Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-03-21


Writes San Francisco correspondent
of the Boston journal: The opium vice
numbers among its victims here hun
dreds of others besides the Chinese
There is such pleasant sensation to this
subtitle drug, and such seductive infiu-
ence, that the habit of using it is gaining
ground every day. 1t can be easily pro-
cured of the Chinese traders. The dead
ly vice is prevalent among the most res
pectable classes in this community, num-
bering among its votaries professional
men, eOllegians, merchants and those
who suffer from nervous diseases, wheth-
er male or female. Among. the laboring
| classes the vice is almost unknown. There
are fashionable opium dens fitted up in
regular Oriental style, with an ample
supply of pipes tor smoking, and plenty
of pillows for the comfort of indulgents.
1t is popularity supposed that opium
smoking is a general practice among the
Chinese. An intelligent Mongol tells me
that this is mistake. He says that out
of forty or fifty thousand Cinnamon in
this city not over ten or twelve thousand
opium smokers can be found. This num-
Der consume annually some n 600 to 26,-
600 pounds at cost of between $400, 900
and $5OO,000. Those who smoke to ex-
cess consume each about nine pounds an
nually, at cost of $50 apiece. In the
excessive use of the drug by smoking total
mental and physical prostration follows.
Such cases are as hopeless as those who
are slaves to alcoholic drinks and become
victims to mania pOtu. The generality
maces Of opium daily. A mace is one
tenth of a tael, and twelve taels make a
pound avoirdupois.
John Chinaman disregards all sanitary
laws in this city. In case of smallpox the
Chinese manage to evade the vigilance of
the health Office by an ingenious conceal
ment of the patient. When the victim
dies they surreptitiously remove the body
to some place of obscurity where it is i'm
possible to find it. Their places of abode
are never disinfected. Living as they do
in the very heart of the city, surrounded
by a populous, wealthy and intelligent
community, their willfu1 and persistent
disregard of sanitary laws is the means
of sending forth the deadliest of poison
Gus exhalations to contaminate the at
mosphere and endanger the health of ev-
erybody who lives in the metropolis.
The worship of Joss and other minor
deities may be seen in scores of Chinese
shops. The religion of these Asiatics is
an essential part of their civilization
Oftentime it finds emphatic expressions
at the dead hour of night in terrific ex-
plosion of bombs and crackers. Theil
temples are increasing in number as the
work of transforming the Pacific slope
into Chinese settlement goes on. At al
times their priests are present ready tt
supplicate joss in behalf of those who
desire to propitiate the evil one. A hea
then high mass reminds me of dramatic
entertainment. The priests jabber theil
prayers and indulge in their genfiexion
interspersed with the music of gongs, tom
toms, hellskreaks and fddles. They
are assisted by other Celestials, who ar,
constantly employed in rolling up small
pieces of red and white paper dotted will
gold and silver. Idols of the most devil
ish aspect and fantastic pharaphernali;
meet your sight on every hand. The al
is full of the smoke of burning punl
sticks, and the offerings of roasted per
cines and of rice and tea are numerous
The rites are conducted with great SO
lemnity, and yet you can scarcely pre-
serve your gravity. The most sensibl
thing that is done is when the ceremonie
: terminate with blaze of red paper fnvo
: cations and the explosion of bombs an
crackers. Then those of the faithful feas
themselves with the roast hog, which hi
Satanic Majesty invariably neglects to al
propriate. ~ u ''-.-'=s@s=s = -