,
and as many as 4.1 per cent. were epileptic. Many of these women had female
relatives, sisters or daughters, of sober habits and married to sober
husbands. On comparing the death rate amongst the children of the sober
mothers with that amongst the children of the drunken women of the same
stock, the former was found to be 23.9 per cent., the latter 55.2 per
cent., or nearly two and a half times as much. It was further observed [45]
that in the drunken families there was a progressive rise in the death rate
from the earlier to the later born children."

Dr. Sullivan cites as a typical alcoholic family one in which the first
three children were healthy, the fourth was of defective intelligence, the
fifth was an epileptic idiot, the sixth was dead born, and finally the
productive career ended with an abortion.

The nervous systems of many children of alcoholic parents are wrecked for
life; many die in convulsions as infants. Many, however, who do not die,
live as epileptics. This action of alcohol on the health and vitality of
the race is the most serious of the evils that intemperance brings on the
community. The tendency of all children of alcoholics is toward nervous
disorders of a grave type.

Statistics show a very high rate of still-births and abortions among the
children of drunken mothers, show that drunken women must not be permitted
to become mothers.

Dr. Branthwaite in a lecture stated: "In my judgment, habitual drunkenness,
so far as women are concerned, has materially increased, during the last
twenty-five years, which I have spent entirely amongst drunkards and
drunkenness. These people are not in the least affected by orthodox
temperance efforts; they continue to propagate drunkenness, and thereby
nullify the good results of temperance energy. Their children, born of
defective parents, and educated by their surroundings grow up without a
chance of decent life, and constitute the reserve from which the strength
of our present army of habitual drunkards is maintained. Truly we have
neglected in the past, and are still neglecting, the main source of
drunkard supply--the drunkard himself; crippled that and we should soon see
some good results from our work."

Dr. Fleck, another authority, says: "It is my strong conviction that a
large percentage of our mentally defective children, including idiots,
imbeciles and epileptics, are the descendants of drunkards."

Therefore the chronic inebriate must not bec