"THE INTEMPERANCE QUESTION."

There is no doubt that the Temperance, or more strictly, the Intemperance Question has become one of the social problems of the age. There are statisticians who can figure it out to a certainty that the greater part of all the sorrow, suffering and degradation which go hand in hand with Civiliation is due to drink. It is at present the concern of a large number of good and earnest people to blot out the use of alcoholic beverages. So far their success has been small, and they continue to come forward each year with arguments more urgent in the form of statistics more alarming.

Yet, it can be seen that there has been created a sentiment of manners if not of morals against drunkenness among what we call a respectable people. But though it is no longer unobjectionable or excusable for respectable men and women to get drunk, they still continue to drink; and it is likely that they drink more now than in former generations. There is a change, however, in the manners of the drinkers; a gentleman, and, of course, a lady is not expected nowadays to advertise the fact that he or she has been partaking of the juice of the grape or of the corn or rye by growing hilarious or maudlin, but good form in drinking exacts that gentlemen increase in dignity of bearing and ladies in brilliancy of conversation.

Of course, there is still a considerable number of people, not urging any particular claim to respectability, who drink

-2-

in the same old way, and furnish evidence of the fact that they have been indulging in the cup that cheers by giving vent to uproarious laughter and agonizing song or clinging to the proverbial lamp post. But even among what we term the lower classes drunkenness of that type is no longer considered the best form, and even in the cheaper bar-rooms, it is discouraged.

This much of reform may be justly looked upon by the Temperance People as a partial victory; but, notwithstanding, they are still confronted by the appalling fact that there is a steady increase in both the production and consumption of intoxicating liquors. It would appear that maintaining a sober demeanor enlarges the capacity for drink. In consulting the statistics for a decade it is found that the increased consumption of all kinds of liquors in the United States was more than a half billion gallons.

Even after taking into consideration the growth of the country in population, we are compelled to ask, why this condition of affairs after years of Temperance Crusades? Is it because the Temperance People have failed to point out the injurious effects of alcohol and the attendant evils of drinking? No, for, as may be shown, they have put so much zeal into this phase of their work as to really weaken the effect of their arguments. They have, as a matter of fact, suffered from overstatement of their case. When the teacher tells a boy in school that no gentleman will use tobacco, and that whiskey has about the same effect on the human stomach as a dose of prussic acid, and the boy goes out and sees his father and most of the prominent

-3-

men of the town smoking, and gets fairly conclusive evidence
that a large number of the aged and venerable citizens have
been drinking whiskey for years, it arouses a question in his
mind as to whether he really wants to be a gentleman, and ser-
ious doubts concerning his teacher's veracity.

But, just as sober demeanor does not lessen the number of
gallons consumed, neither does knowledge of the effects of alco-
hol on the system deter people from drinking. In fact, the
most enlightened nations are the ones that drink the most.
Germany, the home of popular education, scholarship and philoso-
phy, with barely one-third the population, drinks in a year six
times as much as benighted Russia; in figures, a billion and a
half more gallons. It would not be sound logic to deduce from
this that whiskey produces higher civilization, but it is fair
to surmise that those nations living the rapid transit life re-
quire some stimulant like alcohol to keep them whipped up to the
pace.

Not only has the educational campaign of the Temperance
People failed to make any radical change but their efforts thru
legislation have been almost as futile. The difficulty here,
as with the regulation of other social questions by legislation,
lies in the almost impossibility of suppressing by law any strong
human desire, natural or acquired. Communities, from time to
time, on waves of temperance enthusiasm have gone prohibition,
but almost always they drift back to local option. They are
like those sinners converted during a shouting revival, prone to
backslide. It seems that the only hope for the Temperance People
along the line of legislation would be to have Congress pass a

-4-

National Prohibition Law; but there are so few members of Congress who are either in principle or practice White Rib-boners, and there is such a large voting number of bibacious constituents, such a hope is little more than a chimera.

All of this suggests the question, why do people drink anyhow? I have asked a great many men. Some of them declare that they drink to be sociable; others, that a little whiskey braces them for their work; some claim that nothing so enables them to pass an hour of leisure pleasantly as a glass of wine. I have questioned still another set composed chiefly of men engaged in church or some such work; these men plead that they take liquors occasionally for purely medical purposes. I suppose in this way they are following the prescription of Saint Paul to Timothy: "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine infirmities."

