16 DECEMBER 1932, Page 17

GRANDMOTHERLY LEGISLATION [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—I think

" Janus " misses the point in his first comment in last week's Spectator. I take it to be that if the great

majority of a nation be robbed by grandmotherly legislation of the opportunity to learn self-restraint for the sake of a minority who cannot restrain themselves, the result must be a weakening of the moral fibre of that nation. At first the results may seem good, but in the end the nation will be an easy prey to excess whenever the restriction is removed. The policy is penny wise and pound foolish. You cannot learn when to stop if you are never allowed to start. am„