The
Noble Experiment:
Temperance & Prohibition
School Program Binder
The
Noble Experiment:
Temperance & Prohibition
Education Resource
Box Contents
Music
• Drinking Songs and Temperance Songs
1 CD, 1 tape
Making Liquor
• 6 numbered, laminated illustrations
Program Binder
• Interpretive Program Plan
• School Promotion sample
• Background notes on the physiological
effects of liquor on the body
• Activity sheet sample
• Voting sheet sample
• 8 numbered Drama Cards
On loan from the Peterborough Museum and Archives
For more information contact Marie O’Connor, Education Officer, Peterborough Museum & Archives
(705)743-5180 or email [email protected]
For information on other school services and programs at the Museum see our website
www.peterboroughmuseumandarchives.ca
School Program
The Noble Experiment: Temperance and Prohibition
Peterborough Museum and Archives
*****
Linked to Ontario Curriculum for Grade 8 History - Canada: A Changing Society
Materials:
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CD or tape player and CD or tape of temperance songs
song cards
laminated illustrations for making liquor
two jars of water, one cup of cooling oil, one cup of cooking wine for alcohol in the
bloodstream demonstration
Drama cards 1 through 8
construction paper squares (approx 4") yellow, red, green
copies of activity sheet (printed both sides)
pencils, clipboards
community vote slips
bushel basket, a jar of cornmeal and a gallon jug
Preparation:
Lightly tape squares of coloured construction paper over the sections of the exhibit which
refer to “growth of a habit” (yellow) “temperance” (red) and “opposition to
temperance” (green). This will give students clues as to where to find information for the
worksheet activity.
Opening/Introduction Music Activity:
location:
Gather students in a comfortably seated group - preferably removed from the exhibit
materials:
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a tape or CD player, the tape or CD,
song cards from the program package,
the still from the exhibit ( if you can move it to the introduction location).
information:
• we are going to listen to two songs, listen carefully to what they say
• after, we are going to compare them
• they were both written about 100 years ago
Play drinking song.
discussion questions:
• what does this song say?
• how is it sung?
• where might it be sung?
• who might be singing such a song?
• in what circumstances?
Play temperance song (circulate song cards so students can read along)
discussion questions same as above.
follow-up:
- the program today is based on an exhibit called “The Noble Experiment”
- about a time in our history when an awareness of the dangers of drinking liquor led to
attempts to control it and to even prevent people from drinking liquor altogether.
- this attempt to keep people from drinking was later often referred to as “A Noble
Experiment” - discuss the meaning of the terminology
- we have lots of interesting things to do today exploring this subject and this time in
Canada’s history
- at the end of today’s program we should be able to see how this experiment affects us in
our lives today.
A Look at Drinking:
location:
in front of the still
materials:
a jar of water and a small container of cooking wine or other coloured alcohol to
demonstrate the way alcohol dissolves in water.
See detailed information on physiological effects of alcohol in appendix.
information
- making and drinking liquor is as old as civilization itself , Romans, Egyptians, - all people as
far back as anyone knows - knew how to make liquor
- why did they do it? Well here is the way alcohol works and why people like it.
demonstration
Use the water (represents the blood) and cooking wine (represents the alcohol) to show how
easily alcohol moves into the bloodstream.
See info on what actually happens when you ingest liquor - why it feels good in small doseshow it mixes with the blood, changing its composition, going to the brain to alter your sense
of things/judgement etc.
Alcohol is a poison - “intoxicate” (toxic) in fact a state of intoxication is a state
of being poisoned
What is Liquor and How is it Made?
location:
as above
materials:
the numbered illustrations from the program binder - (equipment, ingredients, malt and
mash, fermentation, strain, distillation) and bushel basket, a jar of cornmeal and a gallon jug
information:
• describe the process - using the illustrations, corn meal and the still - this is neat science!
(We have included the information on the back of the illustrations!)
• it is simple enough to make liquor but apparently not so simple to make a safe product.
Sloppy or unclean processing resulted in a terribly toxic product.
