The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-03-26
THE OPIUM CURSE.
INCREASE OF THE TRAFFIC.

extent of the opium traffic. 1t is appall-
millions who are slaves to this. as Cole
ridge calls it. accursed habit And
| this habit is not confined to any Earticu
lar class of individuals: it embraces all
est minds in literature to those of the
lowest members of society. Men and
women alike are subject to its evil intu-
rnce. In our mills and factories. among
sewing women and clerks, professional
men, and even day laborerS the habit is
yearly increasing.
But mil.ions?" you say. Yes, mil
Iious. Let us look at few facts. In
China alone 100000 perish annually
from the use of opium. In Ningpo, Il
city whose population is 400, 900. there
are 2,700 opium shops. 1t is believed
that twothirds of the males and one
sixth of the females smoke it. In India
over / 200 square miles of the richest
soil is set apart by the British govern
ment Tor the growth of this drug"
1t is Il sad fact to announce, but never
theless it is Il true one, that opium-cat-
ing is rapidly increasing in this country.
| Inquiry in regard to this matter was
made in Chicago aud the result showed
that fifty drug gists OF that city had 23J
regular customers. Many women take
| ir,l t,,p of t,h
daily. and one widow aged fifty prncures
from one druggist half Il gallon weekly.
In Albany one druggist says that where
| he made landanum by the gallon twenty
i've years ago, he now makes it by the
barrel; $500 pounds of opium, $500
ounces of morphia and 500 600 murphia
pills arc annually sold in that city, where
twenty five years ago $50 pounds of opium
and 312 ounces Of morphia Suliced. The
| habit is annually increasing, and it is
| said that four titthS of the consumers are
women. If We have this record from
but two of our cities, what would it be
if we could have the record OF all the
victims in the country? We should stand
aghast. Sixty thousand annually are
victims of alcohol; the victims OF opium
in its different forms would far oatnun-
| Der these.
Alcoholic liquors and tobacco may be
abandoned in many cases, even after
years of habitual use, by a strong resou-
ton. but to the opium victim nOught but
death itself affords release. Let him once
allow himself to be controlled by this
subtle poison, and he is its slave until
death. struggle as he may to release him
self. Once an opium eater. always an
| opium- eater After the habit is confirm
ed. its hold is more tenacious upon the
system than that of alcohol, for the
whole system. muscular, digestive. merry
Gus. secretory. conforms itself to this
evil. \ victim Of this habit fer ten years
after eight years more spent in reducing
the quantity to half a grain Of morphia
daily. said: God seems to help a man
out of eve.y difficulty but opium. There
you have to claw your way ont over red
hot Goals on your hands and knees. and
drag yourself by main strength through
the burning dungeon bars
EFFECT UPON THE MENTAL SYSTEM.
It's injury to the will power is such
that all ambition. resolution, enterprise.
all ability tn overcome the trials and oh
stacles of life. is almost, if not entirely,
gone out of the man, no matter hnm
strong and firm he may have been before.
He feels helpless and incompetent for the
duties that devolvc upon him. His moral
seusibiities and aspirations are as keen
as ever they were, but he is utterly inca
pable OF performing any thing while I'M
der this baneful influence. Let us listen
to a few words from De Quincy III regard
to this-De Quincy, who three times
struggled to abandon this habit. but who
remained an opium eater until death call
ed him. He says in his Confessions OF
an English Opium, Eater: But for the
misery and suffering might indeed be
said to have existed in 4 dormant state.
seldom could prevail ON myself to write
a letter: an answer of few words t" any
that received was the utmost that |
til the letter had lain weeks, or even
months. on my writing table. Without
thu aid of VI. all records ol bills paid, or
to be paid. must have persisted. and my
whole domestic economy whatever be-
came of pniitical ecnnomy-must have
zone into irretrievable confusion. shall
not afterward allude to this part of the
case. 1t is enc. however, which the
opinm-eatcr will find in the end as op.
pressive and tormenting as any other,
from the sense of incapacity and feeble.
. ness. from the direct embarrassments in
/ cident to the neglect or representation
of each days appropriate duties. and
from the remcrSe which must often eXas
) perate the stingS of these evils to retlcc
: tive and conscientious mind. The opium.
eater loses none Of his moral scnsibilities
or aspirations; he wishes and longs as
earnestly as ever to realize what he be
: lieves possible, and feels to be eXacted hy
| duty; but his intellectual apprehension
! OF what is possible infinitely outrunS Iii.
, power, not of execution only, but ever
| of power to attempt. He lies under Il {
, weight of incuhuS and nj yhtmare; he lies
: in sight of all that he would vain pei
form. Just as man forcibly confined tt
his bed by the mortal languor of a relax
j., ing disease. who is compelled to witness
injury or outrage offered TO some object
+ of his tenderest love; he curses the spell
5 which chain him down from motion; 1t
: would lay down his life if lie might bu
e get up and walk; but he is powerless al
, an infant, and cannot even attempt II
: rise.
e Another, who consumed sixty grains q
4 morphia daily and who struggled agar
, and arain to overcome the habit amid til,
, agonizing physical and mental pain, say:
that the slightest mental or physical ey
! erton is a matter of absolute impossible
e tv. The winding of a watch was regard
| ed as :, task of magnitude when not un
| der the opium influence. and he contin
% ucS: II was no more capable OF CONTROL
= ing. under this condition. the cravings o
: the system for its pahulum, by any exer