Evening star., 1925-09-16
CRIME FIGURES OF SMALL VALUE
In SHOWING EFFECT OF DRY LAW
Rev. F. Ernest Johnson, Head of Department of Edu-
cation and Research, Sees 'sCratuity'' in Blam-
ing Prohibition for All Law Violations

| prohibition on the crime data and our
present knowledge of them would be
| to choose an insecure foundation,
"One of the most disputed questions
| in connection with prohibition is the
effect of the law upon moral condi-
tions in colleges, high schools and
elsewhere. The findings of the pres.
ent study in this respect may be
briefly stated.
| There is a marked tendency on the
| part of young people to depart from
conventional rules of behavior. This
| tendency Is in no apparent way re-
lated to prohibition save as liquor
drinking has become one of the many
| commonly tabooed performances that
are turned to for the kick that large
numbers of young people are trying
to get out of life. If any single ma
terial factor is more important than
| another. it is probably the automo-
bile. certainly not the hip flask. Re
ports of school administration officials
and of teachers who have made ex-
tensive studies of moral problems in
the schools give little support to the
theory that prohibition is in itself q
cause of moral breakdown. 1t may
perhaps just as truly be sad that it
does not appear to be great asset.
Certainly, the non-observance of the
law by parents has rather tragic
effect on boys and girls.
In the colleges, undoubtedly, some
| alarming conditions have developed.
Even in a conservative denominational
college a student has been known to
earn his way through school by boot
logging. The evidence, however, seems
to Indicate a favorable trend at the
present time at least this is the opin-
| ion of nearly all the college deans con-
suited. and it receives some measure
of support from other sources.
Most Serious Aspect Considered.
THE most serious aspect of the sit
uation in the colleges is the fact that
the students attitude toward drinking
appears to be determined almost
wholly without reference to the law.
1t is a matter of personal preference
or perhaps OF school discipline; the
responsibilities of citizenship play but
little part. 1t should be said. how
ever, that If the alumni can be per-
suaded to forego their bibulous habits
on the occasions of class reunions and
festivals the problem will be much
simplif1ed.
But however much we may legiti'
mately discount stories OF excessive
drinking among young people. the fact
that prOnlDltlOlf mas Hdu iio iiiol o oo
cisive effect in heightening their moral
tone gives food for earnest thought.
ut has been intimated many times
that however successful prohibition
NAV be in reducing the consumption OF
alcoholic liquors, It has tended to In
crease the use of drugs. 1t appears,
however. that statements to this effect
have beeh chiefly on the plausible
guess that a person forcibly deprived
of alcohol would turn to drugs The
assumption quite overlooks the fact
that 1t is probably everywhere at least
as difficult for the addict to procure
drugs as for the habitual drinker to
procure liquor, and in most places
more difficult; hence there Is little
point in the contention that alcoholics
have been driven to drugs. Another
the fact that the physiology of alco-
holism and that of drug addiction are
quite different.
But we are not dependent entirely
upon guesses in this matter. An In
quiry has recently been made into the
subject by the Foreign Policy Associa-
ton through it's committee on traffic
in opium, the results of which make 1t
quite apparent that the reported in
crease of the drug traffic due to pro;
hibition is a myth. Summarizing the
findings, the secretary Of the associa-
ton, in a letter directed to Gen. Lin.
coin c.. Andrews, says: 1T is the ex-
perience of every authority, without
exception, that prohibition has had no
effect whatsoever on the prevalence OF
drug addition in the United States
THE narcotic division in the Bureau