• it takes time and patience and a lot of raw material [For any community needing the food this
would have been an terrible waste of grain. It takes 3 bushels of corn for 1 gallon of whiskey
(use bushel and gallon containers to illustrate)]
• commercial distillers today do the same thing on huge scale
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Ingredients
grain and water - this was found at any farm or mill
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Equipment
containers, heat source and a “still”
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1. Preparing the mash
grind corn to sand like consistency
add water
premalt mash- prepares the starch for conversion into fermentable sugar
cook mash - cool and thin out by adding water
add more malt - breaks down the raw material to free simple sugars
2. Making the malt
- some sprouted corn (germinated) is gound and dried (this contains proteins (enzymes) which are very active and able to convert the starch
in the mash into sugar)
Fermentaion
- old timers seem to have just let nature take its course, the wild yeasts naturally
finding and feeding on the sugar
- but yeast can also be added at this stage to get the fermentation process going
(yeast are microscopic fungi that feed on the simple sugar)
- as the yeast feed on the sugars, yeast grow and multiply in the mash, the
fermentation process produces CO2 gas (foaming and bubbling) and ethel alcohol
(ethanol)
- when the yeast has gobbled up most of the sugar things slow down
Straining
- after fermentation you are left with the original mash water and alcohol (mixed in with
water)
- the mash is strained out leaving what is called the “beer”
(This leftover mash is really high in vitamins, minerals and proteins it only lacks its
original sugars so its really good for livestock as feed)
Distillation
- this is the process used to remove the alcohol from the water
- the trick here is that water boils at 100° C and ethanol boils at 78 ° C
- since ethanol boils more easily more ethanol vapour will boil off than water.
- the “beer” is put into the still (from distill) and brought to the boiling point of alcohol
78, 80° . Most of the steam created from boiling at this temperature will be alcohol
vapour.
- as the vapour rises, it is cooled in the cooling coil and condensed into liquid again it is run off into separate containers
- by recycling the condensed liquid through the still and repeating the process of
vaporization and condensation the concentration or proof of the alcohol can be
increased up to a maximum of about 90% alcohol (180 proof) 50% alcohol = 100 proof
Different liquors
- whiskey is distilled from malted barley (scotch), rye (rye), corn, other grains or
potatoes
- rum is from cane sugar or molasses (south), brandy uses fruit
(Foxfire has a great deal of information about the old stills in Appalachia, the economic
reasons for doing it and the roots going back to the 1700's in Scotland and Ireland)
Discovery Activity Sheet
location:
introduce activity then invite students into the exhibition area to look and discover and
complete the activity sheet - first the discovery side, second the wordfind - this solves the
problem of people finishing at different times.
materials:
activity sheets, clipboards and pencils
information:
side 1- the boxes with the topics - Growth of a Habit , Temperance, Opposition to
Temperance. Each box has a colour name on it as well as a line of information ( to prevent
“circling blindly” ) - the task is to note down information - two or three different points about
each topic
side 2 - a word find -explores the glossary of words related to drink
take time to explore the exhibit working through the activity on side one then when done sit
down and flip to the word find, use colour clues on the display panels to help you find points
about each of the topics - growth of the habit (yellow panels), temperance (red panels), and
opposition to temperance (green panels)
follow up discussion:
ask for a few examples of things from each faction
add a bit of info wherever
test by questioning for understanding of words like bootlegger, distiller, prohibition and assist
with answers
Drama Activity
location:
within the exhibition
materials:
drama cards
preparation:
describe the activity and then divide students into 8 groups - each group receives an
information card.
Information:
cards have a title and panel number or numbers.
The panel numbers are the location for the group and the place where they can gather
information to help them with their drama activity.
Each activity is marginally different - some require acting out, others reading etc.
students have 15 minutes or less to prepare their drama.
Then the dramas are shared in performance going around the room in the order of the card
numbers
Each presentation will start with a frozen pose... a tableau.
The action will begin when the interpreter touches a member of their group and it will stop
when the interpreter touches again.
At the end of all the presentations the class will choose the best presentation and that group
will get to conduct the community vote at the end of the program
(option - the interpreter guides the community vote)
The interpreter has card number 7 and does the drama for that part. The interpreter also
closes the drama (text on the end of card 7 for closing.)
As the groups work on their drama, the interpreter roams to help deepen their thought and
expression perhaps asks for a bit more variety in positioning and expression, helps them to
develop their plot and dialogue.
Details of Drama Cards:
1. Tipplers and Teetotallers / A Colony of Drinkers
(Panels 2 & 3)
Beer and liquor has always been easy to make wherever crops of grain are grown.
A small settler family stop for refreshment at an inn after a long dusty wagon ride. Who are
the characters? What will they drink and why? Will the inn keeper allow the mother or girls
into the bar? What might happen?
2. A Change in Attitude
(panel 4)
As industry grows, factory owners find that workers who drink are less productive and more
likely to have accidents. This costs the factory money.
A factory owner orders his workers not to drink on the job. He explains the risks using
“proof” and enforces new rules even though his workers resist.
Who are the characters? What are the character’s positions on this issue? What might
happen after the owner leaves the room?
