ALCOHOLOGY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 261, 14 March 1911, Page 6

ALCOHOLOGY.

PROFESSOR SALIIOND OX WINE. (Published by Arrangement). Professor Sahnond lias written a pamphlet on "Prohibition a blunder," in which he gives his opinion on wine. The parts dealing with the prohibition as a legislative act and the objections to it from the Bible and philosophy do not come within the scope of the heading of these articles; therefore those parts may be left to others—we will only consider what he says about wine. In the term "wine," the Professor says he includes all alcoholic drinks, and so. it will be used here. In a booklet of OS pages he only professes to devote seven pages to "the place and use of wine," showing how little consideration, he gives to that aspect—the fundamental aspect—of the whole scope of the prohibition movement. At the very outset of even this short notice of the place and use of wine the Professor indulges in a storv about a man who defended his tobacco by calling his pipe one of his best friends. These are the words used in defence of the pipe:—"When I am wet and cold it warms me; when my limbs are stiff it supples them, . . . Some days when I I go home and take my pipe it satisfies my hunger, and my bairns get a better dinner." In this manner the learned Professor defends the use of wine. When, however, he does touch on the verdict of science lie says: "But it appears that the modern sciences, especially chemistry and physiology, teach that alcohol in all its forms is injurious." Then if "all',' chemists and physiologists agree ho will submit: "But I cannot discover that they do agree." So instead of giving some consideration to weighing the evidence of scientific authorities for and against wine, as we might expect a professor of | mental science would do, he says: "Apparently we have to proceed on our way as best we can, without tile light of science; and we can do so very well. Doth not Nature teach us?" However, on the next page he leaves Nature, and turns to quote Plato as saying: "Boys shall not taste wine. When at length a man has reached forty years, he°ma\; make use of the wine." DOTH NOT NATURE TEACH US? \es; Nature does teach us, and it teaches us_ to refuse nasty things. To any untrained palate alcoholic drinks are unpalatable. Try a child with beer and it unless previously accustomed to 't—refuses it; it follows Nature, and spits it out. The strong drinks have been brought to various native races—childien of Nature—and they recognise their unnatural character by the names they give them, "fire-water" and "waipiro," and such like. Nature at the very outset declares against wine. Then, when men will persevere in drinking wine, Nature protests again; though the drinker may not see it, liis neighbors soon see that there is something wrong with him; he does not talk sensibly, he does not walk steadily, he does not act wisely, he has lost control of himself; all this comes from the use of wine'. Does not Nature teach us that the thing is bad? Nature teaches us that alcohol is a thing to be got rid of as soon as possible. It is a product of decay, only the decay is arrested by man at a certain point; let Nature alone, and alcohol become vinegar. Then when men take the product of this arrested natural process and drink it, the nature in the man is at once set to work to try and get rid of it cither by evaporation," by vomiting or by sleep—sometimes the long last sleep of death. Tie is a very poor interpreter of Nature who mistakes wine begotten mirth or pleasure for the natural outgrowth of simple tastes and simple faith and 'hope. It is most surprising of all that a doctor of divinity does "not recognise all this when he enlarges on exhilaration obtained through" wine drinking; he forgets what the Bible says"For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity."