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Show FORECLOSING OPPORTUNITY Furious diatribes and tlgorotia In-cctIo In-cctIo against the "demon drink," n!',?rCnl,,B (7"" "1'iwrcnl fannticB upon tho subject, nro not nearly ho comlnclng ns the following plain, mnttcr-of-rnct, presentation from tho Saturday Evening Post: "As usual when old aeiiualntanees meet after a long Interval, the talk soon turned to companions of other days; nnd on that scoro wo compared notcB. That one was flourishing not-nbly. not-nbly. I his other now held a tip-ton position married; three children; n success. That one wns doing ory woll. So In running over moro than n score of names nnd a scoro of years It seemed that fortune had been very kind to tho particular bunch of cubs wo were discussing. "Two, It Is true, had died of natural causes. One had committed suicide. Another well, he wns Just keeping along, with his head slightly above water, but mostly submerged. And of tho suicide nnd (ho failure there nvas but ono explanation drink. "It Is not good to Ho about drink, and like everything else In tho world, drinking Is comparative. Some men's constitutions will withstand an appalling ap-palling quantity of alcohol. Some men can drink pretty hard "and pretty Btendlly, and yet succeed. Many men can (I rink moderately without ruining themselves. "It is true, however, that drink Is a great handicap. Whoever drinks habitually undertakes to win n stiff rnco with a hundred-pound weight strapped to his back. Possibly ho can do II; hut that Ib a poor condition for rnclug. To drink Is to erect n barrier to opportunity to sot up hurdles for yourself to jump. "Liquor greases tho way for all olhor vices. Tho experienced employer employ-er hardens his heart against tho young man whoso breath smells or whiskey not bccaiiBo ho Is sentimental, or oven mornl; hut because ho docs not want handicapped men on his force." |