It's own life and the rules OF civ
iized warfare Ia to 1t meaningless
4 Jingle Of idle words Il has no re-
n ligion but the greed of gain. no love
u that gold cannot corrupt; no pity
that avarice does not strangle. 1t IS
q ! marshallng its forces for q conflict.
n the impact of which may shake the
I world. Now. therefore. go to, pro-
4 claim in the ears Of Che people. say
n i,,er - 10 fFF1 f~afI
d let him return and depart early from
4 Mount Gilead." Let no man deceive
q you: we are dealing with condition
i without precedent. Let no amount Of
Ingenious sophistry divert you from
the real issue: the drink evil has
grown into such proportions, and
taken on such hideous features. that
b stinct of humanity clamors for its
utter destruction. We cannot par
I ley with the enemy; We cannot de-
. bate among ourselves On questions
= of extent OF territory 1t is a fight
unto the death! The last vestige of
the saloons accurseea reign must be
| swept from every Inch Of YIrginia's
| haloued soil
II The Christian church must fight
| or ANONYMOUSLY run It's heroic,
| NIL itant past. the memo- Of its mar
| tyred dead proclaim that it will not
| desert Its colors and leave the field
| in this supreme hour It will stay and
! hght--not one, but a hundred bat
| ties, If need be. until the most splen-
did victory Of all the ages is won for
L God and humanity.
II ! have not time now to more than
| remind you of the modern saloon.
/ with all It's concomitarts or shame
: suffering and crime as factor in
our problem | may not now point
r. y,F ha i-4-s nc
In the halls Of legislation Like some
a vast octopus It reaches out In a thou
sand directions and It's arms are as
, filthy as. the slime Of the pit and as
Z merciless as the grave | am chief
. ly concerned today with the conten-
ton that the Bible may be made to
, give comfort and support to the forces
: arrayed against the prohibition of in
: toxicatiug liquors The Bible is Gods
book. Whatever surprises the future
. may hold, whatever reversals of the
old order; whatever new interpreted
tons of the deep things of life--the
, notes OF the bells that ring out the
, old and ring ID the new, VIII Vi
brate about the Bible like the fading
: tones Of passing refrain sung to the
, eternal stars Let us reverently turn
, to the grand old book. Hung on the
t walls Of the Bibles mighty gallery,
. limned by the hand of matchless ar
tst. in culors whose tints, true 20
, life, have deted the corroding power
Of the ages. I behold this picture,
who hath woe who hath sorrow
who hath contentious? who hath
wounds without cause? who hath red
ness of eyes They that tarry long
at the wine they that go TO seek
mixed wine Look not thou upon the
, wine when 1t is red. when It giveth
its color IN the cup. when II moveth
itself Alright Al last 1t biteth Ike a
serpent and st,ngeth Ike an adder
Thine eyes shall behold strange wo-
men. and thine heart shall utter per-
verse things. Yea, thou shalt be as
one that lieth down in the midst OF
the sea, or as he that lieth upon the
, top Of mast. They have stricken
me, shalt thou say. and l was not
sick: they have beaten me and | felt
1t not: when shah I awake? | will
seek it yet again"
turn Its pages. and lurid warn
ing flashes ont Ike n darling flame
from the eternal hurnings:
Woe unto them that rise up early
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