The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-18


They kept it to the death. That is the reason
Governor Briggs did not wear collar That Is
the gospel of the Son of God. Self-denial TOR
the good and rescue Of others.
take & step further. In all ages the world
has sought out some flower, or herb, or weed
to stimulate its etbargy to compose its grief.
A drug called nepenthe was widely used among
the ancient Greeks and the ancient Egyptians
for narcotic purposes. The Theban women
knew how to compound it. You had but to
chew the leaves, and your sadness was whelmed
with hilarity But neperthe passed out from
the consideration of the world. Next came
hasheesh which is made from Indian hemp. 1t
is manufactured from the flowers at the top, or
workmen in leathern clothing walk through the
fields of hemp, and the emulation from the hemp
adheres to the leathern garments, and then this
emulation is scraped off, and prepared with
aromatics, and becomes intoxicant for the
people. Whole nations have been stimulated,
narcotized and made imbecile with this
cursed hasheesh. The visions kindled by that
drug said to be gorgeous and magnificent be-
yond all description; but it finally takes down
body, mind and soul in its horrible death
knew one of the most brilliant men of his
day. Whether he appeared in magazine, in
book or III newspaper columns he was an en-
chantment. He could in the course of an hours
conversation produce more wit and strange in
formation 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 cockstrices den to see whether it would bite,
and he found out to his complete undoing. His
father, who was minister of the gospel, prayed
for him, and counseled him. and obtained for
him the best medical prescription of the best
physicians in New York, Philadelphia, Paris,
London, Edinburg and Berlin He said he could
not stop. 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 ne became raving maniac; then his
immortal soul went, disappearing God into a
starless eternity. He was only about thirty
years of age. Behold the ravages of the Per
sian 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 300 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 masticaton becoming the
scourge of nations. In the year 1861 there were
imported into this country l07, 900 pounds of
opium, but in 1880, 533, 900 pounds of opium. 1t
is estimated that in the year 1876 there we're in
this country 225. 600 opium consumers; but I saw
a statistic more recent that said there are prob
ably now in the United States at least COO, 900
opium consumers. The fact is appalling. Do
not think they are merely barbarc fanatics who
60 down under that stroke. Read the great
De Quincey's Confessions an Opium eater" He
says for the first ten years it gave him the keys
of paradise; but it takes his own powerful pen to
describe the horrors consequent Samuel Taylor
Coleridge. after conquering the world by his
pen, was conquered by opium. The most mag
netic and brilliant lawyer Of this country fell
victim to its stroke and there are thousands of
men and women-but more women than men
who are being bound body, mi nd and soul to
this terrific habit.
THE RAvAGEs OF OPIUM.
There is great mystery about some families.
You do not know why they do not get or. The
opium habit is so stealtby, so deceitful and so
beautiful. You can cure hundred drunkards
easier than you can cure one opum-eater /
have heard of cases of reformation, but / never
saw any, hope there are cases of genuine ref
ormation. I have seen men who for forty years
had been tho victims Of strong drink thoroughly
reformed; but the opium eaters that have seen
60 on and 60 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 household who know
what is the matter-the physician and the pas
the pastor called in for spiritual relief but they
both fail. The physician acknowledges his de-
feat. The minister of religion acknowledges his
defeat, for it seems as if the Lord does not an
swer prayers for opium heaters. man. o wo-
man. are you tampering with this habit? Have
you just begung Are you. for the assuagement
of physical distress mental trouble,
making this regular resourcel l beg you
stop The ecstasies at the start will not pay for
the horrors at the last. The paradise is followed
too soon by the pandemonium. Morphine is a
blessing from God for the relief of sudden pang
or acute dementia but never intended FOR
prolonged use. And, what is the peculiar sad
ness OF it is, it comes to people in their weak
moments. De Quincy says: 81 took it for
rheumatism" Coleridge says: II took it for in
somnia or sleeplessness." What do you take it
for2 For Gods sake do not take it too long.
What is remarkable, they are going down from
f1a iOhn md olo H.
fashionable circles of New York and Brooklyn
going down by hundreds and by thousands
Over 10000 opium eaters in Chicago Over
~, 1000 opium eaters in st. Louis. In the same
York and Brooklyn The clerk of the
drug store says: 81 can tell them
whsn they come in. There is something
peculiar about their complexion, something pc
culiar about their nervousness. something
peculiar about the look of their eyes that imme-
diately reveals them" In some families choral
is taking the place of opium. Physicians first
prescribe 1t for sleeplessness. Then the patient
keeps on because he likes the effect Whole
tons of choral manufactured in Germany
Baron Liebig says that he knows one chemist
in Germany who manufactures half ton of
choral every week. There are multitudes being
taken down by this habit. Look out for hydrate
of chloral! But am under this head speaking
chiefly of opium. There ought to be ten
thousand pulpits turned into Quakng flaming,
laundering Sinais of warning against this mar
cotic The devil of morphia in this country
will be mighter than the devil of alcohol
My friend, it is all-important that by person al
example, in every possible way, we contend
against all influences injurious to society. Our
opportunity for exercising such influence is linn
tied. What we do we had better do right away.
The clock ticks now and we hear it. After
a while the clock will tick and we shall not hear
it. Seated by a country fireside l saw the fire
kindle. blaze and go out. 1 gathered up from
the hearth enough for profitable reflections
Our life is just like that fire on that hearth.
We put fresh faggots and the fire bursts
through, and up, and out gay of flash, gay of
crackle-emblem of boyhood. Then the fire red
dened into Goals The heat is fercer, and the
more it is stirred the more it reddens. With
sweep of flame it cleaves its way. until all the
hearth CLOVIS with the lntensity-emblem of full
manhood. Then comes wilderness to the Goals.
The heat lessons. The Pickering shadows have
died along the wall. The fagg0ts drop apart.
Th, La,,sol1,ld