Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-14

MY language teacher, Miss NJ. A.
Snow, gave me the title. Alcohol the
Great Destroyer and told me to do the
best / could, and l did"
That is the way Miss Gertrude A. EN-
cry, the 13-year-old daughter of Mr.. and
Mrs. Fred r. Emery, 513i Walton ave-
nue. tells how she won the first prize in
the scientific temperance essay contest
at the S. b. Huey School, SD and Pine
streets, when it was awarded n short time
ago by the Friends Temperance Associa-
tion and the w. c. T. U.
And she did the best she could-whlch
won for her the first prize from her
school, and the right to compete in the
State contest when the same essay Will
be placed with others received from all
parts of Pennsylvania and selected for
the value to the temperance movement.
The essay which she submitted was as
follows:
ALCOHOL THE GREAT DESTROYER.
The various destroyers which we read
about or see. such as fire, floods. etc, may
cause the death of many people. Winds,
sandstorms and thunderstorms may also
do some harm, but from these people can
be saved and not always blamed. Dis
eases. as we know, cause deaths and suf-
fering. These are recognized and known
as destroyers which can be seen and heard
about.
There are some destroyers, however,
which cannot be seen or heard, but are
invisible to all; rather the work OF them
is invisible, for the destroyer Itself can be
seen. These destroyerS may be present in
the rooms of society or gaiety where
heavy drinks which contain alcohol are
found. Often the people found in such
places will complain of heart failure or
other troubles The destroyer will then
be introduced into the homes of the peo-
pie who lead such lives This Is due to
the habit which they are forming, without
acknowledging the fact that they are do
ing themselves harm.
Upon the body alcohol has many ef-
fects. First of all upon the bones, which
are the fundamental principle of the hu-
man body. The growth of the bones is
stimulated and the bones are made weak.
Muscles which come next in the building
of the body are also affected by this un-
faithful deceiver being made flabby and
unsteady and turned to fat. Digestion Is
highly and severely ruined by this con-
tinual drink. The food cannot go through
the right process of digestion because the
alimentary canal and the juices which
aid in digestion are infiamed. When alco-
hol is used in large quantities daily the
circulation of the body is impaired. The
heart. being the centre of the circulation.
is made to beat irregularly, giving it too
much work to do,
The blood vessels of the skin become
enlarged, thus making the face OF the
drnker red. Respiration Is injured in
such n way that the air passages are In
famed, which Is a very serious thing, be-
cause 1t enables the drinker to catch colds
easier and more freely, often resulting in
pneumonia and even consumption Per-
sons taking alcoholic drinks become very
nervous. This shows that the nervous
system and the nerve cells have also be-
come affected. The blood vessels of the
absorb alcohol and then the blood
is sent to the nerve cells. The nerve cells
are paralyzed in this way and often nerve
cells are poisoned, resulting IN a sickness
called dellrium tremens The person be-
comes very nervous and is full of fear.
often the person having dellrium tremena
has a tendency for crime. The person
taking alcoholic drinks In great quantities