Dr. Mortimer Granville, in a letter to the Times, published
on Tuesday, has once more started the controversy on alcohol. He has certainly the courage of his opinions, maintaining that the spread of teetotalism has done "incalculable harm to the average human organism." There is less stamina in the Englishman now than there was forty years ago, and less power of resisting disease. Teetotalism is, therefore, "a weak and mischievous craze." That is plain speaking ; but is it not also extravagant speaking ? It is quite certain that not only the conquering work of the world, but the work of improving morals, has been done by the drinking races—the Arab being the only imperfect exception—and certain also that two of the hard-drinking peoples, the Scotch and the Swedes, are among- the happiest. It is not, however, proved that those races would not have done their work without alcohol, though it is probable that they would have displayed less energy. As to the decrease of physical stamina, there is no evidence of its occurrence—though doubtless the whole tendency of modern science is to preserve the unfit—while as to. mental stamina, all men over fifty notice the extraordi- nary decrease in senile imbecility. The real defence of alcohol against the one unanswerable charge, viz., the enormous expense it inflicts upon a nation, is that, taken in moderation, it is, like tea, a blameless addition to the happiness of mankind. Arabs and Hindoos are resigned, not happy.
Previous page
