less resistant, and are soonest destroyed by 

 it. 



In all this there must be a certain element 

 of truth. The view, however, ignores the 

 evil effect on the nervous system of long 

 continued poisoning, even if the poison be 

 only in moderate amounts. The temperate 

 Italian, with his daily semi-saturation may 

 be no more a normal man than the Scotch 

 farmer with his occasional sprees. The nerve 

 disturbance which wine effects is an evil, 

 whether carried to excess in regularity or ir- 

 regularity. We know too little of its final 

 result on the race to give certainty to our 

 speculations. It is,moreover, true that most 

 excess in the use of alcohol is not due to 

 primitive appetite. It is drink which causes 

 appetite, and not appetite which seeks for 

 drink. In a given number of drunkards but 

 a very few become such through inborn ap- 

 petite. It is influence of bad example, lack 

 of courage, false idea of manliness, or some 

 defect in character or misfortune in environ- 

 ment which leads to the first steps in drunk- 

 enness. The taste once established grows 

 of itself. In earHer times, when the nature 



The 



Human 



Harvest 



[67] 



