Evening star., 1942-12-12

late in September, and were also
broadcast by the Vatican radio
They proved quite disappointing to
Catholic leaders here. Although the
hierarchy served notice that the
church "clings undauntedly" to the
Ten Commandments, the rest Of the
available excerpts commented upon
the "heroism and endurance" OF
German soldiers and otherwise
seemed to give appreciation to the
German war effort.
This puzzling development was
subsequently cleared up when it was
discovered that the German censors
had allowed only the harmless parts
of the pastoral to be published in an
attempt to create false impression
of the German bishops position. In
reality, the bishops had stood firm in
their opposition to the Nazis and had
issued defense Of freedom of con-
science, mans dignity, and the in
dissolubility of marriage
The present pastoral is even firmer
in tone and represents an all-out
attack on the immortality fostered by
the Nazis, particularly the ericour-
agement of loose sexual relations
and the peculiar Nazi methods OF
eugenics.
Almost as significant. however, Is
the second part of the pastoral,
which has so far been overlooked.
This was warning to the Ger
man people against the dangers Of
alcoholism, the misuse Of alcohol
and tobacco by the young. and "in-
ordinate seeking after pleasure" 1t
also gave some suggestions to
priests who 'rhave to look after alco-
holics and drug addicts" and urged
priests to foster abstinence "to do
away with the dangers of alcohol
ism"
This is believed to be the first
joint statement ever issued by the
German Catholic hierarchy against
alcoholism and. by implication,
against drug addiction. 1t indicates
the alarming growth of these vices
among Germans, and gives express
sion to the concern not only of the
Roman Catholic Church, but also
of the Protestant churches over the
increasing mental and moral break
down of sections of the German
people.
A recent Protestant report high
lighted this trend from another di-
rection. On the occasion of the
18th anniversary Of the founding Of
the well-known Bethel Institutes,
supported by the German Evangel-
ical Church, a considerable increase
in the number of mental, neuros-
thenic and nervous cases at the In
stitutes during the past few years
was reported. 1t was stated that in
1917 civilian cases Of this type re-
ceived 125,692 days of treatment,
while in 1941 the number had risen
TO 478,000 days.
American correspondents who,
until America entered the war, were
stationed in Germany. have report
ed an increase in alcoholism, par
ticularly among the middle classes,
traditionally the backbone of moral
ity. Howard K. Smith, the last cor
respondent to leave Germany, says
in his box, Last Train From Ber-
lin:
THE little middle classes are los
Ing interest and drowning their dis
appointment in alcoholic lethe or
lethe Of any other sort. They do
not drink for the mild pleasure of
drinking, nor to enjoy the flavor
of what they drink, nor its subtle
effects They drink to get soused,
completely and unmitigatedly."
A huge sale of patent medicines
and drugs of all kinds has also been
reported by American correspond
ents, and this trend has been con-
firmed by Nabzi officials and pub
locations.
DR.. Cont, head of the German
medical profession, writing in the
Deutsche Medizinische Wochen-
schrift last May, said that the abuse
OF all drugs has increased in Ger
many to an intolerable degree" and
that "the excessive use of soporific
drugs by all classes OF the German
population is becoming . serious
danger to public health"
An article in the German weekly
paper, Das Reich, of September 13,
A~nnt~><fn