The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-07
DTBJLOUS MORALITY.
(ChrIstain Science Monitor


If there Is any one from whom the
drink interest might particularly pray
to be saved, In addition to themselves,
It Is surely their friends, for whenever
their friends really take up cudgels on
their behalf. 1t is tolerably certain that
something more than ordinarily i'm
moral VIII be advanced In their de-
fensa The interests themselves Fenere
ally conflne their defense to what may
be called harmless diiutions Of the
truth: harmless, that is to say. because
they deceive nobody. least of all the
interests Thus the brewers are will
ing to explain that they only use "a
per cent of the total cereal produce
of the United states, but they are not
40 particular to impress upon the pub
lilo that this means thirty-fo four pounds
of food for every man. woman and child
In the country. which. in the days of
U-boats and of soaring food prices, CON
stttutes a serious amount But then,
says the brewer. with almost often
sive virtue, even Of this we return you
80 per cent of the grain used. In tho
form OF cheap food for cattle IT ts
rather like a laundress consollng the
water company. during a drought, with
| an offer to let her customers have all
the dirty water to water their gardens
with. But there is no necessity to delay
IN enumerating the brewers sacrifices
for mankind. Has not Father Vaughan
himself assured us that to deprive the
British working man OF his beer Is TO
reduce his efficiency? These interest
ing traits of the liquor business may
however, be read in the public adver-
tisements. for the liquor interests by
| no means believe IN hiding their good
/ deeds from men
II Is. indeed only when we come to
! the glowing tributes of their friends
! that we begin fully TO appreciate what
/ the SALOON. the public house. the wine
/ shop, or the vodka store. is accomplish
/ ing for humanity For instance. one
/ OF the commonest tributes to the
! trade" axes the form of a recital Of
! It's remarkable dexterity In breaking
| the law. In the old days the sympatb~
! les of the schoolboy used TO be sought
| for the hiEhwaynan or the bushranger.
| The hero-criminai Is, indeed ono Of the
most interesting features Of English
| literature 1t was not only the dime
| novel or the penny awful" which sang
/ his praises. whole volumes of we'll
! known writers were devoted to his ex-
| ploits. As a result. one of the most
! celebrated of these books is a small. fat
volume. valued, as Mr.. Lang used to
/ point out, at many pieces Of eight and
recording r-Tr rgFrE or THOSE pTodTgaI
u speBdars OF pieces Of eight. the Amer
h lean buccaneers. Today, however, our
sSHlpaeu'"S aFe 'FlHe SOUGHT IoF inc
tho"hshlHe' an" me pooteEeeF'
| "noSe eNp''4's '"'ea'eh 70 pecone hs
Fa'' 'S" NV @e ,i"Te y" s"e hihE mig
! W. "f unooi ,.e 1'l,E iNosei' IN PROOF
% 'nlS' ,nere nag Jost peeh issued W'th
q ~! OF toA ~ 81 = III ies 'sF q NJ
| ol""" Fhsc'' pi 'h'eo nowhere IN Pafi~
c"th,' anu pe'' ''S no iteahs OF Lndehtt-
neatlon. ~ : he"'ed E"athg Federal
I pone,DlE Law ana II contains the
| recoFNs OF hu'lpst OF cases OF preach
OF the IaW, cheefIoIly PretaGed win the
| ,up'i'a 'oh eh"t 'heN prove conclusive
~ just no" Hu'h olsfespect Is pelhg
SHOWN TOT the hatiohaI law as tor the
thoVh sha tered state laws, NOW mere
~ praise Tor the moral influence OF the
iqu"r interests NOT only VIII they
make a man afuhk tor consideration
hut VheS wiz even ma something heroic
IN law~oreakinE Tor the sake OF drink.
AS an argument however. the idea
seems somewhat directive. lf all that
IS neceesarv 70 olscrodlt law rs the
breaking or II. there are quite n lot OF
industries which would be perfectly
willing TO league themselves with the
aistllier and the brewer IN defytng the