Certainly it is being sternly suppressed and severely punished by the
authorities among the newly arrived American troops. The rum which is
given to the soldiers of the British army before a charge, or in the
extreme cold of the trenches, has taught some men to drink who had not
contracted the habit before. It is also a fact that the drink bill of
England has increased during the war. Lloyd George said: "We are
fighting against Germany, Austria, and Drink; but the greatest of these
three deadly foes is Drink." The drink trade of England is maintained on
the one hand by the powerful vested interests and the respectable
moderate drinkers at the top of society, who are not willing to sacrifice
their selfish comfort for the weaker brother, and on the other hand by
the demand of the laboring classes who will have their beer, and whom the
government does not dare oppose in the present crisis. Drink has been a
curse to Britain during the war.

4. _Gambling_ is a danger to the soldier. It is strictly forbidden in
most of its forms by the military authorities. The game of "House" is
tolerated as a mild form of gambling, where the men play for hours for
very small stakes in order to kill time. The game of "Crown and Anchor"
is also popular.

5. _A lack of moral courage_, of independence, and of individual
initiative are particular evils of the present. All the men have to act
together. They are taught to obey under rigid discipline. Individual
initiative is crushed or left undeveloped. The sense of personal
responsibility and of personal ownership is often weakened. This lack of
the sense of private property may partly account for the pilfering which
goes on. The men find it exceedingly difficult to take an open stand on
moral or religious questions before their comrades. A soldier will
ordinarily hide his religion and is afraid to be seen praying or doing
anything that makes him peculiar, although the most immoral and obscene
man is not ashamed of his actions.

A lieutenant of the Royal Irish Rifles says: "Taken singly they are
afraid to face public opposition, anxious to avoid bother and exertion,
slack, and easily overcome by temptations. There is a fairly general
chaotic unrest, but little or no serious thought. There is a greater
tolerance towards vice. Many more men practice sexual vice than before
and most refuse to condemn it. It might be said that the men are more
open to religion, but less religio