TEMPERANCE COLUMN

Evening Star, Issue 20149, 13 April 1929, Page 5

TEMPERANCE COLUMN

(Published by Arrangement with the United Temperance Reform Council.) There is not a drop of alcohol in any perfectly healthy human body—not a vein, artery, tissue, or gland that needs it; the whole''system revolts at its touch. Alcohol is the product of fermentation, and fermentation is the putrefaction which’follows death. ALCOHOLISM. Social customs which encourage the consumption of alcohol are opposing spiritual development and sanctioning that which has a tendency always toward degradation. A machine .will not work if a vital part of the mechanism is out of order. A radical fault in the brain of a genius may send him to a mental hospital where his service to mankind becomes nil.

ft is the same with society. The deliberate sanction of a degrading practice is to throw a vital part of the machinery of healthy development out of gear. ! Flow do we judge a nation? 3s it not according to the attitude which it takes up regarding established ideals? Suppose there was a nation which allowed slavery, human sacrifice, or idolatry—how should we rate it alongside of ourselves? And yet the same thing applies between ourselves and other nations regarding the degrading practice of allowing alcoholism. Our worth as a nation is according to the ideals of progressive achievement which we realise. But there is another side to the question. Does social sanction of a degrading practice involve the dissenting individual? It does ! And many people need to be shocked into a realisation of this truth. Is the war debt in New Zealand the responsibility of all of us, or only those who were in favour of the contraction of the debt? As soon as a society sanctions iil-doing—in the moral and not the legal sense—then we all, as personal members of that society, are responsible. Individuals aro jointly and severally responsible for the actions of society. Moderate drinking sanctions the social custom of drinking. What is tlie part played by society in the distressing drink-caused motor accidents which are occurring with increasing frequency? Can we, as members of society, escape responsibility for any of the results of drinking, while we countenance the use of alcohol?

Alcohol reduces the inheritance of youth. We come into this world inheriting two tilings; a physical nature, and an environment. It my parents have been alcoholics how does that affect my physical nature and my environment? According to the laws of heredity, one-half of the “ unit characters ” ol mv nature arc from my parents, onequarter from the tour grandparents, one-eighth from the great-grandparents, and so on. Whether or not this has much effect on one’s tastes or appetites is not known, but it certainly is true that where there has been a predisposition towards alcoholism on the part of parents 1 lie environment and example is such that the children inherit the tendency. What does a fellow lose, or a girl, who has inherited slovenly surroundings, insufficient food, a slum neighbourhood? What about our natural heritage—the heritage which we all ought to receive—of education, parental control, and advice, health, mai.% line companions, an equal opportunity with the rest of the youth of our land?

INTERNATIONAL ACTION PREDICTED. “ f predict that before many years are over one of the regular subjects which the Council of the league of Nations will be debating, not from a narrow, but from an international point ol view, will be the ravages of alcoholic liquor throughout the world, and the international measures that _ must he taken to mitigate so devastating a factor,” said Sir Donald MH-reau at a Hand of Hope gathering in the Memorial Hall. London. WHITE POLICEMEN. \ policeman is a verv uselul member of society. He is there to prevent evil people doing harm and to seize and remove those who intrude where they should not go. We have policemen in our bodies. They are white-policemen, called white corpuscles in tlie blood. These white policemen go round and round our bodies as the blood circulates. These millions of little white policemen aro always on the look-out for inti inters in the way of disease germs. It disease germs got into the blood the little white policemen by thousands rush up and attack them, and since thev cannot get out of our bodies to eject the germs the white policemen eat the intruders. In this way our blood stream is kept pure and healthy. Alcohol stupefies the white po.icemen, making them not so alert ns they should be, and consequently disease germs entering the blood when alcohol has been drunk arc often allowed to increase and multiply, because the while policemen are stupefied, and injury is done to the bodv. 'Die injury may not be apparent: 'at once, and it may he some time before Hie evil effects are lull.', felt. Alcohol taken in intoxicating hevernees alwavs damages the bay ni some way or other. Give your hite while policemen every chance to < their duty by re I using always to take intoxicating drink.