CHAPTER X 



RACIAL DIFFERENCES 



Theories to account for racial differences in drinking habits — 

 CHmate — Potency of alcoholic beverages — Civilisation — 

 Education and training — Temperament — Recreation — The 

 theory of alcoholic evolution alone covers all the instances. 



Races, aggregates of men, differ like individual 



men. Some of these aggregates are infinitely more 



prone to intemperance than the others. We have 



sought to account for racial differences by supposing 



that the different races have undergone varying 



degrees of evolution. Many other explanations 



have been hazarded. It is time to take them 



into account. 



Racial differences have been attributed to 



climate. Because the most sober races of the 



world inhabit the South of Europe, therefore the 



warmer half of the temperate zone has been 



thought to be particularly conducive to sobriety. 



Extremes of heat and cold, on the other hand, 



have been supposed to promote drunkenness. But 



many lands have a climate similar to that of South 



H "^ 



