New-York tribune., 1919-01-18
The Morning After

A dazed and bewildered nation is our
America. 1t knows what hit it, but it
has only the faintest notion of how it
happened. Various obvious factors helped
push the amendment through, but not
any Of these and not all of these, can
explain the mysterious rush with which
the measure finally swept through to a
sweeping victory unrepresentative of any
ascertained majority sentiment of the
country.
The psycho-analyst have yet to be
heard from and they may very we'll re-
veal the truth. If ever there appeared
to be case of subconscious activity this
is it. The country acted exactly like a
man moved forward relentlessly by some
overwhelming sub-conscious emotion
while at the same time seeking volubly
to explain that he never could and never
would do anything Of the sort. The
more the situation is reviewed the more
1t seems as if the amendment must rep
resent some deep feeling or desire,
largely unrecognized and unconceded,
but none the less controlling.
What may the emotion be? The war
is one obvious source that has been sug-
gested as a possibility. The country had
got a wonderful head of steam up; it
was emotionally thrilled far beyond its
opportunity to act; it was steeled for a
sacrifice that never came. Is it concev-
able that this emotional eXaltaton found
convenient relief in passing a prohibi-
ton amendment, an act of wanton sac
ritice, so to speak? A neat explanation,
but rather fanciful. The war undoubt-
edly put Americans at home in the mood
and habit Of self denial. But the mood
and habit have not lasted so that any
one could notice them in the reaction
since the armistice
There is another hypothesis which
goes even further afield and finds in this
most extraordinary act of self restraint
ever imposed upon itself by great ma
tion an anticipatory reaction to the
threatening forces of Bolshevism. Ii
cense is the essence of the Bolshevist
fact, whatever pretty names and phrases
it uses. The sort of freedom that Amer
leans are used to, freedom that recog-
nizes the rights Of others as we'll as ones
own rights and realizes that only through
order can maximum liberty be attained,
is beyond the Bolshevist's mental con-
cepton. "Only fish is wholly free"
said some one. Add Bolshevst to the
list, we submit.
There is undoubtedly an instructive
81.
OF license in every American. Could it
have translated itself into the present
prohibition amendment? Stranger things
happen in the subconscious world In
face OF threatened catastrophe or an
approaching temptation there is very
likely to be a houseceaning of conscience
and morals. 1t is an interesting specu-
latiOn even if it's facts lie too deep in
human consciousness for substantiation.
If true, it brings an amusing paradox
in its train. Even if we concede that
the country is imposing prohibition upon
itself as an act Of community self-re-
strant it is none the less, in doing so,
eliminating from the lives of many a
constant temptation and therefore the
occasion of much daily self-restraint.
Just as by eliminating the evil of war
you eliminate rare breeder of moral
strength so by eliminating the evil of
alcohol you end some very valuable ex-
erclse for our moral muscles. In "The
Ring and the Book Robert Browning
deprecated the language of the Lords
prayer: Lead us not into temptations" ="
Quite to the contrary, he argued, Lead
US into temptation,' so we can fight and
grow strong. A robust sentiment fer
those who are robust.
Shall we grow labby of will for lack
of temptation? Will our gigantic act
of joint self-restraint end in a lack OF
Individual power to resist? We see our
robust philosophers passionately de-
manding moral equivalent for alcoz
hol"! Well, we shall see. Nothing
happens as it is planned in this delight
full world. Who knows but that pro-
hibition may itself produce temptations
beyond any known to man. Mirages are
frequent in desert Gases are infre-
quent-but very seductive, we suspect