The Text-Book of Temperance in Relation to Morals, Science, Criticism, and History

The Text-Book Of Temperance In Relation To Morals, Science, Criticism, And History by Frederic Richard Lees is a comprehensive defense and program for the temperance reform. It argues that temperance is a moral virtue grounded in self-denial and the right adaptation of means to ends. The work surveys temperance as it relates to morals, chemistry, dietetics, pathology, medicine, and history. It demonstrates that alcoholic beverages are not food but a toxic agent, formed by fermentation, and that alcohol impedes nutrition, reduces physiological power, and lowers vitality. The author cites classical definitions of temperance, contrasts alcohol with water, and reviews the evidence of scientists (Liebig, Turner, Parkes, etc.). It then traces temperance history—from early abstinence societies and teetotalism, through the Maine and New York prohibitions, to the rise of the temperance movements in the United States, Britain, and Ireland, including the ideas of no-licence, prohibition, and organized reform. The book also defends the Bible's stance, the political arguments for reform, and calls for broad social organization to eradicate the traffic. The work is both an intellectual framework and a persuasive handbook for policy and praxis.