222 PHYSIOLOGY, 



Alcohol and Poverty. No one needs to be told that a 

 large share of the poverty, everywhere so common, is due 

 to the drinking of alcoholic liquors. Much of the earnings 

 are frequently spent for liquor ; the man's working capac- 

 ity is diminished, his work becomes irregular, and so unre- 

 liable that the drinker often fails to obtain employment 

 when he is sober. 



The Business Man's View. Many firms and corpora- 

 tions now refuse to hire any one who is known to indulge 

 in alcoholic liquors or to frequent saloons. Drinking 

 makes men unreliable, and the wise business man will not 

 intrust matters of importance and all business is impor- 

 tant to those on whom he cannot rely. No boy or 

 young man can afford to risk his position and his reputa- 

 tion by taking a single drink of liquor. 



Alcohol and Character. Serious as are the effects of 

 alcohol on bodily health, and prejudicial as it is to all busi- 

 ness prospects and what we usually call success, still more 

 fearful are the effects, through the nervous system, on the 

 mind and character. Although a later chapter gives some 

 attention to this matter, certain phases of the subject may 

 be treated here. 



Alcohol and Crime. Every one knows from observation 

 and newspaper reports that much of our daily crime is due 

 to alcohol. Without quoting figures it may be stated that 

 carefully collected statistics show that a large per cent 

 of the inmates of our jails, reformatories, and penitentia- 

 ries are brought to such places through the influence of 

 alcohol. 



The Delusive Nature of the Effects of Alcohol. Alco- 

 hol is one of the most delusive substances known to man. 



