ALCOHOLOGY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 8, 4 July 1911, Page 7

ALCOHOLOGY.

j THE KAISER'S FAMOUS SPEECH. i (Published by Arrangement). New Zealanders have had short cable reports of the Kaiser's speech to the students at the Naval Academy, Murwik: Here is a translation from the original text, made by a student of Charles City College, lowa, U.S.A.: — "I will give you one more slight exhortation concerning the question which I have greatly at heart for the welfare of my nation. It is the question of alcohol and drinking. I know very well that the desire for drink is ari old Germanic inheritance. Nevertheless, we must, by self-discipline, free ourselves from this evil in every respect. I can assure you that during my reign of '22 years I have experienced that of the criiws which were submitted to me for adjudication, the largest number, up to nine-tenths, are traceable to the results of alcohol. In former times it was considered extraordinarily smart and robust to take and stand a large quantity in youth. As a young officer I have had opportunity to see such instances without ever participating in them. Those are ideas of former times, that belong to the Thirty Years' War, but not any more to our day. Leaving the results, which I will not amplify for yon, entirely out of the question, I would in the first place call your attention to one , point for your future vocation. The service in my niivy has, as you will observe for yourselves during your time of service on board, reached a point of exertion which it is hardly possitTlc yet to surpass. '"lt is the chief thing for you to be able to undergo these enormous exertions in time of peace without wear and tear in order to be alert in time of war. The next war and the next naval battle demand sound nerves for yon. By nerves it will be decided. These are undermined by alcohol, and are jeopardised from childhood up by indulgence In : it. You will later have an opportunity to see the target ships and the effect of modern shot and shell on the ships, and you will be able to draw a picture : therefrom of the conditions in an engagement. oil will see the horrible devastation when vnu will be upon them, and divers kinds of pictures. There it means: Sound nerves and a cool head! i That nation which consumes the smallest amount of alcohol will win. And you ought to be gentlemen! You shall set the crews an example! That has the greatest effect with .men. Therefore 1 expect of you that now already at the naval academy, or on hoard, in all'good fellowship and friendliness and in no wise inconvenienced, yet that you take heed among yourselves, and that care shall be taken that the use of alcohol shall not pass as belonging to your privileges. There are in my navy lodges of (iood Templars and Blue Cross societies about to be founded, or already founded, a few officers, and several hundred men have joined. I hope that you will do all you can to support the crews in joining them. And I need onlv refer to the typical example of the English navy, where to, its great benefit. 20,(100 men and officers have already joined. It is a question concerning the future of om navv and your people, ff you train the people to abandon alcohol. I shall have healthy and reasonable subjects. It is a great question of the future, for by those leaving the services, the idea is brought to the general public. If you stand for these, principles, my people will be morally uplifted. That is ,i work in which I would ask you to participate."