‘The priests,’ I continued, ‘took to Aristotle generations ago, and have held by his teachings in a most striking manner. For Aristotle’s mind is much like a corkscrew, being tortuous but powerful, and opening up worthy things for our satisfaction. His reputation has surprised me somewhat, seeing how often he is wrong. For he is in general too easily satisfied, and thinks that because a thing exists it is therefore justified. But what he has written about preserving the mean of temperance is excellent, and to that the priests have adhered. The United States, however, is a preachers’ country. Now the preachers are opposed by their natures to the humane and easy enjoyment of life and would sacrifice temperance to avoid excess. For they rightly hold drunkenness to be a degrading thing, but wrongly suppose abstinence to be superior to moderation or temperance. Now while they preached against drunkenness they did no harm, but they made in my opinion a great mistake when they stirred up the women to tamper with the laws.’ ‘Is that what they did?’ asked Lysis. ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘though the women did not want much persuading, for it seemed obvious to them that money spent by men in obtaining the enjoyment that friends gain by drinking together was wasted money while the same money spent in adorning the women themselves or their offspring was money profitably spent. For they were eager to believe such things.’ A great look of understanding came into the eyes of both Lysis and Phaelon, and Lysis said:―― ‘Prohibition then is in large measure a part of that tyranny of the women of which you spoke a little while back?’ ‘Why, yes,’ I replied, ‘they were strong enough both by the votes that they enjoyed in many States and by their ascendency over their men to pass this law. For it was a strong alliance. The manufacturers also had great influence with the men, for they kept repeating that all the other trades would share more money if the wine trade was forbidden by the law, and in each man the trading part of the soul fought with the reasonable part, and with many of the Americans it conquered. And each man thought that he could himself evade the law.’ ‘Did many say that, Socrates?’ asked Lysis. ‘No,’ I answered; ‘they use other words. They say that such a law is a good thing for the country, by which they mean that it is helping their business without changing their private habits. While others again, both men and women, are of the nobler sort, and will gladly make a personal sacrifice, in the belief that it will help the poor. There are many rich women who regard the poor as their family, and seek their good as a mother seeks that of her children. Such are called Social Reformers.’ ‘But are not the poor grown up?’ asked Phaelon.