KUMARA DEBATING SOCIETY.

Kumara Times, Issue 1704, 16 March 1882, Page 2

KUMARA DEBATING SOCIETY.

"MODERATE DRINKING." A meeting of the above society was held on Mouday evening, in the parish room of Holy Trinity Church, the Rev. J. Holland in the chair. After new members had been proposed and enrolled, the Chairman read over the inles which were to govern the debating, and then called upon Dr. Porter to open the debate of the evening " I a total abstinence more conducive to health than moderation ?" Dr. Porter took the affirmative, and Mr Harre the negative. We are indebted to one of the members for the following report: - Dr. Pouter, on rising, said : Mr Chairman and gentlemen—my first duty this evening will be to define moderation. According to. the standard

laid down of medical men, any man ! who took over 2oz. of alcohol daily, in whatever form it may be, whether in so much spirits 6r in ft larger Quantity of beer, that man would not bo a moderate drinker. He next proved from medical testimony that it was not necessary for health, and that even in small Quantities it is injurious, weakening the digestive organs, hardening the walls of the stomach, and causing many other disorders j and as it has a bad effect upon the body, so also does it act upon the mental power of man. It is a wellknown fact (said the doctor) that if a man is engaged upon any work which requires great brain-power, that man abstains from alcohol in every shape before doing his brain-work. It is injurious both physically and mentally, and the man who plays with it, plays with fire ; for not only has he to contend with alcohol, but, as it is sold out retail with many other drugs, all of which are more or less injurious as a stimulant for warding off fatigue, it has been proved in late campaigns (Ashantee to wit) and expeditions, that it is not only useless but injurious; for when men were allowed grog on the march, they were invariably knocked up long b fore a fair day's march had been accomplished. He then pointed out from a medical point of view how it hinders digestion, quickens the action of the heart, and therefore ought not to be given in sickness, except in very rare cases ; that it causes fatty degeneration of the heart, and even in small doses causes sleeplessness and nnmerous evils—[Loud applause]—among others, lowering the temperature of the body. Dr. Porter remarked that much of the alcohol taken into the system is given off by the kidneys unchauged; but that what became of the remainder of the poisonous drug was unknown. He alao remarked that the drug is usually taken on an empty stomach in the colonies, which is the worst way of taking it. The attention of the audience was directed to the articles on " Alcohols " in the " Contnmporaiy Review," by the leading medical men .in London, none of them extreme men on either side of the questiou. They agree in the main that alcohol is unnecessary in health, and should be given with great caution and moderation in disease;

Mr Harre, in reply, said j Mr Chairman and gentlemen— I cannot help noticiug the very recent date of the movement fur the suppression of aid •- hoi, which proves it to bg a new' idea that it is injurious to the health. I define moderation to be alcohol in such a quantity as to do good. 1 shall, in my defeuce to-night, speak first about what we find in Holy Scripture about it. In the Hebrew there are two words used, which are translated into English by the word "wine." Now one of these words means uufetmerited wine, and the other fermented. Ah authority which" I have read.on the subject (not knowing Hebrew myself) tells me that these words are used indiscriminately, sometimes one word when the use of wine is condemned, and sometimes the other, and the same also when speaking in the praise of wine. Again, I find on referring to various authorities that it quickens digestion, arid gives a warmth to the body which could not be got by any other means in the same time. It has been said that it destroys the oxygen which is so necessary for the life of man ; but I find, on referring to s3V(?ral authorities, that a large quantity of alcohol consumed passes through the body unchanged;.therefore I cannot see how it can change or dedestroy the origin.—[The speaker's time being up, h« sat down before finishing his defence.] The Chairman then declared the debate open, and invited members to speak, reminding each that they should be allowed five minutes. Mr White was the first to rue on his fret ; he said : Mr Chairman and gentlemen—The opposer of this debate has made but a very poor defence in favour of moderation, and I hope it is poor because he feels that he has no ground to stand upon. He hoped to se.> him voting on the opposite side. He then quoted the authority of various do. tors, shewing that it was unnecessary, and even condemning it as a drug in the hands of doctors. No man could, he said, take it with impunity : what whs moderation'toone would be drunkenness to another, therefore moderation is not definable. At the request of the Chairman Mr Harre resumed his defence. He asked which of the poets or the historians had been total abstainers 1 Again, the healthiest and strongest men in the world were moderate drinkers. The Chairman next rose; he saidgentlemen : I only rise to-night just to point out a few mistakes made by the opposer of this debate. In the* first place he quoted Scripture to support his arguments, and s&ys that the words are used indiscriminately. Allow rae

to point out that lie is labouring under a mistake. The two words are " tiroah " and "zazin" and the former is used when speaking in the pr&ise of wine, the latter when condemning it, As for iilc.bol giving |, wv t to the body, it has been proved on recent Arctic expeditions that it is the worst thing that cah be given ) that so far from giving heal its action is such as to cause death from cold. As regards its powers on the digestive d'rgans, I leave it with the opener of the debate, but I cannot refrain from montidnirig that when chaplain to one df her Majesty's prisons, nieu who were nidderate drinkers, and men who were saturated with drinkconfirmed drunkards with scarcely any stomach were admitted-. to every case drink was stopped in prison* and in less than six mouths' time-, Ihey scarcely seemed td be the same creatures; Their appetite had returned-, their digestive brgauS were restored} and their health generally improved: This} mind you, under the total abstinence treatment. M r OraMs, rising} Said : Mr Chairman and gentlemen—We had better put all doctors and doctors' opinious ori one side, and decide" from a commonsense point of view. I have heard of a doctor at a lunatic asylum, who treated all the patients with pure brandy} with very good results. The medical testipiouy is conflicting. I remember when in the Crimea, a man who had been given up by the doctors. He was suffering from cholera, and after thd doctors bad left him he begged for some brandy. I went and asked the doctor's permission to give him some. He told me I might give him anything that he" wished, for he was sure to die. I then, filled an ordinary tumbler three parta full of brandy, and gave it to him, and he recovered, and is alive to this day: I have known it to do good to children} why then should it be hurtful to man: Mr White next said a few words. The Rev. R. Fesxell, rising, said : Mr Chairman and gentlemen—l believe there is no need for man to use alcohol, except in rare cases, when prescribed by the doctors. I have known doctors predcribe poison for certaiu diseases} but it is no reason why a man should continue taking poison after the diai ease has left him. Mr Harre, in answering the arguments brought against him,- pointed out that alcohol did give heat. He men; tidned the case of a man tired with sluicing all day, arriving home cold and wet, sarin.;* that a dram -would warm him up until the billy boils; Dr. Porter, in summing up, said : It is difficult to define what moderation is. I take it, that a man should find out the point where it first begins to* dd harrri, and thert take a little less. He next showed how a drink lifted d man up for a short time, and the.il dropped him lower than he was at fhsfc He quoted facts from tbe Ashantee expedition, also the" testimony of the leading men of the day, shewing that it was not necessary for a man hi good health, however much good it might do for old people with aldggisli blood in them. The Chairman then put the question to the meeting} and found that eight voted -with the opener in the affirmative, and six with the opener in the negative. The next meeting will be held oil Monday, March 27th, at S p.m. Subject : Is it advisible to admit Chinese in large; numbers to this dolony V The Rev. Mr Holland will take the affirmative, M r Brewer the negative.