As may be judged from the answers, all of these men belonged to the respectable class. I once asked the same question of a man who belonged to that other great division of civilized people. I was in Denver at the time, and stepped into a saloon; the man was leaning against the bar, and he attracted my attention at once; for, in spite of his shabbiness, not to say uncleanliness; in spite of his unkempt hair, his unshaven face and the blear in his eyes, there was about him an intelligent, almost distinguished air. His whole speech and manner seemed to throw sullen defiance at fate for his condition. He was what might be called a bar-room poet and elocutionist; that is, he recited poems of his own and of others, most of them dramatically depict-

-5-

ing the evils of drink, for a treat and, perhaps, a few dimes. He recited several things, and not ineffectively; and when he was about to put away the treat which he had earned I turned to him and asked, "Why do you drink the stuff?" He took his glass and held it up to the light, looking through it with a curious smile on his face, then abruptly he said to me, "What's the use of being poor when fifty cents worth of whiskey will make you rich?" I did not gainsay him; and not because I agreed with the fundamental proposition upon which he took his position, for I have no particular ambition to be rich, but because, if it was the great desire of his heart to experience the joys of riches, I could not recommend to him how he might do so with any smaller oulay of capital.

But, did not this wandering tramp come nearest to answering the question, "why do men drink"? Did he not more than suggest that the underlying reason is not a matter of the palate or the stomach or of inclination or habit? In fact, he plainly points to this solution; men drink for the purpose of easily and quickly experiencing self-realization. This tramp for fifty cents worth of whiskey could thrust aside the bars of circumstance and step forth a realization of his sub-conscious self; as if by magic, he could change his greasy clothes into lordly raiment and fill his empty pockets with jingling gold; in a word, experience the fulfillment of those desires which lay deepest down in his heart.

He also suggested an explanation of the fact that the nations farthest advanced in civilization are the heaviest drinkers. Civilization is continually forcing men into shapes and forms far

-6-

from the heart's desire; it puts them in ruts and places them
in grooves and fixes them as cogs in its ponderous and impass-
ive machinery. The more rigid the civilization, the stronger
the periodic impulse to break away, to escape the monotony, to
be free, to live boundlessl y. Some men achieve this through
force of character, some through power of imagination, and
many through the easier means of alcohol. --- And there are many
who bear their lot---

It is curious to watch this transformation of men into their
unlimited selves. There a rough, boorish man, now a punctilious
and ceremonious courtier; there a soft, polite individual, sud-
denly a cruel, domineering, foul-mouthed bully. See that mild
mannered little fellow whom civilization has condemned to a stool
to add up column after column of dreary figures, watch him break
his bonds and for a few joyous hours go roystering---it may be,
arm in arm with some atavistic shadow---a veritable braggart
knight of the road. But I am digressing.

Moreover, it was not my intention in writing this Essayet to
show merely that the efforts of the Temperance People have, so far,
failed to bring about the result for which they are laboring; I
intended rather to offer some suggestion that might be of benefit.
I do not agree with the methods of those writers who delight in
pointing out the sore spots in our civilization, and, still, offer
no balm for their healing. I would suggest Temperance Workers,
since we cannot teach people not to drink, that we teach them how
to drink; since educational and legislative means seem to be in-
effective, that an effort be made to raise the standard of drink-
ing, to elevate it to its ancient level. This, it appears to me,

-7-

would furnish scope for an entirely new Temperance Movement
for which there would be likelihood of success; because it
would have the advantage of not being directly opposed to a
proclivity which may be traced in the whole human family as
far back as Noah. This would bring about a change which
would tend to transform magically a vice into a virtue. In
fact, I believe that if in some way drinking could be restor-
ed as a religious function, many would be inclined to a more
erate use of intoxicants.

