in darkest england and the way out-第14章

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t　Biblical　name。　　Why　not　say　prostitution？　　For　this　reason：　prostitution　is　a　word　applied　to　only　one　half　of　the　vice；　and　that　the　most　pitiable。　　Fornication　hits　both　sinners　alike。　　Prostitution　applies　only　to　the　woman。

When；　however；　we　cease　to　regard　this　vice　from　the　point　of　view　of　morality　and　religion；　and　look　at　it　solely　as　a　factor　in　the　social　problem；　the　word　prostitution　is　less　objectionable。　　For　the　social　burden　of　this　vice　is　borne　almost　entirely　by　women。　　The　male　sinner　does　not；　by　the　mere　fact　of　his　sin；　find　himself　in　a　worse　position　in　obtaining　employment；　in　finding　a　home；　or　even　in　securing　a　wife。　His　wrong…doing　only　hits　him　in　his　purse；　or；　perhaps；　in　his　health。　His　incontinence；　excepting　so　far　as　it　relates　to　the　woman　whose　degradation　it　necessitates；　does　not　add　to　the　number　of　those　for　whom　society　has　to　provide。　　It　is　an　immense　addition　to　the　infamy　of　this　vice　in　man　that　its　consequences　have　to　be　borne　almost　exclusively　by　woman。　　The　difficulty　of　dealing　with　drunkards　and　harlots　is　almost　insurmountable。　　Were　it　not　that　I　utterly　repudiate　as　a　fundamental　denial　of　the　essential　principle　of　the　Christian　religion　the　popular　pseudo…scientific　doctrine　that　any　man　or　woman　is　past　saving　by　the　grace　of　God　and　the　power　of　the　Holy　Spirit；　I　would　sometimes　be　disposed　to　despair　when　contemplating　these　victims　of　the　Devil。　　The　doctrine　of　Heredity　and　the　suggestion　of　Irresponsibility　come　perilously　near　re…establishing；　on　scientific　bases；　the　awful　dogma　of　Reprobation　which　has　cast　so　terrible　a　shadow　over　the　Christian　Church。　　For　thousands　upon　thousands　of　these　poor　wretches　are；　as　Bishop　South　truly　said；　〃not　so　much　born　into　this　world　as　damned　into　it。〃　　The　bastard　of　a　harlot；　born　in　a　brothel；　suckled　on　gin；　and　familiar　from　earliest　infancy　with　all　the　bestialities　of　debauch；　violated　before　she　is　twelve；　and　driven　out　into　the　streets　by　her　mother　a　year　or　two　later；　what　chance　is　there　for　such　a　girl　in　this　worldI　say　nothing　about　the　next？　Yet　such　a　case　is　not　exceptional。　　There　are　many　such　differing　in　detail；　but　in　essentials　the　same。　　And　with　boys　it　is　almost　as　bad。　There　are　thousands　who　were　begotten　when　both　parents　were　besotted　with　drink；　whose　mothers　saturated　themselves　with　alcohol　every　day　of　their　pregnancy；　who　may　be　said　to　have　sucked　in　a　taste　for　strong　drink　with　their　mothers'　milk；　and　who　were　surrounded　from　childhood　with　opportunities　and　incitements　to　drink。　　How　can　we　marvel　that　the　constitution　thus　disposed　to　intemperance　finds　the　stimulus　of　drink　indispensable？　　Even　if　they　make　a　stand　against　it；　the　increasing　pressure　of　exhaustion　and　of　scanty　food　drives　them　back　to　the　cup。　　Of　these　poor　wretches；　born　slaves　of　the　bottle；　predestined　to　drunkenness　from　their　mother's　womb；　there　arewho　can　say　how　many？　　Yet　they　are　all　men；　all　with　what　the　Russian　peasants　call　〃a　spark　of　God〃　in　them；　which　can　never　be　wholly　obscured　and　destroyed　while　life　exists；　and　if　any　social　scheme　is　to　be　comprehensive　and　practical　it　must　deal　with　these　men。　　It　must　provide　for　the　drunkard　and　the　harlot　as　it　provides　for　the　improvident　and　the　out…of…work。　　But　who　is　sufficient　for　these　things？

I　will　take　the　question　of　the　drunkard；　for　the　drink　difficulty　lies　at　the　root　of　everything。　　Nine…tenths　of　our　poverty；　squalor；　vice；　and　crime　spring　from　this　poisonous　tap…root。　　Many　of　our　social　evils；　which　overshadow　the　land　like　so　many　upas　trees；　would　dwindle　away　and　die　if　they　were　not　constantly　watered　with　strong　drink。　There　is　universal　agreement　on　that　point；　in　fact；　the　agreement　as　to　the　evils　of　intemperance　is　almost　as　universal　as　the　conviction　that　politicians　will　do　nothing　practical　to　interfere　with　them。　In　Ireland；　Mr。　Justice　Fitzgerald　says　that　intemperance　leads　to　nineteen…twentieths　of　the　crime　in　that　country；　but　no　one　proposes　a　Coercion　Act　to　deal　with　that　evil。　　In　England；　the　judges　all　say　the　same　thing。　　Of　course　it　is　a　mistake　to　assume　that　a　murder；　for　instance；　would　never　be　committed　by　sober　men；　because　murderers　in　most　cases　prime　themselves　for　their　deadly　work　by　a　glass　of　Dutch　courage。　　But　the　facility　of　securing　a　reinforcement　of　passion　undoubtedly　tends　to　render　always　dangerous；　and　sometimes　irresistible；　the　temptation　to　violate　the　laws　of　God　and　man。

