Temperance Items

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 108, 2 March 1893, Page 4

Temperance Items

The Figaro says :— "The madness of modern Paris springs from intemperance and 'over pressure,' but chiefly from alcoholic excess. In 15 years alcoholic insanity has nearly doubled amongst men, and has more than doubled amongst women. «over pressure' alone will not explain the increase of progressive general paralysis of the insane, and its continual augmentation is in evident relation with increasing intemperance. Dr Gamier states that alcoholic insanity is more and more taking forms that are dangerous to life. It is alcohol which is the great purveyor for the lunatic asylums, and which is the enemy against whom, above all others, it is necessary we should defend ourselves. Philanthropic Party: "You said your family was starving, and I gave you a shilling, now I find you spending it on liquor." Sad-eyed Party : "Well, you see friend, the sight of my family starving to death so unnerves me, that I have to drink to keep up my courage to face them. ' Mr W. G. Grace largely attributes his success in the cricket field to the temperate habits of his family. He is also a non smoker, being of opinion that smoking has more to do with small cricket scores than even moderate drinking. In dealing with the death and sick rates among the members of friendly societies, Registrar Mason gives statistics which must prove very gratifying to the total abstainers, as considerable variation is found in both the mortality and sickness rates of the varions orders, the death rate among the Eechabites being so remarkably low as to be most marked. Mr Mason says it is not within his reference to argue for or against any connection between total abstinence and longevity, but it is his duty to state clearly that the facts brought out by investigation are such that one cannot help drawing his own conclusions. The total abstainers were also exceptional members of friendly societies, for the same character which promotes abstinence possibly induced them to become more thrifty and to take better care of themselves in other respects.