The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1884.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3904, 24 January 1884, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1884.

Two social questions have apparently como to the front at the present time in England —even foreign politics occupying for the nonce a subordinate position-—probably owing to its being tho dull season of the year those two questions have commanded universal attention. The questions we refer to are the housing of the London poor and tho temperance question. While the former can only have'a local bearing, even though it may command universal sympathy and practical aidj the latter may bo i said to be a question which interests all communities. Teetotalism as opposed to. temperance—to the latter every man is willing to admit its good results—has had apparently a good innings, in which rashness of assertion, unblushing twisting , of Holy Writ/ and wildness of speech, have all played conspicuous. ])artß. Men were -accustomed in times past to accept many of the Assertions emanating froni flip toe total camp without much questioning, and wither out either searching; up authorities or logir cally following out'their elaborate argument?, because of the positions and ability of those making the assertions, and further because all men 'admit that the recluim.ing of thos.o btqeped in intemperance is a good and laudable work. But the question of late has come so 'prominently <o the front—due in a great mea«livo to the outbpokonness of its advocate* and their desiro to secure legislative rnnctinontn in their favor—that that which iv titnej past it \vaK not' thought wwwiry to question in now being rigorously examined in tho interests of truth, and itjut vested interests

and rightd may have their just dues conwdoro'l. AllAtili'Hi lm>( boon principally concentrated on Ui».i foltowjngpointfl alleged by total nbtitiihmii'-, vi/,; tliul, the Bible advocaloH I'wfoitaHfiin ; t.lmj. Hpifits and beer aro not food ; that t>'Aihi;r wpiritn nor beer are jiocchmu'Jcb ; (hut ilr'itik in a prolific sourco of cv'unn twtl UiknnU.y ; and Unit total abstainers, aro tiblfi U> Hr-nntnyllnh inoro and better work than wxliinito drinkcrH. We think in the Hot wo haro fairly enumerated tho loading poirilH on which Die battle rages. Tho .question wo may dismiss very briefly. It has never yet been satisfactorily shown that tho wino of the Bible which was good for man wa« not intoxicating, while the wine that was bad was intoxicating. There is no gaiiiHayinj? the fact by' any unprejudiced individual that tho Bible everywhere urges temperance, and nowhere commands teetotalism—unless we strain the passages directed to weak minds in that direction. The medical view on the drink-question is best left alone, simply because it becomes a question of authorities when so considered. Much of the medical talk on the drink question -is just as valueless as the rubbish talked and written in reference to the injuriousness of tobacco on the adult. Whether alcohol is a food or not this is certain, that it is largely used by the greatest nations of the Eastern and Western worlds. At the present moment the nation of all Asia, which is surpassing all its neighbours in the march of. civilization and progress, is undoubtedly Japan, and for centuries they have been alcohol drinkers. Is there a man amongst us who for a moment would compare England even with all her vice and misery with Turkey ? And yet what do we find ? That, while the former country and all her offshoots and colonies are alcohol drinkers, Turkey alone in all Europe is tho homo of the water drinker. If it is not a food how comes it that the beer-drinking-steak-loving English navvy can do more and better work than any working , man of any other nation. Nor must it be forgotten that alcohol to a greater or lesser extent is present in all our mo.st palatable foods. If alcohol taken moderately had one-half the evils in its train that rabid teetotallers allege where would the English race have been to-day ? Search as we may there is nothing that shows degeneracy, quite the contravy being the case. Turn to Jlussin, and what do wo find there? A community of water drinkers, and vegetarians, from which great things were anticipated, absolutely dying out; such a. thing as a healthy child is not to be found in the settlement, barrenness and sterility having followed in tho wake not of temperance but of absolute teetotalism' Perhaps, hitherto, tho strong plank of the teetotal platform has been that drinking was a frightful source of crime. Writers of all shades of opinion formerly implicitly accepted the statement made by judges, magistrates, and teetotal lecturers, but now when the point is seriously looked into, it is found not to hold water. In our Monday's issue wo gave somo figures which must have considerably startled our teetotal friends sitting complacently on their lofty porch. Where crime is greatest in England teetotalism or something near to it is also greatest. Where drunkenness rages there crimo is lowest. Coming to the colony only the other day wo published a telegram from Duuedin in which it was stated that the increase of drunkenness during the year was considerable, but that crime had diminished. Now, we have no intention of pressing this argument, but what we wish to point out is this, hitherto what has been regarded as the strongest argument for total abstinence, when calmly, thoroughly, and searchingly enquired into has been found untenable. In spite of all tho temperance organizations there is no diminution in the amount of drink consumed, judged by the Customs returns of the various colonies, and yet crime is steadily diminishing. We think we have fully and fairly shown, if there is an individual or a class in the community who should practise temperance, it is our total abstinence friends, and for the future we hope that in their proceedings they will be more careful in their assertions, and then we, in common with many, others, will see much, in their work to commend and recommend. "