The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-05-14

The Deadly Opium
The Rev. Df. Henry III Smith. of
vicksburg, delivered lecture recently
before the ThornweI Society It Wer-
lein Hall. His theme was: An Amer
lean opinion on the opium question"
A brief outline Of the lecture i a. fol
lows:
This subject, said the speaker, is one
of the living problems of the times ana
it is destined before long TO be ques-
ton of grave importance 70 our own
country. As an Introduction, Or. smith
read copious and pertinent extracts from
English papers and opinions of the lords
and leading statesmen of England, show
ing that they would not favor England $
abandoning the traffic because it yielded
an annual revenue of nearly S4O, 0OO,-
900. This, Notwithstanding the fact that
the leading philanthropists of that conn
try. headed BY the Earl of Shaftesbury,
implore the government to suppress
that trade, and the Emperor of China
refuses to receive a dollars revenue from
the trade in opium because 1t Is the
price of vice and misery. Doubtless the
trade is doomed. God will not allow
the unrighteous course of any nation to
90 unpublished. He will hold England
accountable for the great crime she has
inflicted upon China and other nations
who have suffered from this accursed
traffic.
In briefly reviewing the history of the
opium trade, he stated that 1t began
when the East India Company obtained
possession of India The greed OF the
members of this company IS well known
At that time there was no market Tor
opium. But England's gunboats went
loaded with cargoes Of the deadly poison
into every navigable stream in China,
and forced its use upon the heather IN
order that this company might find sale
for the product of their poppy fields,
and to-day that government has BOT, 900
acres of land planted in peoples In
India. In order to force China to use
this drug, against the mandate OF the
Emperor, mandarins and people, the tlrst
| opium war was declared which resulted
| in China being compelled to pay Eng
Hand S21, 900, 900 for its cost, and to open
four more ports for its sale. The sec
ond opium war resulted in an additional
payment of 100000 and the opening
of five more ports to England's nefariouE
traffic.
Opium eating is Of ancient date, but
opium smoking, which Is more deadly
in its effects, is a more recent habit. II
has been attempted to gloss over its USE
and abuse as similar to that of beer
wine and alcoholic stimulants, but thu
combined testimony of the first medlca
men of Great Britain shows that thu
effects are more terrible, and that thu
recovery of opium eaters is matter o
human impossibility A distinguished
mandarin, writing from CHINA, say
there is no vice known that can compar
with opium eating, for its nernlc.ou
effects upon the body and mind; tina
Cinnamon will sell clothing, property
wives and children to procure opium
that it destroys all the mental, mora
and physical powers, and that in tn
city of Somehow, containing 600,O 900 pee
pie, one-half are addicted to this terri
bic habit.
He then passed in review the cours
of England relative to the African slay
trade and showed that the so, 10000
which she paid the West India planter
for their slaves, which we're freed, wa
obtained by the enslaving of millions
Chinese by the sale of her opium, ap'
that the crowned sovereigns of Grea
Britain were the fosterers and abettor
of the slave trade; that they forced
upon the American colonies, and whel
the late war took place she stood owe
us looking with holy indignation at
because we had slaves in the Southern
Confederacy.
DIR. Smith refuted the statement tina
England made money by the revenu
, obtained from the opium trade, by show
, ing that in the last thirty years she ha'
spent over 81 900, 100000 in defense o
her Indian possessions. which to da
were not as safe as they were then
which amount far exceeded all the rev
enue obtained from that country. Ihl
does not include the vast treasure VI hu
man life that has been wasted IN tn
eight Indian wars.
What do we see of this evil7 Yearl
500 900 human beings are being swep
into hell by the use of opium. We Sc
the Chinese establishing their opium
dens in every important city in Eng
land, and in our country they encircle
with their dives From New York t
: New Orleans, and from here to CallfoI
) MIA they have planted themselves to rui
/ us by its death-dealing etfects. On tn
: western shores of our continent this tel
rife evil is agitating the people. Cor
gress is already compelled to recognlz
) It as one of the mighty problems of LEG
islation. In 1881 there was importe.
into the United States only 1915 pound
of opium, while in 1888 the amount ha
increased to the startling figure of 298
} 600 pounds, an increase of nearly 290
900 pounds in only three years. This
very significant fact; and one that bid
} us to put ourselves legislatively on ret
ord, and, by all means, stop its spreadln
7 use among our people. Public opinio
2 should be aroused, and all expedients a
} our command availed of to stop its i'm
( portation. Some may say that We nee
the revenue it brings. Money may b
/ bought too dearly Anything that
} procured at the price of the worlds RI
spect, at the price of our own souPs az
} proval, at the price of Gods approve
costs too much for any nation, or pee
D pie, or individual. Let us not agar
: give England a chance to stand by U
1 in our downfall beneath the curse of tn
8 opium trade, which she has herself IN
: stigated, and with nypoeritical grief bt
5 moan our national death.