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Questions, by James Runciman

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Title: The Ethics of Drink and Other Social Questions
Joints In Our Social Armour

Author: James Runciman

Release Date: September 3, 2004 [EBook #13365]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE ETHICS OF DRINK AND OTHER SOCIAL QUESTIONS
_OR_
_JOINTS IN OUR SOCIAL ARMOUR_

BY JAMES RUNCIMAN
_Author of "A Dream of the North Sea," "Skippers and Shellbacks," Etc_

London
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
27, PATERNOSTER ROW
MDCCCXCII [1892]

_THE ETHICS OF THE DRINK QUESTION_.

All the statistics and formal statements published about drink are no
doubt impressive enough to those who have the eye for that kind of
thing; but, to most of us, the word "million" means nothing at all, and
thus when we look at figures, and find that a terrific number of gallons
are swallowed, and that an equally terrific amount in millions sterling
is spent, we feel no emotion. It is as though you told us that a
thousand Chinamen were killed yesterday; for we should think more about
the ailments of a pet terrier than about the death of the Chinese, and
we think absolutely nothing definite concerning the "millions" which
appear with such an imposing intention when reformers want to stir the
public. No man's imagination was ever vitally impressed by figures, and
I am a little afraid that the statistical gentlemen repel people instead
of attracting them. The persons who screech and abuse the drink sellers
are even less effective than the men of figures; their opponents laugh
at them, and their friends grow deaf and apathetic in the storm of
whirling words, while cool outsiders think that we should be better
employed if we found fault with ourselves and sat in sackcloth and ashes
instead of gnashing teeth at tradesmen who obey a human instinct. The
publican is considered, among platform folk in the temperance body, as
even worse than a criminal, if we take all things seriously that they
choose to say, and I have over and over again heard vag