Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/98

 84 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

France - - - 14 liters

Belgium -. - - 10.50 "

Germany ... 10.50 "

Great Britain - - - 9.29 "

Switzerland -. - 8.79 "

Italy .... 6.60 "

Holland ... 6.29 "

United States - - - 6.10 "

Sweden ... 4.90 "

Norway - - -. 3.00 "

Canada ... 2.00 "

The same author cites an aspect more serious for France and Belgium. While in many other countries the consumption of alcohol is diminishing, in these countries it follows a rising scale. Thus, while in France in 1830 the rate was i.i liters to lOO inhabitants, in 1898 it was 4.54. In Belgium in 1839 it was 3.6 liters, and in 1894 it was 4.7.

In Holland ] '^76 6.

/ 1891 4.4

Great Britain 1 '^52 2.8

\ 1894 2.2

Italy

1880 .85

1891 .35

^ \ 1837 8.2

Germany ,' „-"

^ ; 1894 4.4

Switzerland \ J ^'

} 1894 2.9

United States \ 'f ° 5-75

} 1893 2-85

The number of places of sale in France in 1830 was 281,000 ; in 1897 it was 500,000.

The injury done by alcohol, in addition to causing insanity and degeneration, is proved not only by the medical profession, but also by the insurance companies. It is important to notice these results. M. Jaquet, of Bale, in a work on the English insurance companies, declares that three companies for insurance against loss of work by reason of sickness have had, between 1884 and 1889, an average of twenty-six weeks of sickness to each individual ; while the treasury of the Sons of Temperance, a society which admits only abstainers, has had during the same period only seven weeks of sickness to each individual ; an