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Show : Larson Article : Pleases L. D. S. Church Leaders i Ail article written by Gustive O. ', Larson, Director of the Cedar City s L. D. S. Institute of Religion, and jji published in the December Lsue 4 of the Utah Educational Review, .so plea ed church authorities that J it is to be used extensively by the I i lunch. It is to appear in various 3 vhurch publications and in addi- tion several thousand copies are to be printed for distribution over the state. The article, entitled "A Birthright For Sale?" deals wit'.i i the tobacco, narcotic and liquor, ' problems of the nation. The com-: com-: plete article follows: ; Wealth in furs was increased a century ago through debauching the American Indian with liquor. Many an Indian's soul was for sale after he had once tasted the white man's fire-watfr. Unscrupulous mountain men thought nothing of exploiting the native if only the yield In furs increased. We are experiencing ex-periencing a modern parallel to this sacrific? of human well-being to mercenary interest. The thousands thous-ands wrung from the former enter-prL enter-prL e were as a drop in the vast sea of moden liquor profits. And where the former prey was regarded as an inferior remnant without claim to overmuch consideration, you and I and a hundred million other Americans Amer-icans are the intended victims of the present program for mounting dividends. If this soundi extravagant consider con-sider the fact that in a single year the American public pays over four billion dollars for liquor. All this UM-nHMM MBMnMflB XKnann expenditure diverted from channels of necessity and human welfare to the purchase of a non-e sential which txrience has proved to be harmful to the individual and a menace to society. It represents a staggering tr.bute to the narcotic tods for temporary escape from the world of reality into the illu-iion illu-iion of well-being. The expenditure however, does not represent a normal nor-mal but rather a stimulated demand. de-mand. And herein lies the vicious ness of the modern exploitation of human beings. Through all known devices the liquor interests push their program of making every non-drinker a drinker and every user an increasingly heavy user of their products. Without shame or hedging they announce their aims. Said the American Brewer In January, Jan-uary, 1936, "The main objective of the wise brewer today is to win new customers. There still are millions mil-lions of person in the United States who are not regular beer users they offer the greatest opportunity op-portunity for profit." Or consider the following from the Brewers Digest in May, 1941: "One of the finest things that could have happened to the Brewing Industry was the insistence of high ranking officers to make beer available at Army Camps. . . . Here is a chance for brewers to cultivate a Uste for beer in millions of young men who will evf-ntiUaUy constitute the largest beer consuming section of our population.'' pop-ulation.'' The statement gloats over its newly claimed victims, "The present conscripted army is the Jealously guarded pride and Joy of the nation." So. te:ause the normal demand for alcoholic products never equals the desire for increased profits the liquor interests go on bombarding the nation with every appeal conceivable. con-ceivable. And the nation's narcotic menace increases in proportion to the sucesi of their advertising. The liquor industry can never prosper pros-per without a heavy toll upon civilization. The great American tradegy is that while alcohol is known to reduce re-duce efficiency, boost our crime record, menace our highways, wreck our homes, and pauperize our people, peo-ple, we smile indulgently while the liquor Interests continue to push the sale for increased profits. Leg-1 islators point to the billion dollar tax income from the industry as though that were compensation for immeasurably greater economic losses los-ses to the nation to say nothing of human values Involved. And we go on ignoring the nullifying effect of liquor upon every organized effort ef-fort to educate and build a healthy normal citizenship. The situation is well summarized by President George B. Cutten of Colgate University: Uni-versity: "Everything I am trying to build up as an educator alcohol drink tends to tear down. The results re-sults of a college education and consuming beverage alcohol arc represented by opposite poles." While alcoholic sponsors continue contin-ue their program of educating the public in proper liquor etiquette, let us look at their products in the light of the present national emergency. emer-gency. Pearl Harbor has added its testimony to similar disasters of the past, and that testimony Is that all the best equipment in the world can never substitute for re-' re-' sponsible man power clear headed physically fit, and morally sound. And yet alcohol, which destroys manpower in billion dollar doses annually, continues unrestricted to undermine our national vitality. While we spend billions willingly to make ourselves strong, we spend other billions unwittingly to keep us weak. Experience elsewhere has demonstrated tragically that a house divided may not stand. , If democracy is to be strong it must demonstrate its ability to create a strong citizenship. France failed and now lies under the dictator's dic-tator's heel. She had her Maginot Line and her "invincible army" but the e without physical and moral stability meant nothing. Her fate was already sealed as the farseeing editor, Payot, wrote in 1925, "Alcoholism "Alco-holism under the indifferent eyes of the authorities