The Blood of the Nation 



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, is 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 regu- 

 larity or irregularity. 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 prim- 

 itive 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 appetite. It is influ- 

 ence of bad example, lack of courage, 

 false idea of manliness, or some defect 

 in character or misfortune in environ- 



38 