A movement like this might be regarded by some as a com-
promise; but, as no consideration of personal or party pride
enters into the question, would not a wise, practical, working
compromise be preferable to defeat? Taking --- without quest-
ion --- the facts and figures put forth by temperance orators
and statisticians, would it not be a decided gain to get back
to those days when drinking was not a national vice and a
danger to civilization? Would it not be an advance to get
back to the times when the wisest and best men drank without
injury to themselves or setting a pernicious example to others;
back to the time when grape-stained maidens danced joyously in
celebration of the harvest of the fruit of the vine; back to
the times which inspired David to sing the praises of "wine
that maketh glad the heart of man?"

But the contrast of those times with these days makes the
heart heavy. What a sad, sad change! Drinking, once a cere-
monial associated with the gods, and from which we are told the
gods themselves did not hold aloof; the joys of the cup, once
the theme and inspiration of sacred hymn and poet's song; the
ruddy harvest-time, when the juice of the grape was held as the

-8-

emblem of plenty, peace and happiness, all now fallen; fallen
so low as to be branded as an evil habit, a thing to be concealed
and apologized for by respectable men; a thing to be hated
and reviled by The Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

JAMES WELDON JOHNSON.

"THE INTEMPERANCE QUESTION."

There is no doubt that the Temperance, or more strictly, the Intemperance Question has become one of the social problems of the age. There are statisticians who can figure it out to a certainty that the greater part of all the sorrow, suffering and degradation which go hand in hand with Civiliation is due to drink. It is at present the concern of a large number of good and earnest people to blot out the use of alcoholic beverages. So far as their success has been small, and they continue to come forward each year with arguments more urgent in the form of statistics more alarming. Yet, it can be seen that there has been created a sentiment of manners if not of morals against drunkenness among what we call a respectable people. But though it is no longer unobjectionable or excusable for respectable men and women to get drunk, they still continue to drink; and it is likely that they drink more now than in former generations. There is a change, however, in the manners of the drinkers; a gentleman, and, of course, a lady is not expected nowadays to advertise the fact that he or

-2-

she has been partaking of the juice of the grape or of
the corn or rye by growing hilarious or maudlin, but
good form in drinking exacts that gentlemen increase in
dignity of bearing and ladies in brilliancy of conver-
sation.® Of course, there is still a considerable num-
ber of people, not urging any particular to respectabili-
ty, who drink in the same old way, and furnish evidence
of the fact that they have been indulging in the cup
that cheers by giving vent to uproarious laughter and
agonizing song or clinging to the proverbial lamp post.
But even among what we term the lower classes drunken-
ness of that type is no longer considered the best form,
and even in the cheaper bar-rooms it is discouraged.

This much of reform may be justly looked upon
by the Temperance People as a partial victory; but, not-
withstanding, they are still confronted by the apalling
fact that there is a steady increase in both the produc-
tion and consumption of intoxicating liquors. It would
appear that maintaining a sober demeanor enlarges the
capacity for drink. In consulting the statistics for a
decade (1896-1900) it is found that the increased con-
sumption of all kinds of liquors in the United States was
more than a half billion gallons.® Even after taking into
consideration the growth of the country in population,
we are compelled to ask, why this condition of affairs

-3-

after years of Temperance Crusades? Is it because the
Temperance People have failed to point out the injurious
effects of alcohol and the attendant evils of drinking?
No, for, as may be shown, they have put so much zeal into
this phase of their work as to really weaken the effect
of their arguments. They have, as a matter of fact, suf-
fered from overstatement of their case. When the teacher
tells a boy in school that no gentleman will use tobacco,
and that whiskey has about the same effect on the human
stomach as a dose of prussic acid, and the boy goes out
and sees his father and most of the prominent men of the
town smoking, and gets fairly conclusive evidence that a
large number of the aged and venerable citizens have been
drinking whiskey for years, it arouses a question in his
mind as to whether he really wants to be a gentleman, and
serious doubts concerning his teacher's veracity.

But, just as sober demeanor does not lessen the
number of gallons consumed, neither does knowledge of the
effects of alcohol on the system deter people from drink-
ing. In fact, the most enlightened nations are the ones
that drink the most. Germany, the home of popular edu-
cation, scholarship and philosophy, with barely one-third
the population, drinks in a year six times as much as be-
nighted Russia; in figures, a billion and a half more
gallons. It would not be sound logic to deduce from this

-4-

that whiskey produces higher civilization, but it is fair
to surmise that those nations living the rapid transit
life require some stimulant like alcohol to keep them
whipped up to the pace.

