Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-18

/ btioIt ne WAS ldlklD2 WIN au lutbIldAe
and telling MIN that his habit was I'M
necessary, and the inebriate retOrted upon
him and said ''We do "a great many
things that are not necessary. 1t is not
necessary for you TO wear that collar"
"Well, said GOV. Briggs, will never wear
collar again If You won't drink"
"Agreed," said the inebriate. GOV. Briggs
never wore a collar. They both kept their
bargain for twenty years. They kept il 70
the death. That is the reason Gov. Briggs
did not wear a collar. That is the Gospel
OF the Son Of God. Selt-denial for the
good and the rescue of others.
| take a step further. In all ages the
world has sought out some flower or herb
or weed to stimulate its lethargy or to
compose ts grief. \ drug called nepenthe
was widely used among the ancient
Greeks and the ancient Egyptians for mar
cotic purposes. The Theban women knew
how to compound it. You had but to
chew the leaves and your sadness was
whelmed with hilarity. But nepenthe
passed out from the consideration OF the
world Next came hasheesh, which is
made from Indian hemp. 1t is manu-
featured from the flowers at the top, or
wOrkmen in leathern clothing walk
through the fields Of hemp and the exu-
datiOn from the hemp adheres to the
leathem garments, and then this eXuda-
ton is scraped off and prepared with aro-
MATES and becomes AN intOXicant for the
people. Whole nations have been stimuli
lated. naTcotized and made imbec1le with
this accursed hasheesh. The visions
kindled by that drug are said to be Cor
geous and magnificent beyond all descrip-
tion; but il finally takes down body, mind
and soul in horrible death.
knew one of the most brilliant men of
his day. Whether he appeared in maya
zine or in book or in newspaper columns
he was an enchantment. He could in the
course of an hours conversation produce
more wit and strange information than
any man | ever talked with; but he
chewed hasheesh. He did so first as
matter Of curiosity to see whether the
powers ascrIbed to it really belonged to
it. He put his hand into the cockatrice's
den to see whether it would bite, and he
found out to his complete undoinQ. His
father, who was minister Of the Gospel,
prayed for him and counselled him and
obtained for him the best medical pre-
scription OF the best physicians in New
York. Philadelphia, Paris, London, Edin.
burgh and Berlin. He said he could not
stop. A large circle of friends put their
wits together to try to rescue him, but he
went on down. First, his body gave way
in pangs and commissions of suffering;
then his mind gave way and he became a
raVing maniac; then his immortal soul
eternity. He was only about 80 years Of
age. Behold the ravages of the Persian
and Egyptian weed called hasheesh.
Opium demands emphatic recognition.
1t is made, as you know, from the white
poppy. 1t is not a new discovery. We
read of it three hundred years before
Christ; but it was not until the seven
teenth century that it began its death
march. passing out from the medicinal
and the curative, and by smoking and
masticatlOn becoming the scourge of ma
lions. In the year 1861 there were i'm
ported into this country 100000 pounds Of
opium, but in 1880 533 900 pounds of
opium. 1t is estimated that in the year
1876 there were in this country 225,0 900
opium consumers; but l saw a statistic
more recent that said there are prob
ABLY now in the United States at
least coo 600 opium consumers.
The fact is appalling. Do not
think that they are merely barbaric
fanatics who 90 down under that stroke.
Read the great DeQuiucev's confessions
of an Opium Eater" lie says for the first
ten years it gave him the keys of para
disc; but it takes mis- own powerful pen
TO describe the horrors consequent.
Samuel Taylor COleridge, after conquer
ing the world by his pen, was conquered
by opium. The most magnetic and bril-
liant lawyer of this century fell a victim
to its stroke, and there are thousands of
men and women-but more women than
men-who are being bound. body, mind
and soul. to this terrific habit.
There is great mystery about some
families. You do not know why they do
not get on. The opium habit is SO
stealthy. so deceitiul and so beautiful:
You can cure hundred drunkards easier
than you can cure one opium eater. |
have heard OF cases Of reformation. but |
never saw any. l hope there are cases of
genuine reformation. | have seen men
VINO, for forty years, had been the victims
OF strong drink thoroughly reformed, but
the opium eaters that | have seen so on
and &c down. Their cry in the last hour
Of life is not for God, nor for
prayer nor for the Bible. but
for opium. Perhaps there are only two
persons outside the bous ehOld who know
what is the matter-the physician and
the pastor: the physician called in for
physical relief, the pastor called in for
spiritual relief; but they both fail. The
physician acknowledges his defeat. The
minister of religion acknowledges his de-
feat, for it seems as if the Lord does not
answer prayer for opium eaters. . man,
0 woman, are you tampering with this
habit? Have you just begun? Are you,
for the Arrangement of physical dis
tresses or mental trouble, max
ing this a regular resOurcey | beg you
stop. The ecstasies at the start will not
pay for the horrors at the last. The para
disc is followed too soon by the pandemo-
mum. Morphia is a blessing from GGd
for the relief of sudden pang or acute de-
mentia, but was never intended fer pro-
longed use. And. what is the peculiar
sadness of tits, il comes to people in their
weak moments. De Quincy says: Il took
il for rheumatism" Coleridge says: 81
took il for insomnia or sleeplessness.v
What do you take IL for? For Gods sake
do not take 1t too long.
What is remarkable, they are going dow n
from the highest and weaithiest classes
and from the most fashionable circles Of
New York and BroOklyn-going down by
hundreds and by thousands. over 10000
opium eaters in Chicago. over 10000
/ opium eaters in st. Louis. In the same
/ proportion, that would make over y. 900 IN
/ New York and Brooklyn. The clerk of
/ the drug store says: 81 can tell them
/ when they come in. There is something
! peculiar about their complexion. some
/ thing peculiar about their nervousnt ss.
/ and something peculiar about the look Of
1 their eyes that Immediately reveals
them" In some families choral is TAX
/ ing the place Of opium. PHYSICIANS
/ first prescribe it FOR sleeplessuess. Then
4 the patient keeps on because he likes the
/ effect. Whole tons Of choral is man.