Mere　lectures　against　the　evil　habit　are；　however；　of　no　avail。　We　have　to　recognise；　that　the　gin…palace；　like　many　other　evils；　although　a　poisonous；　is　still　a　natural　outgrowth　of　our　social　conditions。　　The　tap…room　in　many　cases　is　the　poor　man's　only　parlour。　Many　a　man　takes　to　beer；　not　from　the　love　of　beer；　but　from　a　natural　craving　for　the　light；　warmth；　company；　and　comfort　which　is　thrown　in　along　with　the　beer；　and　which　he　cannot　get　excepting　by　buying　beer。　Reformers　will　never　get　rid　of　the　drink　shop　until　they　can　outbid　it　in　the　subsidiary　attractions　which　it　offers　to　its　customers。　Then；　again；　let　us　never　forget　that　the　temptation　to　drink　is　strongest　when　want　is　sharpest　and　misery　the　most　acute。　　A　well…fed　man　is　not　driven　to　drink　by　the　craving　that　torments　the　hungry；　and　the　comfortable　do　not　crave　for　the　boon　of　forgetfulness。　　Gin　is　the　only　Lethe　of　the　miserable。　　The　foul　and　poisoned　air　of　the　dens　in　which　thousands　live　predisposes　to　a　longing　for　stimulant。　Fresh　air；　with　its　oxygen　and　its　ozone；　being　lacking；　a　man　supplies　the　want　with　spirit。　　After　a　time　the　longing　for　drink　becomes　a　mania。　　Life　seems　as　insupportable　without　alcohol　as　without　food。　It　is　a　disease　often　inherited；　always　developed　by　indulgence；　but　as　clearly　a　disease　as　ophthalmia　or　stone。

All　this　should　predispose　us　to　charity　and　sympathy。　While　recognising　that　the　primary　responsibility　must　always　rest　upon　the　individual；　we　may　fairly　insist　that　society；　which；　by　its　habits；　its　customs；　and　its　laws；　has　greased　the　slope　down　which　these　poor　creatures　slide　to　perdition；　shall　seriously　take　in　hand　their　salvation。　　How　many　are　there　who　are；　more　or　less；　under　the　dominion　of　strong　drink？　　Statistics　abound；　but　they　seldom　tell　us　what　we　want　to　know。　　We　know　how　many　public…houses　there　are　in　the　land；　and　how　many　arrests　for　drunkenness　the　police　make　in　a　year；　but　beyond　that　we　know　little。　　Everyone　knows　that　for　one　man　who　is　arrested　for　drunkenness　there　are　at　least　ten　and　often　twentywho　go　home　intoxicated。　　In　London；　for　instance；　there　are　14；000　drink　shops；　and　every　year　20；000　persons　are　arrested　for　drunkenness。　　But　who　can　for　a　moment　believe　that　there　are　only　20；000；　more　or　less；　habitual　drunkards　in　London？　　By　habitual　drunkard　I　do　not　mean　one　who　is　always　drunk；　but　one　who　is　so　much　under　the　dominion　of　the　evil　habit　that　he　cannot　be　depended　upon　not　to　get　drunk　whenever　the　opportunity　offers。

In　the　United　Kingdom　there　are　190；000　public…houses；　and　every　year　there　are　200；000　arrests　for　drunkenness。　　Of　course；　several　of　these　arrests　refer　to　the　same　person；　who　is　locked　up　again　and　again。　Were　this　not　so；　if　we　allowed　six　drunkards　to　each　house　as　an　average；　or　five　habitual　drunkards　for　one　arrested　for　drunkenness；　we　should　arrive　at　a　total　of　a　million　adults　who　are　more　or　less　prisoners　of　the　publicanas　a　matter　of　fact；　Isaac　Hoyle　gives　1　in　12　of　the　adult　population。　　This　may　be　an　excessive　estimate；　but；　if　we　take　half　of　a　million；　we　shall　not　be　accused　of　exaggeration。　　Of　these　some　are　in　the　last　stage　of　confirmed　dipsomania；　others　are　but　over　the　verge；　but　the　procession　tends　ever　downwards。

The　loss　which　the　maintenance　of　this　huge　standing　army　of　a　half　of　a　million　of　men　who　are　more　or　less　always　besotted　men　whose　intemperance　impairs　their　working　power；　consumes　their　earnings；　and　renders　their　homes　wretched；　has　long　been　a　familiar　theme　of　the　platform。　　But　what　can　be　done　for　them？　　Total　abstinence　is　no　doubt　admirable；　but　how　are　you　to　get　them　to　be　totally　abstinent？　　When　a　man　is　drowning　in　mid…ocean　the　o