is indeed destroying destroy-ing our nation ... I solemnly affirm af-firm that frcm now on one might inscribe on the windows of all the public houses in France the fateful fate-ful words: Finis Galliae.' ' On the other hand, while France blindly Increased her liquor consumption, con-sumption, Germany was steadily erasing the retarding effects of both alcohol and tobacco from her manixwer. Reflecting the awakening awaken-ing which was a:companied by strong narcotic regulation the German Ger-man Association of Neurologists and Psychiatrists wrote: "The Association As-sociation feels duty bound to declare de-clare that the customs of drinking and the advertising of the many kinds of beer are a great menace to the health of the population. The drinking of liquor and also of beer, even in such quantities not ordinarily ordi-narily considered intoxicating, lessens les-sens personal resistance to all kinds of disease, shortens life, and produces pro-duces crime and accident." Such statements were supported by the Mini-try of Health and other state officials who warned against narcotic nar-cotic dissipation of German manpower man-power and pointed out that the fight against liquor, ns well as a-gainst a-gainst tobacco, wa a fght to strengthen national defense. The government Bureau for control of Alcohol and Tobacco included in its program the protection of minors against both; total abstinence in in face of special responsibilities, control of advertising with representation repre-sentation of spirits and tobacco as "health products" forbidden, increase in-crease in production of non-alco-holli drinks and establishment of centers for their low co.t distribu tion, education of the public to the dangers of alcohol and special emphasis em-phasis on healthful living for youth. Abstinence became a basic principle princi-ple in the Nazi Youth Movement. All this our enemy was doing to strengthen her manjxwer and protect pro-tect her youth while we were reading read-ing the American Brewers exulting chant, "Millions not now users . . . Here is the greatest opportunity for profits." "Here is a chance for Brewers to cutllvate a taste for beer In millions of young men." Radical changes are being wrought in American life. Individual Indivi-dual and corporate adjustments are made willingly to the all-out war effort. No sacrifice is held too great for the preservation of democracy. de-mocracy. But If democracy encourages encour-ages seeds of disintegration as it did In France wherein lies our gain? Democracies mu?t breed itrength for their own well being and their preservation. If some corporations producing real e sentials are asked to adjust their programs to more direct war' effort, why should not others, engaged In production and distribution of harmful non-essentials, be cut to fit the emergency pattern? Certainly It would be In the public interest and In harmony with our defense program to prohibit pro-hibit all stimulation of narcotic consumption and let it follow a normal demand. This much a-chleved a-chleved in control of high pressuring pressur-ing Americans Into harmful indulgence, indul-gence, the rest might be left to education. ed-ucation. In these channels of legislation and education lie promising possibilities possi-bilities for lessening of America's narcotic menace. And as that menace men-ace is relieved our national defense ', will be stremjrthened proportion-lately. proportion-lately. With reference to legislation for control of high pressuring the American people into use of injurious injur-ious products distinction must be made, in the use of the press and radio, between dissemination of truth and falsehood. Tins regardless regard-less of whether the latter be expressed ex-pressed directly or by Implication. To mislead the American people with subtle phrases into consumption consump-tion of harmful products is as much an attack upon our vitals as a'ny form of sabotage with results, at present, equally devastating. Alcohol Alco-hol should no longer be allowed to masquerade in American II. e a., wholrsome company contributing to social and economic well being but should be exposed and frankly presented to the public for what It is. Instead of soothing, relieving, steadying, bracing, all of which appropriately ap-propriately enough describe the effects of narcotics, the public should be reminded that alcoholic drinks really are narcotlv and that their continued use will bring physical phy-sical degeneration, and moral debauchery. de-bauchery. The people of a democracy demo-cracy have a right to the fac'j so that knowing the truth they may at least choose to be free. CcrU'n ly the youth of America have as much right to freedom from this evil as the Nazi youth who, Ironically, Iron-ically, have been the first to throw off the narcotic chains in order to become strong to defeat democracy 1 Education in democratic America Amer-ica has no greater responsibility than ' to lead youth Into paths of found physical, mental and spiritual spirit-ual well being. While we fight to preserve our freedom we must make sure that that freedom is not used for our own destruction Therefore, In face of exiting condition) con-dition) In which only seventy-five Tnt Is spent for education to every ev-ery dollar rxiwnded for use of alcohol, al-cohol, the former should be increased in-creased to emphasize the Importance of health and public safety In thrtr relation to the use of narcotics. Th Joy, the power, and the glory of health deserve at lea t as much attention at-tention as is now jlven by private agencies to deceive the public Into physical and moral defeneration. |