Not only has the educational campaign of the
Temperance People failed to make any radical change but
their efforts through legislation have been almost as
futile. The difficulty here, as with the regulation
of other social questions by legislation, lies in the
almost impossibility of surpressing by law any strong
human desire, natural or acquired. Communities, from
time to time, on waves of temperance enthusiasm have gone
prohibition, but almost always they drift back to local
option. They are like those sinners converted during
a shouting revival, prone to backslide. It seems that
the only hope for the Temperance People along the line of
legislation would be to have Congress pass a National Prohi-
bition Law; but there are so few members of Congress who
are either in principle or practice White Ribboners, and
there is such a large voting number of bibacious consti-
tuents, such a hope is little more than a chimera.

-5-

that nothing so enables them to pass an hour of leisure
pleasantly as a glass of wine. I have questioned still
another set composed chiefly of men engaged in church or
some such work; these men plead that they take liquors
occasionally for purely medical purposes. I suppose in
this way they are following the prescription of Saint Paul
to Timothy: "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine
for thy stomach's sake and thine infirmities." As may be
judged from the answers, all of these men belonged to the
respectable class. I once asked the same question of a
man who belonged to that other great division of civilized
people. I was in Denver at the time, and stepped into a
saloon; the man was leaning against the bar, and he at-
tracted my attention at once; for, in spite of his shabbi-
ness, not to say uncleanliness; in spite of his unkept hair,
his unshaven face and the blear in his eyes, there was about
him an intelligent, almost distinguished air. His whole
speech and manner seemed to throw sullen defiance at fate
for his condition. He was what might be called a bar-
room poet and elocutionist; that is, he recited poems of
his own and of others, most of them dramatically depicting
the evils of drink, for a treat and, perhaps, a few dimes.
He recited several things, and not ineffectively; and
when he was about to put away the treat which he had earn-
ed I turned to him and asked, "Why do you drink the stuff?"

-6-

He took his glass and held it up to the light, looking
through it with a curious smile on his face, then abrupt-
ly he said to me, "What's the use of being poor when
fifty cents worth of whiskey will make you rich?" I
did not gainsay him; and not because I agreed with the
fundamental proposition upon which he took his position,
for I have no particular ambition to be rich, but because,
if it was the great desire of his heart to experience the
joys of riches, I could not recommend to him how he might
do so with any smaller outlay of capital.

Monroe, but it was not my intention in writing this Essay-
et to show merely that the efforts of the Temperance People
have, so far, failed to bring about the result for which
they are laboring; I intended rather to offer some sugges-
tion that might be of benefit. I do not agree with the
methods of those writers who delight in pointing out the
sore spots in our civilization, and, still, offer no balm
for their healing. I would suggest to Temperance Workers,
since we cannot teach people *not* to drink, that we teach
them *how* to drink; since educational and legislative means
seem to be ineffective, that an effort be made to raise the
standard of drinking, to elevate it to its ancient level.
This, it appears to me, would furnish scope for an entire-
ly new Temperance Movement for which there would be likeli-
hood of success; because it would have the advantage of
not being directly opposed to a proclivity which may be

-7-

traced in the whole human family as far back as Noah.
This would bring about a change which would tend to
transform magically a vice into a virtue. In fact,
I believe that if in some way drinking could be restored
as a religious function, many would be inclined to a
more moderate use of intoxicants.

A movement like this might be regarded by some
as a compromise; but, as no consideration of personal
or party pride enters into the question, would not a
wise, practical, working compromise be preferable to de-
feat? Taking --- without question --- the facts and fig-
ures put forth by temperance orators and statisticians,
would it not be a decided gain to get back to those days
when drinking was not a national vice and a danger to
civilization? Would it not be an advance to get back to
the times when the wisest and best men drank without in-
jury to themselves or setting a pernicious example to
others; back to the time when grape-stained maidens
danced joyously in celebration of the harvest of the fruit
of the vine; back to the times which inspired David to
sing the praises of "wine that maketh glad the heart of
m̥en?"

