Salvation Army's Testimony:
Increase in Thrift and Prosperity Commander Evangeline Booth has made what appears to be a final answer to those critics who state that Prohibition as a social reform has failed, says the New York correspondent of the Daily News." Her statement is that, since Prohibition was enacted, "drunkenness among the poor has almost entirely disappeared."
This verdict is based on. the answers to a questionnaire sent to Salvation Army headquarters, shelters, and hotels throughout the United States. These institutions contain over two million beds.
As proof of her conclusions, Commander Booth states that the Salvation Army's "Boozers' Day," when drunken men and women are collected from the streets and fed, clothed and prayed with, has been abandoned. The day is now devoted to entertaining newsboys and poor youngsters.
"Because prohibition has cleared our park benches of drunkards,'' says Commander Booth, "we were able to entertain 5,000 boys under 14 years old in New York City, these boys being benefited ouse one the greatest curses of humanity has been placed beyond the reach of men and women. 7 In one hostelry it was reported that 120 men who had never been known to keep a dollar more than counts of considerable size. fu a hours now have banking ac-
other hotel 25 men of this kind have deposits ranging from £20 to £100. In one case a confirmed drunkard has saved £140. "These," says Commander Booth, "are unusually bright instances, but' everywhere the workers of the Salvation Army have found a marked increase in thrift and prosperity and a marked decrease in drunkenness."
As for the death from alcoholism, the New York City Health Department issues the following apparently decisive figures:
Death from Wood Alcohol Year Alcoholism Alcohol Poisoning Ttl. 110 6ot GBC 191 6366 wig "704 OFF 1913 656 3 2 661 1914 660 5 - 665 li? 5) BBE 252 1919 1%. 3B 1 215 1920 Be 2—I 1921 19 4 8 1 These figures show that, despite deaths from wood alcohol, the total mortality from alcoholic poisoning of every kind has diminished under Prohibition, in war and in peace, from 600 deaths annually on the euetage to about one-fifth that num-The general death-rate has also fallen, not only for New York, but for other wet cities, like Philadels phia, to which Prohibition has been applied.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.