Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1877-05-20
NOTES AND QUERIES.

was not a very difficult thing to write a.
Shakespeare wrote, declaring that he coulc
write in the Shakspearian style if he'd only
mind to. When this complacent boast by
the bard of Rydal Mount reached the ears OF
Charles Lamb, be quietly remarked, Eyes
doubtless; but then he has mt a mind to, you
know" Now if we only had mind to, what
a thrilling tale we might write Of the dark and
gloomy, weird and mysterious horrors of the
Chinese opium smoking dens which lie over
yonder, but two three hundred yards from
the MORNING APPEAL otfice-so near and vet
form any such work. The times are too hard
and the cold, hard boiled truth itself is too
scarce. One should be chary of needless
fiction writing when the market for facts is so
very dull as at present. But stating with
brevity that side of the Opium-smoking habit
which has reached us by such matter-of fact
narrators as we have Consulted we will say in
sober truth, that We are convinced that the
| current stories are decided eXaggeratiOns.
| There is not few among the sporting frater
nifty and the frail sisterhOod who use this
narcotic drug; but if our information is at all
| duUnenIlc Cue effects are uOIulllS Ike DIS Ue-
cided or as dreadful as they customarily
reported to be- We know several men who
| have had experience i'll opium smoking. These
may be designated mere tippers-occasional
smokers; but they declare that the habit or
| the temptation to let it become habit is
nothing like as strong as the liking for tobacco
or the stimulation of alcoholic drinks. Here
and there one of the sisters becomes 50 addic-
ted to smoking opium that she finds it difficult
to abandon the practice; but many do abandon
it, many touch it very lightly, and many
indulge III a smoke only at long inter walls. We
Judge that the instances of excessive use are
about i'll the proportion of excessive drinkers.
We are acquainted with two or three cases
where opium smoking Is carried on to excess
and where the parties are slaves to the habit
As to the horrors which succeed the pleasures
of this narcotic stimulation, they are doubt |
less very painful and very trying to the
nervous SYSTEM but the drug has different |
effects upon different people, ust as intox-
icating drinks do. That it is very deleter- |
ious habit-as the habit of using artificial |
stimulants of any kind in excess always is
have no doubt, but are inclined to |
think the hullaballoo raised over the opium
traffic, viewed in the light Of our unrestricted
liquor hcense-law and the still more unrestric-
ted sale of all sorts and degrees of wines and
spirits, is the old, perpetual hard straining
at gnat and easy swallowing of a camel. We
like to deceive ourselves; and are too ready to
look past the beam that is III our own eye to
discover the mote in our brothers eyes
pecially if our brother happens TO be a
Chinaman. There is not much encourage
ment to write either the truth or the I'M
truth about the duty We owe ourselves Ill
getting rid of bad habits i'll doing our midi
viduai and public duties; but now is the day
and now is the hour to tackle the tickle grass
if We are much III earnest about having
that troublesome cereal eradcated as We
pretend to be Fox tail it is frequently
called and the farmers know what a nuisance
it is. A general moving right now, before
the heads have formed, Is the true remedy.
We know these are the words of the wise. If
they are not needed the fault will not be ours.
If We prescribe, gratis, a means of
relief to a long-suffering people and
our counsels are lost if We cast the pearls of
advice before the swine of inattention are we
my the less a Boon and Benefactor! -.
yesterday there was shipment of mules via
he V. Il T. r. r. to Ogden, in Utah. At
ii events, 50 we were pleasantly informed at
he Railway office If these Notes and Que
les were to be perverted 1--WE had almost said =
'olluted), into the character and fashion of a
mere newsmonger we might reproach our
elves for not taking the pains to find out just
low many mules were shipped, who is the
hipper, why he ships them to Utah and what
e thinks Of the market. But this is no mere
ehicle of gossip and tale bearing this select
olumn of ours We do not care las we
tand by our Ms and Qs), whether Mr.. Mule
hipper is sending his beasts to Brigham
Dung to augment his supply trains for the
seding and equipment Of the Mormon ar
lies or whether he proposes to organize
ack train for the transportation of supplies n
the Black Hills. What right have we to
eddle i'll this honest man business The
estiny of mule is but vulgar interest at
est. What difference does it make to the
ell regulated mind whether mule becomes
Mormon or tender foot! Whether he -,
ears wagon harness or an apalajo! A u
ule is but mule; and he is not en-
tied to any human sympathy We refer to -,
e subject merely to emphasize the insignif- II
ance of so bare and proftless an item as the
in the light of party of emf
ants, of band of mules. Again we con-
atulate our readers upon the return of the
Lbbath. Indeed we are free to confess that
sympathise with that recent movement in ri
ew England which looks to the Authorization
the days Of the week so as to double the
mber of Sabbaths striking out Wednes-
y and inserting Sunday Be sure, then,
at III changing your garments you leave a
)dlcum of com in your trousers for the CON G
button box.
Hon. Henry K Mitchell was in the city