TEMPERANCE

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 77, 27 June 1928, Page 6

TEMPERANCE

EDUCATfGN CAMPAIGN.

THE APPEAL TO THE YOUNG.

DRINK AND TUBERCULOSIS

Miss MoOorkindale whq is visiting New Zealand at the invitation of tho New Zealand Alliance in connection with their department of education, addressed a meeting of loaders last night in the Presbyterian Hall. Mrs iMT 'T. Phillips wa s in the *chair and introduced the visiter, v,lio has justi returned from a three years' tour in Europe and North America.

' Miss McCorkindalc, said that countries that countries have been busy with the political aspect ofl the temperance question have been in danger of forgetting th e other half of their task, that of creating public opinion by educational menus at their disposal. The visitor who is interested enough trt get into touch with what) is bev'u 'accomplished, will find England well to the fare in educnt-* ional work. Dr. C. C. Weeks has been set apart as. medical lecturer for the National Temperance League. Ho gives the latest information en the scientific "aspect of the question ta students in colleges, and universities, to doctors at medical men' s breakfasts held in (.afferent centres. He is also much in demand for summer schools and camps. Where leaders ofl Bands of Hope and dtber young peoples' organisations,' !?Tth: teachers from Sunday Schools and many others engaged in the task of improving the young mind in these subjects of citieznship, meet 'together for a ccnirsei of study.

TEACHERS TN ITIEILAND

Northern Ireland is well to the fore also. Tiie Presbyte.ian Church pays the salaries, and expenses of two qualified teachers to visit the schools and give an up-to-date temperance lesson. They also have provided them with a motor car each, so that the work may reach all party of the State with the. least expanse of time and energy. We also find, said the speaker, that education is not canfined to the child- Women from the W.C.T.L.. are also entering for examinations arranged, by the Temperance Colkgiate Association, that they may render? more effective service in their own homes as well as in the wider field of public service. The 'spßfiker pointed out that there is no point of contact between the child Witfii its flush young life, and the pathological conditions of alcoholism, but the child is interested in the lawa that govern its own body. It is thrilled to heatf the story of tihe most wonderful machine ever created, that repairs itself and keeps its own army 'of police to destroy disease genu si when they gain an entrance into the body. They nra quick to all the folly of using that-as a beverage which lowers these defensive powers -of the body. Young people are, as a ride. —Hi more logical than adults. They have not as many prejudices to overcome before they admit a fact, and, the want of logic in the ancient ritual, of drin'kiug to ■each other's health in that which is the friend of disease is obvious to them when they know the facts ; There are three outstanding reasons why this -antiquated custom, will be banished. 'One is the fact that we live in .an age of machinery, whece there ;is inoreasing danger to life at every turn from the bra''" befuddled by alcohol, even in so-called moderate ■tdoses. The second is that there is less ami'less demand'for the man wna has only the power of his muscles to offer. Machinery is taking his place, and he becomes a liability and not an asset in the life of the community.

BIWLIMS AT THETEi BEST

If then brains, at their best, are ;a necessary asset, ctte only logical ■ conclusion is that tho custom of using a brain poison as a beverage will be banished. ' 'thirdly the war pi science on disease has revealed that the use of alcohol as a beverage un'derimnes fcne natural powers of resis. te.no©' possessed, hy the ucdy. If thetim« foretold by Pasteur ever cornea when germ en.«sed disease is conquer? ed and driven from, the world, it* must be preceded by a change of the custom "of using as a beverage that which makes the victory over disease impossible. "Wino drinking countries, are often quoted as the more sober nations. " i have frequently been told, said_the speaker, that you never see drunk people in France. I lived in Franco and i know something about it, so I ask them what they mean by drunk. They mean incapable— of what? Just this—/ incapable of walking straight, .and tliey seem to think it would be » laudable thing for us to learn 'to be drunk and wail? straight. jßecause of our lack of knowledge on the: fundamental principles benind the great temperance cause, we have some shockingly loose thinking on the matter . Is it nothing to peoplei that a pre-war estimate showed thatj France drank twice as much alcohol per head as Britain, also twice as much spirits per head, and has nearly twice as many deaths from tuberculosis, as Britain. For some years the death rate in France was equal to her birth-rate, her scientists have warned her for years that the fighti against tuberculosis must be preceded by a fight against alcoholism. In this respect if is interesting to turn up the death-rate for tubercuf-

osis in the United .States. It bears) out the statement, the last “wet” rear (191.8.) it was 133 per 100,000 and th» last “dry” year recorded! (1925) f 75.7 per 100,000. When w’ll the people learn that the price of this old custom cannot be estimated by the millions spent on drink or on the number of arrests for drunkenness.