The Washington herald., 1916-04-19
TROOPS MORALE
HELPEDBYBEER
Supplier Of German Army Up
holds Need Of Bever-
age at Front.
RAPS TREATING IN u. 5.
Dr.. Max Stein Declares German Mode
of Drinking Adds to Health
of Nation.
RAPS TREATING In U. 5,

The author q the following article. Dr.. Max
Stein, Is director q the Association for the Dis
tioutiou Of Beer IN GernsRy, fhis organizaton
eopes with the remeudous task n supplying the
evpes With the Tremendous task st supplying the
IS Swiss citizen. eeentlY visited The United
States for short stay and his shresd ohsrTations
win interest those who cars for Constructive crit
eSm and enlightened adriee)
Every day the Association for the Dis
tribution of Beer in Germany, of which I
am the director. sends 100000 liters OF
beer to our soldiers at the front.
Every day railroads, motor trucks, pack
animals, steamships, are carrying great
shipments Of beer to our soldiers in Rus
sis, in Germany and in the Balkans
The average American cannot under
stand why the German government
spends millions Of dollars and uses valu-
able transportation space in carrying
what you consider a luxury to the front
But that Is just the point. We do not
consider beer a luxury, We consider II q
necessity. and We believe that the health
Of our troops would suffer greatly II for
any reason the beer supply were cut off
Before ] came to America could not
understand this attitude OF the American
people, To me II seemed unbelievable
that America should send an army into
a waste country like Mexico and subject
them to the dangers Of paisoned water
holes and typhoid. when you might so
easily transport beer. But since coming
to America I begin to understand. 1
have visited your drinking places, which
are only frequented by men-where men
stand up at a bar and one man treats
the other In succession, and where drink
ing Is more Of business than a pleasure,
and where one never sees a woman, or
II there is a woman, not of the better
class. In Germany. 1t is different. One
inf nf Wh
the whole German family sits at a table,
orders food and drinks beers. Ths)frst
thing In the morning the Muenich woman
drinks her stein Of Der, and yet know
that German women do not become
slaves to the habit the way the American
women become slaves to the cigarette
and the cocktail.
You notice that the men who have been
foremost in the fighting around Verdun
are the Brandenburgers, the Badeners
and the Rhinelanders. Those men come
wine are consumed than probably any
other territory in the world. You can
draw Your own conclusions from this,
as to whether the moderate drinking OF
beE and wine dstroys the wholesome
strength of the people or breaks down
manly virility. as your fanatical prohi-
btionist says they do.
Beer Improves Morale.
Another thing not generally known
abroad is that the Austrian army was
under strict prohibition during the early
part of the war After the battles In the
Csrpathians, the Austrian army was re-
organized. and one of the first reforms
WAS the introduction of beer into the
army. Now the Austrians have organized
a bureau, such as our German bureau,
nd he frfa ok ha
same amount of beer as our own army.
Since the reorganization, you know that
the morale of the Austrians is 50 per cent
better than II was. I do not mean to
imply by this that the improvement is due
to beer, but beer evidently played a part
and today the Austrian military chiefs
would no more think of sending out an
army corps without beer than it would
without bread.
On the side Of the allies ] want to
call your attention to the fact that it is
not the prohibition Russian army, nor
the English who have made the best
showing. The backbone of the allies is
the French army. who drink their wine
as We Germans drink our beer.
I am not attempting here to disparage
the temperance movement. Only you in
America and we on the Continent have
an entirely different view of what con-
sllluleS temperance. DO not COnSl0eF
that the German who takes his beer with
his meals, nor the Frenchman who takes
light wine in the same way, is intem-
perate. 1 consider the Russian peasant,
who used to get drunk every day on
vodka, but who, now that Russia has
prohibition, has substituted varnish for
vodka, Incorporate. But I suppose that
your American prohibitionists would class
all three nations as Incorporate, and the
only truly temperate nation. Turkey,
which drinks neither wine nor beer, nor
hard liquors.
My own view Of what constitutes tenn
perance agrees pretty much with the
French II you will read the tract sent
by the French Medical Society to the
soldiers at the front you will see that
while the men IN the trenches are
warned that a nip Of brandy is delusive,
and strong liquor OF every kind habitual-
" taken leads without fail TO diseases
Of the stomach, liver and mind, a dis
tinction IS made in regard to fermented
liquors, such as wine, beer and cider.
Fermented liquors. the French soldier is
told, may be safely used in moderation.
This Is what we, on the Continent, con-