The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1919-06-05
MAKES PLEA FOR
TEMPERANCE CAUSE
: Normal School Budget)
(Veda Fearce)

Temperance" is the exact title of this
Grafton.
For more than a generation the
civilized world has been vigorously
fighting intemperance. Among the
various agencies employed in conduct
ing this campaign, the education of
children is the one, to which those
engaged in the total abstinence prop
uganda have attached especial import
ance.
1t is with this problem that we as
teachers have to deal. We have failed
to grasp the true educational nature
of the temperance movement. If the
results of this movement are to be of
permanent value the training must be
based upon strengthening and up
building Of the character of the in
dividual and not altogether, upon the
information impaired with regard to
the physiological effects of alcohol. In
this instruction therefore not only the
physical but the economic, industrial
moral and social effects must also be
emphasized. However the physical
effects must not be disregarded, be-
cause in fighting terrible evil we
must gather all the evidence we can
against it.
We know that alcohol weakens the
body and undermines the nervous sys-
tenn. Of eight thousand six hundred
twenty-four children of drunken par
ents, ffty-three per cent were found
mentally defective; of thirteen thous-
and three hundred twenty-three child
rem of sober parents only ten and one
tenth per cent were found mentally
handicapped. In ten normal families
lightweight per cent Of the children
were normal and in ten alcoholic fam
lies seventeen per cent were normal
and eighty-three per cent were de-
formed or defective in some way.
These facts alone ought to be enough
to show that the use of alcohol pre-
SCENTS very important problem, for it
is the cause of one of the greatest
problems with which the teacher has
to deal-namely, the mentally and
physically deficient child. \
Alcohol is helping to fill our tails.
poor houses and asylums. Referring
to statistics, again, we find that
thirty-seven per cent Of the paupers
IN almshouses can be traced directly
or indirectly to liquor; fifty per cent
of all crime is due to it and twenty per
cent of insanity.
However these are not the only evil
effects. Another thing to be consider
ed is the amount OF money spent for
this drug. Again, the, most conserva-
tive statistics show US, that in 1918
the drink bill in the United States
totalled six hundred ten million dol
lars.
Further, the economic and industrial
aspects must be considered. At the
annual meeting of the National Coun-
Gil of Safety which was attended by
representatives from several hundred
large industries, a vote was passed
unanimously to abolish liquor from
their plants. This is not the anly ex-
ample. Everywhere we find employ
ers who equally feel the Importance of
sobriety, as means of preventing
accidents, of insuring good work and
of securing possibility. The en-
ployers realize that alcohol deadens
the thought, judgment and will of the
drinker and therefore, prevents the
highest type of work being accomp-
hshed by mechanics and business men.
The majority of our business men
have gone so far as to dismiss from
their service anyone who has been
known to frequent saloon because of
the demoralizing effect. Therefore,
as teachers, let US ask ourselves this
great question: "What chance has any
one in the business world who is in
any way associated with alcoholism ?"
However the greatest effects are
the moral and social. No one can
doubt that alcohol has a great effect
upon character. The breaking down
of the will power and the dissipation
of the character in confirmed drunk
ards is something with which every
one is familiar. We all know of in
stances where, drunken parents espec-
tally fathers have destroyed homes.
Such people have demoralizing ef-
feet on community and are there
fore, a detriment to society as a
whole.
The teachers who teach for the pur-
pose of imparting knowledge alone,
without regard to any more training
fail to accomplish the real aim of edu-
cation. Because, how much better a
person would be who was moral and
had scarcely any knowledge of the
fundamental subjects Cor common or
binary book learning) than a person
who is immoral and, yet has great
deal of knowledge. If properly taught
the two will go hand in hand.
Now the question arises as to how
we are going to effect this moral
training. A boy or girl who goes out
into either the social or business
world, may know how to solve any
problem in arithmetic, may be able
to discuss any event in history; indeed
he may have mastered all the subjects
in the curriculum but, if he does not
know right from wrong is he really
educated?
There is probably tendency nov
on the part of everyone to disregard
this problem of intemperance because
nationwide prohibition law goes in
to effect July l, of this year. How
ever study of the legislative aspects
shows how inadequate mere statutory
action is.
Furthermore, the simple fact, thai
we have prohibition laws should mo-