The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-11-02
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE
DRINK AND THE FAMILY.

T The Boston Chfldren's Aid Society
has had an honorable service of over
half a century in caring for children
needing homes or relief. The fifty
second annual report for the year end
! ing September, 1916, has a section
devoted to the factor of alcoholism in
the work of the society. 1t shows that
in about one-seventh, 1875 per cent, of
the 731 new families dealt with in the
course of the year, at least one parent
was alcoholic. An interesting feature
of this report is the fact brought out
that these alcoholic fathers who fail to
provide for their children are not, in
general, unskilled laborers of low men,
tality, but capable, when working full
time, of earning good wages.
| We do not come into contact with
as many cases Of alcoholism as the
Associated Charities and the Society
for Prevention of Cruelty to Children,
for example. We do, however, receive
a fairly large number of applications
from homes where one or both of the
parents are alcoholic. That is, people
who cannot get along without some
alcoholic beverage, who cannot be
temperate in the use of it, are fire.
quently intoxicated by it, and thus
lose their work and wages to the real
distress of their families and them
selves.
Usually it is the man who is the
alcoholic and who by reasons of the
patient support and endurance of a
good wife struggles through intermit-
tent drunken periods, often lasting for
years. In 101 families, or 1872 per
cent of the 731 new families dealt
with intensively, during the year, at
least one parent was an alcoholic, and
in eight of these homes both were
alcoholics.
There are many saloon keepers in
Boston who will not sell liquor to a
man who is bordering on intoxication,
and there are many who are reluctant
to sell to the man who is being evil
IDENTIFY injured by reason of his drink
ing. Yet there are many others hav-
ing no such compunctions and who
frequently sell without question to
whoever comes to buy. If Boston is
| ~A0S "
should at least have fewer saloons
The keen competition for business
amongst the liquor dealers is evil
denced in many of these 101 families.
1t would help the Licensing Board
in the process of wedding out saloons
if it had card index of all men and
women known to the courts, penal in
situations, and public and private
charities as alcoholics, or as people
whose drinking was reacting on their
families. There may be legal COM
plications in the way of keeping such
a "black list" now, but some way can
be found whereby the large number of
known inebriates can be registered
If the names we're checked by neigh
borhoods, an intelligent step could be
taken to reduce the number of sa-
looms in certain sections of the city
already overprovided. Certainly it is
legal and proper to keep list of all
men and women brought into the
courts for inebriety and also to re-
quire all public and private hospitals
treating inebriates or persons suffer-
ing from alcoholism to report their
names and addresses s.-., ---..-..
1t would be of value if for a period
of five years, or even less, each char
table society in the state should be
asked to report annually the names
of all alcoholics and semi-alcoholics
aided by them. The total would give
some knowledge of the real extent of
alcoholism and would certainly be in
excess of all arrests for drunkenness,
for many alcoholics are never ar
rested. Few of the ia parents in
the 101 families referred to have been
in court on the charge of drunken.
ness. T.
One man known to us has been a
hard drinker for years. His chronic
condition is that of partial intoxica-
ton, yet he is able to work and bring
a certain amount of support to his
wife and five children. Words fail the
writer of this statement to describe
adequately the repressed abuse which
he metes out to his family during
practically every minute he is at
home. 1t is an un-get-at-able abuse,
yet it has ruined the mothers health
and is running the health of his chill
dren.
Scientific TEMPERANCE Journ0! ."