The licensed trade : an independent survey / by Edwin A. Pratt.

  • Edwin A. Pratt
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The licensed trade : an independent survey / by Edwin A. Pratt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    by those who are willing to look beyond the views assertions, and prejudices of individuals or organiza- tions avowedly hostile to the trade. The present work, therefore, differs essentially from the ordinary ‘ temperance ’ literature, of which, I fancy, most English people are beginning to grow somewhat weary. In my humble judgment the very word ‘tem- perance ’ is too often used in an entirely wrong sense. Prohibitionists and other extremists are not really entitled to consider ‘ temperance ’ and ‘ total absti- nence ’—as they generally do—synonymous terms. My own view on this point was set forth in a footnote on page 105 of my little book on * Licensing and Temper- ance in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark,’ wherein I said: The real meaning of the word ‘ temperance’ is £ moderation.’ It we say of a man that he is temperate in speaking, we do not imply that he abstains from speech, but that he shows moderation therein. Nor, when told that a person is temperate in eating, do we assume that he has left off taking food. If the one be ‘ a moderate speaker,’ and the other ‘a moderate eater,’ then the ‘temperance’ advocate in regard to beverages should be ‘ a moderate drinker.’ In effect, total abstainers may be teetotallers, but they cannot, properly speak- ing, be described as ‘ temperance ’ people. So I assume there is a vast number of people in the world who favour ‘ temperance,’ in the true sense of the word, without wanting either to enforce compulsory abstinence on persons who use, but do not abuse, alco- holic beverages, or to impose undue restrictions and unreasonable interference, if not, also, unjust confisca- tion, on the representatives of a trade which has been ‘ licensed ’—and therefore legalized—by the State since
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