3. The Role of Women
(panel 5)
Having no rights, no welfare or safety net for protection from husbands who drink to excess,
women band together forming “temperance” societies.
At a local women’s temperance meeting members discuss the stories they have heard
about the evils of drink and plan a march for the following Sunday. They write songs and
poems they will use in their march.
Who are the characters? Is everyone enthusiastic about the march? Do they have ideas for
gathering more people to their cause?
4. Down with the Demon Rum
(near the temperance lady)
Women in temperance societies often made it a condition of marriage that their husband-tobe abstain from drink of any kind.
Characters: Alice Lee, William (her boyfriend) Re-enact the first three verses of the poem
with a narrator doing voice over. Let William and Alice speak their own lines.
5. Come Home Father
(in front of the bar)
Poems and songs produced by Temperance Societies painted sad pictures of what could
happen in a home where Father drank away all the money leaving his wife and children to
starve.
Characters: young boy or girl, father, mother at home in the background
Mime the first two verses of the poem “Come Home Father”as someone reads them aloud.
Make it really dramatic!
6. Legislating Sobriety / Evasion and Defiance
(Panels 6, 8 and 9)
The Canadian Temperance Act of 1878 said that communities could vote to stay “wet” or go
“dry”. If they vote dry they can enforce the law very strongly - people who break the law
could loose their jobs or even their property.
The Characters: a merchant who would not be able to sell liquor anymore, a distiller whose
business would close, a farmer who likes his whiskey after a hard day in the fields.
Reading the announcement that their community has voted to go “dry”, these characters
discuss ways in which they can get around the law.
7. The Empire Abstains (interpreter)
(Panel 12)
The interpreter stands in front of the panel as King George - big, booming, king-like voice:
In this year of 1914 as our country enters into this dreadful war I your King beseech all our
good people within the British Empire to abstain from drinking liquor. Waste not the crops
of grain in making the dreadful brew -We need food for our soldiers and our people at home.
Drink not before battle or on your well earned leave - our soldiers must stay alert and in top
form to fight the foe. Drink not upon returning from a hard day in the factories. We need our
workers strong and alert in our factories and mills producing the weapons, bandages,
uniforms for our forces. I implore all my people to join me in keeping our Empire free of the
debilitating effects of the dreadful drink.
Aside as interpreter (in a kind of whisper)
Near the end of the war in 1918 and for the next 9 years after that The War Measures Act in
Canada makes the importing of liquor, and the production of liquor for sale - illegal. It is not
illegal however to make liquor for export outside the country and by 1920 when the US goes
completely dry - the government export tax on liquor went up to 18 million dollars in one
year.
8. For Medicinal Purposes Only
(Panel 16)
During the time of prohibition in the US private distillers like Lydia Pinkham began to
produce a distilled vegetable compound which they sold as medicine. It was tremendously
popular which is not surprising as the liquor content was very very high and yet it was not
considered liquor!
Characters: Ladies at tea recommend the benefits of Lydia Pinkham’s for one of their
group trying to convince her that it is the answer to her problem. Use the material in the
panel as if it were an ad in the newspaper.
9. Smuggling
(Panel 20 & 21)
It was an exciting and risky business smuggling liquor into the United States from Canada
during prohibition in the US. All kinds of tricks were used.
 Find some of the clever ways that people smuggled liquor. Take turns reading all four
verses of the poem “ Bert Lafontaine’s Packard”. Use lots of expression!
10 . Interpreter (wrap up of the drama section)
In 1927 the whole experiment failed and the production and sale of liquor was legalized
under government control.
Six years later prohibition was ended in the states put an end also to the big business and
profitable tax benefits of smuggling!
Wrap up Activity - The Canadian Temperance Act Community Vote
location:
in the exhibit area
materials:
vote slips, pencils, a voting box
information:
(The following community vote led by the interpreter or by the winning team - the role is that
of the Mayor of the town - or the town council)
Background information for the students is that it is the year 1878 and The Canadian
Temperance Act says that as a community we can choose to stay “wet” or go “dry”. It is our
job to choose. We must think of the consequences of such a choice.
The Mayor:
We are about to conduct a vote here in our town of __________ (eg. Peterborough)
So good people step forward and make your wishes known in this secret vote.
If we vote “dry,” our community will be protected from the evils of the liquor - we all
know what it can do - the law can be strongly enforced.
If someone wants to buy property in our community we can have “temperance
covenants” - making abstinence a condition of ownership - our police will have the
right to search property and root out anyone who doesn’t obey.