But the contrast of those times with these days
makes the heart heavy. What a sad, sad change! Drink-
ing, once a ceremonial associated with the gods, and
from which we are told the gods themselves did not hold

-8-

aloof; the joys of the cup, once the theme and inspiration of sacred hymn and poet's song; the ruddy harvest-time, when the juice of the grape was held as the emblem of plenty, peace and happiness, all now fallen; fallen so low as to be branded as an evil habit, a thing to be concealed and apologized for by respectable men; a thing to be hated and reviled by The Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

JAMES W. JOHNSON

Corinto,
Nicaragua.

1911.

"THE INTEMPERANCE QUESTION."

There is no doubt that the Temperance, or more
strictly, the Intemperance Question has become one of the
social problems of the age. There are statisticians
who can figure it out to a certainty that the greater
part of all the sorrow, suffering and degradation which
go hand in hand with civilization is due to drink. It
is at present the concern of a large number of good and
earnest people to blot out the use of alcoholic bever-
ages. So far their success has been small, and they
continue to come forward each year with arguments more
urgent in the form of statistics more alarming. Yet
it can be seen that there has been created a sentiment
of manners if not of morals against drunkenness among
what we call respectable people. But though it is no
longer unobjectionable or excusable for respectable men
and women to get drunk, they still continue to drink;
and it likely that they drink more now than in former
generations. There is a change, however, in the man-
ners of the drinkers; a gentleman, and, of course, a
lady is not expected nowadays to advertise the fact that
he or she has been partaking of the juice of the grape
or of the corn or rye by growing hilarious or maudlin,
but good form in drinking exacts that gentlemen increase

2.

"THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION."

in dignity of bearing and ladies in briliancy of conversation. Of course, there is still a considerable number of people, not urging any particular claim to respectability, who drink in the same old way, and furnish evidence of the fact that they have been indulging in the cup that cheers by giving vent to uproarious laughter and agonizing song or clinging to the proverbial lamp post. But even among what we term the lower classes drunkenness of that type is no longer considered the best form, and even in the cheaper bar-rooms it is discouraged.

This much of reform may be justly looked upon by the Temperance People as a partial victory; but, notwithstanding, they are still confronted by the appalling fact that there is a steady increase in both the production and consumption of intoxicating liquors. It would appear that maintaining a sober demeanor enlarges the capacity for drink. In consulting the statistics for a decade (1898 - 1904) it is found that the increased consumption of all kinds of liquors in the United States was more than a half billion gallons. Even after taking into consideration the growth of the country in population, we are compelled to ask, why this condition of affairs after years of Temperance Crusades? Is it be-

3.

"THE INTEMPERANCE QUESTION."

cause the Temperance People have failed to point out the injurious effects of alcohol and the attendant evils of drinking? No, for, as may be shown, they have put so much zeal into this phase of their work as to really weaken the effect of their arguments. They have, as a matter of fact, suffered from overstatement of their case. When the teacher tells a boy in school that no gentleman will use tobacco, and that whiskey has about the same effect on the human stomach as a dose of prussic acid, and the boy goes out and sees his father and most of the prominent men of the town smoking, and gets fairly conclusive evidence that a large number of the aged and venerable citizens have been drinking whiskey for years, it arouses a question in his mind as to whether he really wants to be a gentleman, and he doubts his teacher's veracity.

Concerning his

But, just as sober demeanor does not lessen the number of gallons consumed, neither does knowledge of the effects of alcohol on the system deter people from drinking. In fact, the most enlightened nations are the ones that drink the most. Germany, the home of popular education, scholarship and philosophy, with barely one-third the population, drinks in a year six times as much as benighted Russia; in figures, a billion and

4.

"THE INTEMPERANCE QUESTION."

a half more gallons. It would not be sound logic to deduce from this that whiskey produces higher civilization, but it is fair to surmise that those nations living the rapid transit life require some stimulant like alcohol to keep them whipped up to the pace.

Not only has the educational campaign of the Temperance People failed to make any radical change but their efforts through legislation have been almost as futile. The difficulty here, as with the regulation of other social questions by legislation, lies in the impossibility of suppressing by law any strong human desire, natural or acquired. Communities, from time to time, on waves of temperance enthusiasm have gone prohibition, but almost always they drift back to local option. They are like those sinners converted during a shouting revival, prone to backslide. It seems that the only hope for the Temperance People along the line of legislation would be to have Congress pass a National Prohibition Law; but there are so few members of Congress who are either in principle or practice White Ribboners, and there is such a large voting number of bibulous constituents, such a hope is little more than a chimera.

