atest of the many Temperance leaflets which have come my ince the publication of my book on "The Mortality of Alco The 32-page booklet in question bears the title of "The Effe Alcoholic Drinks upon the Human Mind and Body," was pre y the Scientific Temperance Federation, of Boston, was publ by the Anti-Saloon League of Maryland, and, as its title-pag ounces, was intended "for the use of the Public School Pup Baltimore in competing for the 400 prizes offered for the best e n the above subject." Under the heading of "The Prize C he details of the proposed competition are recited at length, a art read as follows:

"Three gentlemen especially interested in the scientific health aspect of the temperance question offered $1,000 hrough the Anti-Saloon League of Maryland for a fund for p or the best essays written by pupils in the Baltimore P Schools on the subject: "The Effect of Alcoholic Drink upor Human Mind and Body.' The offer is as follows: The Saloon League of Maryland hereby offers a cash prize of $3.00 fo best essay on the above subject written by a pupil in each o ive highest grades in each of the approximately 100 eleme schools of Baltimore City. The League further offers four di prizes of $10 each for each of these five highest grades, and a vide prize of $50 for each of the five highest grades, making fiv prizes, twenty $10 prizes and from 350 to 360 $3.00 prizes fo elementary schools. The League also offers a prize of $10 fo best essay written by a pupil in each of the four regular ar classes in each of the five secondary schools, and a city-wide pri $50 for the best essay from each of the four yearly classes in

vill fully agree with the advocates of total abstinence from alc But a very large percentage of the population of the civilized w vigorously dissents from the Prohibition contention that al lulgence in alcohol, however moderate, necessarily produces effects on all men, whatever their ages, habits and manner of li and declines to accept as proof of that alleged fact the per opinions and hypothetical estimates of scientific or unscie nvestigators who are strongly prejudiced against the use of alc Up to date the scientific investigation of the effects of mod use of alcohol is in its very infancy, in so far as the deductio proven and undebatable conclusions is concerned, and as to n phases of the complex subject there are the widest variation more or less expert opinion. Nevertheless, Prohibition litera almost invariably sets up as positive facts of universal applica he assertions and estimates of its sympathizers and spokes and the pamphlet on "The Effect of Alcoholic Drinks upon Human Mind and Body," which was prepared for the use of public school children of Baltimore in their proposed prizecompetition on that subject is no exception.

As to the fairness or unfairness, accuracy or inaccurac that section of the pamphlet which purports to deal with the e of alcohol upon the human mind, I have no opinion to exp That phase of the subject is one on which only specialists in p ology and psychology can intelligently pass. But with the m presented under the sub-title of "Drink's Cost in Lives" I am much interested, especially as at the very outset of that chapte somewhat startling assertion of "one death every eight mir due to drink" is made to rest upon the figures presented in my

age" a of the

of positive to the contrary, it would therefore assume that the total annual mortality of tates in which alcohol directly, indirectly, or as a causative or contributory factor at last 1 the 66,000 deaths approximately suggested

It should be clearly understood that this ifies that alcohol was the direct cause of 66,000 question presumably including all of the deaths ed any appreciably contributory part. Conof deaths thus computed is not properly umber of deaths accredited to any particular Mortality Statistics of the Registration Area, figures deal with deaths immediately due to

any person, Prohibitionist or anti-Prohibi- mistake this statement for an estimate on ol carries off 1,662 adults every nine days the United States, 65,897 a year." In the ere may be two, three or half a dozen conI surely no one of these more or less remote alcohol or anything else could properly be which "carries off" that particular deceased than old age could rightfully be cited as the cases of death at advanced ages. Apparently altimore pamphlet allowed their zeal to lead isinterpretation of the figures presented in

of dea registr

years a

age-gro

was tha and the Mortal do not actual

MALE DE

age" are somewhat ambiguous (1) as to which of the terminal of the period is included in the "8 years," and (2) as to the gro of deaths between ages 25-65, as the mortality statistics fo registration area do not furnish figures for mortality by indiv years after age 4, and include the deaths at age 65 in those fo age-group 65-69. Presumably, however, the 8-year period cons was that of 1900-1907, inclusive, and the age-period, 25-64, incl and the figures for those years and that age-period presented i Mortality Statistics of the Census Office for the years 1900 do not tally with the pamphlet's figures, as this tabulation o actual returns demonstrates:

MALE DEATHS AT AGES 25-64, INCLUSIVE, IN THE REGISTRATION AREA O UNITED STATES IN THE YEARS 1900-1907, INCLUSIVE, AS RECORDED THE CENSUS OFFICE MORTALITY STATISTICS FOR THOSE YEARS