The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-11
ALcoHoL IN GERMANY.
state Authorities Recognize the Dan.
ger Of Strained Nerves.


An unsparing exposure Of the drink
evil In Germany was published lately
In Die A~IkohoifrdDe by Professor from
mershausen. He takes a grave view
OF II and urges the Government to
strike a heavy blow at all liquor, even
bier" by the total prohibition Of alco-
hol. THE fight" he says. against
German habits n customs of drink
ing Is extraordinarily difficult" The
professor does not %exonerate the gem
eral mass Of the people, and hints that
the evil touches more than q minority.
Every n knows" he says, that at
times Of the greatest popular excite
ment and suspense the consumption
Of alcoholic drinks did not lessen, but
increase" This is a bad case: and
II Is not an unusual Ease in Germany
when violent outbursts of public feel
ing occur. On the other hand. the
professor assures his readers that tho
countr as a whole Is clean. and that
! Germans are profoundly grateful TO
the civil and military authorities for
promptly suppressing drink. The evil.
however, has not been rooted out en-
tirely. II abounds in particular places,
railway stations and restaurants near
by, and affects certain classes espe-
cially. soldiers coming and going. and
civilian travellers. who invite hem
selves to r~efreshment AT every turn
OF the road.
No saddcr sight can be imatined.
writes the professor, than To see the
soldier I'm field coat OF gray reeling to
,ta lr.Eg All .,,,I .t.at... $50,
be stopped and severely punished,
and he points out that it would he
stopped IL the system of rules and
regulations OF the authorities were not
faulty. ANY one with "A sense Of
humor will he SURPRISED to hear that
there are not enough rules and regu-
lations in Germany, that the drink evil
Is like cancer or some other deadly
disease.
The report is like one Of those medi-
cal maps on which doctors mark in
black the districts where epidemics
thrive. We are struck with the black
marks, some OF them very black in
deed, against certain armies and GER
tain classes of young recruits. Their
record is frankly put down; there is
no attempt to slrr over the evil; the
effects on discipline and crime arc
made clear in figures and schedules:
even the regulations of military COM
mandcrs are criticised For, though
the drink evil has arisen, az il was
bound to arise. out OF war conditions
which are ardious and exacting. easily
driving the less efficient and steady men
to stimulants. the restraints intended
TO protect Xcited young soldiers have
been toned dow TO tentative susces-
tons for restrictions on wine and spir-
it's. while beer is generally allowed.
MANY military commanders prefer re-
strictions on the hours Of bars and
public houses 20 direct control of the
men. The evil shows that If this
method is 10 be successful the |restric-
tons will have 70 he very severe and
far reaching. Mere curtailing Of tn
hours Of bars has had little effect.
4 national campaign for supervision
OF the men and. local restriction of the
sale of liquors has not obtained the
complete surport Of the OF
the Liberal and Centre parties. while :,
has obtained onlv the partial support
OF the Conservative and military lead
crs. The evidence OF the medical
writer's and the moral To ha draw
from IL could not be put more forcibly
than in extracts from soldiers letters
published hy Professor Trommershau-
sen in Die ~.iikohoirrncc, Heft ., 1915
4 soldier writes: "Ach. II YOU could
witness the sanguinary feeling excited
In the men by this potato spirit, The
single officer here is powerless. had
never dreamed that my own tuwnsm-ii
would become so addicted to spirits
They drink il like water"
This passage, which is taken from
an informing paper by Professor Mar
thus on "Massigkoit und Wehrhaft, -
which can be translated Temperance
and Ability to Bear Arms" drives
right home the point of all the evil
dence collected. Reading this and
other letters. one ceases to be so much
amazed al the ~slackness revealed as
a. the record OF armies whose genera
efficiency has not been impaired by