L.T.L. COLUMN.

White Ribbon, Volume 25, Issue 290, 18 August 1919, Page 3

L.T.L. COLUMN.

fklntii translation. First pi i/« awarded to Norman Hcyes Brunswick Street, Lower llutc. Se<oml prize, \. 11. Ames, Waimea Street, Nelson. Translation. —Alcohol is assuredly .1 li.ii and a former. It pretends to sirengthen a in.in, and it weakens him; it pretend, to wann him, and it ,hills him; it pretends to c heer h.lll, .ind it drives him to despair; it takes the name of water of life, anti it gives death. Aleohol is an infamous thief wh eh empties the working man’s pockets. Also, it ruins the State by foiling upon it the erection of new hospitals, new lunatic asylum-, and new* prisons. It costs 1 I* ranee more than one thousand millions per an nurn. \lcoho| i- an establish* d criminal. There is not a da\ on which this murderer does mu corrupt children, maim women, fell the strongest men, anti strike down old men with a|H>plexy, without taking int.» account the blows and wounds which it cause- incessantly. I bus alcohol prepares the bankruptcy, both material and moral, of the mother country by draining her noble blood and her essential reserves.

I ||\ SICAL LF FLATS OK fXTKM PFK \NTF

Temperance Wall Sheet, No. 2 (1.0. R.). |)r. New sholme, Medical Health dttuoi for ( laphain, London, author of “Hygiene, * specifies the following effects: 1. Stomach, (a) Wlien .1 huge dose of aleohol Is taken. the stomach ma\ become acutely inflamed. (b) Peisistent iipenipcrance causes atrophy (that is, wasting away) < f the wall ot the stomach. _> Liver. The liver becomes senously diseased. In some cases it be* (ome.< large and fatty; in others the chronic irritation causes atrophy. *>. Lungs, e»c. The tendon* y to chronic bronchitis is increased. 4. Blood.- The blood has its oxidising power diminished. (“Alcohol Acts on the blood corpuscles, reducing their power of absorbing oxygen from the aii.— Richardson.) 5. Heart.—The force and rapidity of lhe heart’s action are increased Dr

I’.likes found that one numc of ah o hol (s.i\ one pint of ale) made tin* heart boat about 4.;5<> time more in the day; four ounces of ahohol (sa* about two quarts of ale) made the he.lit heat 1 2,0*10 . times more. In some instances the heart’s extra boats, owing to the influence of alcohol, have ica< hed 25,000 in 24 hours. (1. Brain. Chronic thickening of the membranes covering the brain and spinal chord often ensues from pro longed alcoholic indulgence. Dr. Newsholme also mennons it. temperan« e as the principal cause of the following diseases: (a) (iout and rigidity of the ar terics. (b) Fatty degeneration of the heait and other degenerative diseases. Ic) Delirium tremens. (d.) Insanity. (Dr. Brown says tha. 15 out of too registered lunatics have lost their reason through the direct influence of alcohol, and probably an equal number through its indirect in riucm c.) |)r. Youl. the late well-known Coroner of Mc!l>o\rnc, said that one-half of the deaths forming the subjects of inquests held by him were clue to in temperance. Dr. Kerr estimates that in the I’nited Kingdom 120,000 deaths yearly are due* directly or indirectly t<< strong drink. The celebrated Dr. Richardson says it has been calculated that in ten years, in the I'nited States, drink caused 200,000 women to become widows, and 1,000,000 children orphans.