Forces.--E.A.R.]

[Footnote N: See Publishers' notice.]


ALCOHOLISM.

It should be noted here that another great difficulty we had was to make
men _beware of the dangers of drink_. A man who is in liquor is much more
liable to contract venereal disease than a man who is sober. Alcohol
increases sexual desire, lessens sexual ability, and lowers the sense of
responsibility. Hence, drunkenness, immorality and disease go hand in
hand: a dreadful three. But more than this. The drunken man takes much
longer over the sex-act, thereby prolonging the risk of disease, and he
runs risks which he would rule out instantly if the fumes of alcohol had
not changed the tawdry girl into the glittering fairy. Worse than all, he
neglects to apply disinfection properly and _promptly_--he falls asleep or
forgets all about it till _too late_. Men who are determined to have a
"night out" should use calomel ointment (or some other substitute) _before
they start_; and if they have been in liquor they should disinfect
instantly when they recover their sober senses. Generally speaking, _an
ounce of calomel is worth a ton of salvarsan_.

As with young men, so with young girls: a few glasses of wine taken at a
supper or a dance--and the first downward step is taken, not because any
wrong was intended, but the simple actualities of sex were unknown, and
the stimulant took advantage of the ignorance that is miscalled innocence.
This kind of thing will continue till the older generation realise that
morality depends--not on the maintenance of ignorance and the fear of
disease, but on the spread of knowledge and the promotion of virtue.