THE MORAL STATUS OF ALCOHOL. 375 



been evolved in times gone by, and would probably be evolved 

 in times to come, had the spirit alcohol never been made the 

 companion of man. Inasmuch as a position will be taken in 

 discordance with the conscientious belief of total alcoholic 

 abstainers, let the assurance be conveyed, at once and empha- 

 tically, that I am one who can always respect enthusiasm, 

 even though I disapprove of the principles on which it may 

 be manifested. Enthusiasm I regard as a blazoned testimony 

 of living faith ; under the banner of which he who testifies is 

 prepared to incur any pain, trouble, discomfort it may be 

 worse that can occur from the profession of a creed, and 

 the practice of a code, dictated by conscience. Enthusiasm I 

 reverence as a holy quickening fire, a living protest against 

 that resource of lazy natures a compromise. 



4 Des Menschen Thatigkeit kann allzu leicht erschlaffen ; 

 Er liebt sich bald die unbedingte Euh.' 



A necessary attribute of every enthusiasm is, that it shall aim 

 at extremes. Few, if any, subjects of enthusiasm, if earned 

 to the extremity aimed at, would be advantageous. In es- 

 timating their influence upon mankind and the world, it is 

 necessary to contemplate the result, or, more correctly speak- 

 ing, the resultant, eliminated or to be eliminated, through 

 opposition brought to bear. 



As a protest against the degrading vice of drunkenness, 

 which had come to prevail in these islands, the enthusiasm 

 of total alcoholic abstinence has doubtless been productive of 

 good to British and Irish society ; but if it were possible that 

 the aspirations of total abstainers could ever be achieved, the 

 result would, I think, be very unfavourable to the exercise of 

 every sort of high intellectual energy. Bearing in mind the 

 division of human beings that we have provisionally agreed 

 upon, into the creatives and the executives, we shall now be 

 in a position to evolve and place in evidence a fallacy which 

 has seemed to underlie the philosophy of total alcoholic absti- 

 nence people : they would seem to lay down the proposition, 



