Kolejáci - abstinenti? K problému konzumace alkoholu a tabáku na Masarykově vysokoškolské koleji v Praze za první republiky
College students - teetotalers? On the problem of alcohol and tobacco consumptions at Masaryk University College in Prague during the First Republic

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the problem of tobacco use and alcohol consumption atthe Masaryk College in Prague during the First Republic. According to surviving statisticsfrom 1921 and 1926, up to half of the students were supposed to be non-smokersand abstainers from alcohol. The terse statistics are juxtaposed with archivaldocuments, print, memoirs, fiction and a film script about the college. These sourcesmention the consumption of both addictive substances frequently, and it would seemthat they were part of everyday life on campus. At the same time, however, they showthat these were expensive commodities that students consumed on special occasionsor shared, and that a bottle of alcohol and a pack of cigarettes were among the generalattributes of a student that may not have been related to the reality of college. Thesources therefore present a somewhat misleading picture of a cheerful student life.Moreover, President Masaryk‘s views on the harmfulness of alcohol probably resonatedat the college bearing his name, and abstinence may have been seen by studentsas a positive value suitable for their own or the college‘s representation. Thus,it is possible that there were indeed a larger number of teetotalers or sympathisers ofthe movement on campus, but they are not mentioned in the sources, although theyhad the sympathy of at least half of the dormitory students at least initially.

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