Or we can vote “wet,” and we all know what that means - temperance people among
you will tell you of the dangers of liquor - how drunkards destroy their own lives and
the lives of those around them.
On the other hand - it will be good for business taverns and distillers will thrive
because lots of people like to drink and people will come here from dry communities
and spend their money.
The Community Vote
Vote cards are passed out with pencils.
Students will cast their vote secretly - on their vote slip they must say who they - ie a
mother, a lumberjack and write one full sentence which articulates reason for their
choice.
When the vote is cast have a several students count the votes and announce the
decision in such a way that the students care!
Discussion Questions:
How do temperance folks feel about this decision?
How about the distilleries?
Factions are reinforced
Closing
How does the Noble Experiment affect us today.
See if students can tie this experience in to present day situations.
Making and selling of Liquor is controlled.
Responsible drinking is encouraged.
Drinking and driving is illegal
See if they tie this into northern communities voting to go dry
or to community bans on cigarette smoking - government control for the good of the people
Question/Answer Time
The
Noble Experiment:
Temperance & Prohibition
School Program
They were turbulent times when many voices called
to be heard. Join us for an exploration of a rapidly
changing society as a colony of Canadians, both
drinkers and teetotalers, struggle between the evils
and pleasures of alcohol.
Women’s voices rise together in condemnation of the
demon rum, a government tries to enforce new laws of
sobriety while ingenious ways are devised to compete in
the risky business of smuggling. King George pleads for
abstinence for the good of the war effort and Lydia
Pinkham’s vegetable compound is a hot seller
everywhere.
Drama, music and demonstrations are featured in this involving program about a
fascinating and pivotal period of our history designed for Grade 6 to 12 .
Linked to the Grade 8 History curriculum Canada: A Changing Society.
For Booking Call:
On loan from the Peterborough Centennial Museum and Archives
Appendix I:
The Physiological Effects of Alcohol
Alcohol dissolves in water. (This may be demonstrated by showing liquid cooking oil combined with water and alcohol
combined with water. Use cooking wine or other alcohol with a distinct colour so that the effect can easily be seen.)
Once ingested, alcohol passes through the walls of the stomach and small intestine and
dissolves readily in the water of the bloodstream, then travels in the bloodstream and dissolves in the water inside all the
tissues of the body. [Except fat tissue since alcohol cannot dissolve in fat. Mixing a drink with water or a carbonated
beverage speeds up absorption, eating
fatty food slows absorption down, although the eventual effect will be the same.]
Alcohol is toxic to the body. Alcohol can kill liver, brain, kidney and other tissues on contact. It acts primarily on the
nerve cells within the brain and its effects increase as blood
alcohol content increases.
Initially, alcohol depresses behaviour inhibition so the person may become more talkative and
self confident and experience a feeling of euphoria. He/she may look flushed as alcohol
dilates the blood vessels near the skin and heat escapes the body. Information processing from
the senses slows down, so the person may have trouble understanding or remembering things and begin to lose muscle
coordination. [Thus they can't touch the nose with eyes closed or walk a straight line visual tests of alcohol
impairment.]
Alcohol also affects autonomic bodily functions (ones we don't usually think about). Breathing
rate decreases; circulation of blood to the heart is impaired and heart rate may slow; body
temperature decreases (can lead to hypothermia); reflexes are depressed (pupils of the eye no longer react to light).
Alcohol's effects continue until the body eliminates the alcohol. Alcohol is eliminated
through the kidneys (5%), lungs (5%) and liver, which turns alcohol into acetic acid or vinegar.
An average adult takes an hour to eliminate the alcohol from one can of beer.
Effects of Alcohol Abuse
As the body becomes better at eliminating alcohol, the person must drink more to create
the same euphoric effect. He/she may experience a craving for alcohol and be irritable when not
drinking. Nerve activity increases causing hallucinations, tremors and convulsions. Brain cells die, reducing the total
brain mass. Liver cells die and the tissues in the liver harden
(cirrhosis). Blood pressure increases. Ulcers may develop in the lining of the stomach and intestines. Alcohol contains
empty calories and slows the absorption of vitamins and minerals so nutrition may suffer leading to a general decline in
health. Increased alcohol use creates a dramatic decrease in respiration which can be life threatening.
Alcohol overuse during pregnancy causes miscarriage, infant death, smaller, weaker babies and may
have a toxic effect (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) on a developing fetus. In males, alcohol lowers
testosterone levels and sperm production.
Alcohol abuse and dependence causes emotional and social problems: poor job performance, anxiety, depression,
suicide, family violence.
Resources:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/alcohol
http://www.gov.ab.aadac/addi