Evening star., 1914-12-26
WONDERFUL CHANGE
WROUGHT IN RUSSIA
Nation "SWears Off" and All
Classes Are Greatly
Benefited.
CAR PROHIBITS SALE
OF INTOXICATING DRINK
From a People Starving and Hope
less, They Are Now Happy
and Prosperous.

efficient. slaves 10 drink, to people
well nourished. Industrious, regener-
ated, that is the physical sign of the
marvellous change that takes place
when nation swears off, according to
Christina Marr man, writing exclu-
sively for the Survey press service.
RMS service is an association for
finding out and interpreting the facts
of working and living conditions and
advance.
The wonderful transformation that
within three months was conspicu-
ously evident among the Russians
when the war forced the czar by a
single stroke of his pen to put vodka
and its temptations beyond the reach
O. rs accustomed easy victims was re-
ported by an american business man. 1t
was striking1y confirmed by a noted
. life insurance actuary at meeting of
the Association of Life Insurance
Presidents. Miss Marriman'S article
follows:
Miracle in Russia.
"a miracle has happened in Russia
a miracle that has put bread in the
cupboards of the poor, fires on the
hearths. reformed the wife beater,
lifted a people from sullenness and
despair to happiness and self-respect
"And the miracle strangely enough
was made possible by Russia's auto
cratic form of government, under
which the little father. by one stroke
ti or the pen. put vodka and its tempta-
tlons beyond the reach of the people
by prohibiting the sale of strong drink
in any part of the empire
What an American Saw.
Henry W. Hitler who for the last
thirty-one years has spent half of each
year in Russia on business. told me of
he f,,I
place there, and explained that there
was nothing halfway about this pro-
hibition.
II had just landed in Moscow ne
said. . Gov felt a little chilly and sent
out Tor some rum to put in my tea
Not drop was to be had.
hadn't heard till then of the
gar ukase, but l soon saw the effects
OF IT upon the men when I went to the
SHOPS; want to say that 1 ne, ,r
hVed through a miracle before but the
regeneration that I saw there was
nctnlng g short of m raculous.
Inc Russian peasant speak ALWAYS
OF BLACK Monday in Russia for they
usually come to work sodden, stupid
and depressed after a day spent in the
VINE VINE shops. hops: And they're lucky. too. If
through the working week for the
same reason-drink. On pay day the
wives who came-so underfed SO badly
ciothed-to weedle from them part of
ChlldTen
usually came too late-all gone.
Better Work and Living.
Now, continued Mr.. Hitler, this
marvellous change has swept over Rus
sia like cyclone-with the noise left
out. 1t is wonderful. The men come
10 work cheerful, sober; their work
has improved incredibly. And the wom-
en-they ceased coming after their
husbands pay, and as the weeks wore
on, they and their children began to
look-well, as if they had had a meal
two meals-fnally, three meals a day.
This is the outward and visible
sign or the Change change from a
people starving, hopeless, inefficient
lshed. Industrious, regenerated
And, mind you'll left Moscow the
last of October-this was the result of
less than three months under this
regime.
Decrease in Crime.
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, 1 am sorry
to say, lying dead drunk in the side
streets. You don't see drunken man
now and women can walk about with
out being insulted.''
The Russian peasant, you know, is
the kindliest fellow in the world-but
let HIM get two or three drinks of
vodka ("wodky'' Mr.. Hitler pronounces
it) and he's the devil incarnate. When
l lived in Siberia l had a cook who
was the gentlest sort of fellow, ordin-
ar ly. but who had been punished"
five times for murder after drinking
and he'd have committed another II /
hadn't knocked him senseless with a
log one day.
"rDon't think said Mr.. Hitler, that
this regeneration came in a moment
from the car or his despots. The
Russian government gives only where
and gets from it a yearly revenue of
a billion dollars. Now, the peasant
knows that his glass of vodka is not
good for him, AMI eats up his money
and his amb ton; but 1t has a terrible
hold on him.
Cars Act Makes Reform.
"Years ago great movement
against liquor started, an expression
of resentment against a government
that traded upon the curse of it's
people. Then came the war. The anti
alcohol people said: Now is the time
to strike; it will help mobilization.
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 grumbling? Not very
much OF course, there are always
those who think they must drink or
die, and they did die-some or them
for they even took to wood alcohol
poor fellows, in place of vodka Thes
cases, however. were few in number
As a class. the peasants were ouollani
over the results of having been pu'
beyond the reach of temptation. They
could not but acknowledge that IT was
a most beneficial thing.
IF the government OF Russia car
ries out its present intention to abol'
ish perma nently all forms of alcoholic
beverages, the saving in human life
will be enormous he said. 1t is moi
too much to say that the loss of 50O,-
600 men as the result of the present
war could be made good in less than
ten years through complete abstinenc
from alec holic beverages by the inhab.
itants of Russia. "
Escapes Flames; Killed by Mishap
BOSTON. December 26.-After he hat
narrowly escaped death Thursday nigh,