5.

"THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION."

Please drink any-how? I have asked a great many men. Some of them declare that they drink to be sociable; others, that a little whiskey braces them for their work; some claim that nothing so enables them to pass an hour of leisure pleasantly as a glass of wine. I have questioned still another set composed chiefly of men engaged in church or some such work; these men plead that they take liquors occasionally for purely medicinal purposes. I suppose in this they are following the prescription of Saint Paul to Timothy: "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine infirmities."

As may be judged from the answers, all of these men belonged to the respectable class. I once asked the same question of a man who belonged to that other great division of civilized people. I was in Denver at the time, and stepped into a saloon; the man was leaning against the bar, and he attracted my attention at once; for, in spite of his shabbiness, not to say uncleanliness, in spite of his unkempt hair, his unshaven face and the blear in his eyes, there was about him an intelligent, almost distinguished air. His whole speech and manner seemed to throw sullen defiance at fate for his condition. He was what might be called a bar-room poet and elocutionist; that is,

6.

"THE INTEMPERANCE QUESTION."

he recited poems of his own and of others, most of them dramatically depicting the evils of drink, for a treat and, perhaps, a few dimes. He recited several things, and not ineffectively; and when he was about to put away the treat which he had earned I turned to him and asked, "Why do you drink the stuff?" He took his glass and held it up to the light, looking through it with a curious smile on his face, then abruptly he said to me, "What's the use of being poor when fifty cents worth of whiskey will make you rich?" I did not gainsay him; and not because I agreed with the fundamental proposition upon which he took his position, for I have no particular ambition to be rich, but because, if it was the great desire of his heart to experience the joys of riches, I could not recommend to him how he might do so with any smaller outlay of capital.

But it was not my intention in writing this Essayet to show merely that the efforts of the Temperance People have, so far, failed to bring about the result for which they are laboring; I intended rather to offer some suggestion that might be of benefit. I do not agree with the methods of those writers who delight in pointing out the sore spots in our civilization, and, still, offer no balm for their healing. I would suggest

7.

"THE INTEMPERANCE QUESTION."

to Temperance Workers, since we cannot teach people *not*
to drink, that we teach them *how* to drink; since educa-
tional and legislative means seem to be ineffective,
that an effort be made to raise the standard of drinking,
to elevate it to its ancient level. This, it appears
would
*to me,* furnish scope for an entirely new Temperance Move-
ment for which there would be likelihood of success; be-
cause it would have the advantage of not being directly
opposed to a preclivity which may be traced in the whole
human family as far back as Noah. This would bring
about a change which would tend to transform magically a
vice into a virtue. In fact, I believe that if in some
way drinking could be restored as a religious function,
many would be inclined to a more moderate use of intexi-
cants.

A movement like this might be regarded by some
as a compromise; but, as no consideration of personal or
party pride enters into the question, would not a wise,
practical, working compromise be preferable to defeat?
Taking —without question — the facts and figures put
forth by temperance erators and statisticians, would it
not be a decided gain to get back to those days when
drinking was not a national vice and a danger to civil-

8.

"THE INTEMPERANCE QUESTION."

ization? Would it not be an advance to go back to the
times when the wisest and best men drank without injury
to themselves or setting a pernicious example to others;
back to the time when grape-stained maidens danced joy-
ously in celebration of the harvest of the fruit of the
vine; back to the times which inspired David to sing the
praises of "wine that maketh glad the heart of men"?

But the contrast of those times with these
days makes the heart heavy. What a sad, sad change!
Drinking, once a ceremonial associated with the gods,
and from which we are told the gods themselves did not
hold aloof; the joys of the cup, once the theme and in-
spiration of sacred hymn and poet's song; the ruddy har-
vest-time, when the juice of the grape was held as the
emblem of plenty, peace and happiness, all new fallen;
fallen so low as to be branded as an evil habit, a thing
to be concealed and apologized for by respectable men;
a thing to be hated and reviled by The Woman's Christian
Temperance Union.