New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-05-19
Why Is a Prohib;tionist?
(Or an Antii)


We close to-day the interesting SYM
postum which has been running in the
columns of The Tribune for several
weeks. Not in any single discussion. we
venture to say, have so many varied and
novel points of view been given express
sion. Whether any great number of our
readers was influenced in one direction
or another it would be interesting to
know.
But we incline to doubt For simple
reason. Nothing in the whole discussion
was more notable than the way in which
fine and trained minds would look at
exactly the same set of facts in an ex
actly opposite way. If this is true of
men OF the type of DR.. Charles L. Dana
and DIR. Allan McLane Hamilton, Pro-
lessor Irving Fisher or John De Witt
Warner, Chauncey Depew or Senator
Sheppard, it will probably be equally
true of other folk.
IN other words, the whole question of
prohibition and the control of the ]iouor
traffic is highly emotional one, to which
almost every one reacts more or less in a
strongly emotional way. Here, as in so
much else, we think as we feel. Else
how could it come that very able physi-
clans, for example, like those named and
Dr. u. o. Edison, DR.. H. S. Williams. DR.
lsham and DR.. jacob, who have had
VIDE experience in dealing with alcohol
ism, insanity and the like, could be 50
radically opposed to the complete sup
preston of alcohol, while other phvsi-
clans like DR.. Fisk and DR.. Seward
should support it strongly? Evidently It
is the individual reaction rather than anv
preponderance of fact or argument which
determines the point of view.
Now, if all this had occurred 70, ~
n11een years ago an impartial Judge
might have surveyed the discussion with
feelings OF disappointment. He MIGHT
readily nave been led to reflect upon the
emptiness and vanity of human "rea-
son. because he could have had M
clear understanding of why men should
divide upon an important problem in this
strange and apparently inexplicable wav.
But in these ten or fifteen years a new
science has arisen which does give us
ciew-more than that, really clear in
sight. AS usually happens, this new
science is built upon foundations in mart
very old On one side at least it i,
little more than highly amplified ver-
sion OF the familiar observation that
The wish is father to the thought"
but a very wide significance is given
TO this wish" Every human being longs
TO be happy. But our everyday lives
are full of annoyances and disappoint-
ments, griefs and bitternesses. Suppos-
ing we remembered them all! They would
speedily pile up into mountainous bur-
den of black thoughts Life would be
simply uncomfortable. So we-for tho
most part--blissfully forget.
But these experiences, thrust back into
the huge reservoir of the unconscious.
sometimes survive in a curious way.
strange as it may seem, this is especially
true OF the griefs and repressions of
chiidhood. 1t is now known that some
times these will survive with such dv-
manic force that, though wholly uncon-
scious and unknown to us, they will
deeply color our whole lives. The de-
velopment of this idea is the new science
OF psycho-analysis.
In the rev view a belief or disbelief