St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-29

@W ~ | 8 umpn at the :
may be well for loOkers-on to under
stand the true condition of affairs
in this "sunny land of France"
Napoleon said: "In century
the inhabitants of France will be
CossackS or republicans" We're Nap
Dlean here to-day, he could say: ''In q
century the French will be neither Cos
sacks nor Republicans-they will be
swept out of existence"
have before me copy of the journal
Officiel with French statistics for 1888.
The conclusion is alarming, even for
the pessimists. There has been dimi-
hutton of marriages, an increase of d.
Torces and great increase of illegiti-
mate births. Last year the number
of marriages celebrated was several
thousand less than in 1887, and
4.70S divorces were pronounced-1,7 5S
more than in 1888 and 1,0T2 more than
in 1887. In 1888 there were only SS2, $50
births-16, 794 less than in 1887, 41.919
less than In 1856, $1,000 less than in 1885
and 55.119 less than in 1884. Under the
Restoration. when in all France there
1919 to 1S31-the average number of
births each year was $1,000 more than
in 1888.
In the department of the Seine, Paris
and suburbs, One-fOurth of the births
are Legitimate, and in the other de-
partmentS the proportion of illegitimate
births is very great. The Journal Off
ciel adds that were it not for these lille
ultimate births the population would be
greatly diminished. These statistics
should alarm the French nation, for
very sad is the Topographic situation of
France.
Sadder still is the Generalization of
the French people by PravaZ'S lancet.
1t is deplorable, astonishing, the num-
Der of young people who are under the
influence of the morphine habit. One
meets them everywhere. sees their ruin
moral and phySical-withOut the
power to arrest them in their
wild career. Every day we hear
remarks like these: morphine may be
an excuse for her strange behavior"
perhaps her lack of vitality comes
from morphine" Zone cannot blame
him for that falsehood, as he takes NOR
phine." When morphine enters room
the one who inhabits that room is con-
demned to death, but when morphine
is aided by cocaine the end comes
quickly.
The prick of the Pravaz lancet is
painful, and to relieve this pain little
cocaine is applied. Morphine is a poison,
but cocaine is triple poison. PraVaZ
syringes have entirely taken the place of
The ordinary morphine syringe and are
mrde of silver, of gold. in the form of
match-bOxeS, cigar-caSes, etc. Those
who have this death instrument for
sale report that they are unable to sat
tsfy the demand, and that the lancets
are purchased even for presents.
AN AMERICAN GIRL A VICTIM.
Under my own observation have come
some most horrible cases of morphine
mania. One, and perhaps the saddest
of all, was that of an American married
TO French count. A few years ago,
because of her beauty and intellect, she
was the pride of her family and friends.
Then her eyes became lusterless, her
complexion pale, her beautiful golden
hair a remembrance of the past,
and her figure distorted and shape
less. Worse than all, her intellect was
darkened, and by those who knew her
in other days she was called "a danger
Gus woman" So vivid was her magma
ton, so unreliable were her words, that
she was Stunned by those who once
gladly called her friend. The end
came, as it always comes to those af-
1licted with her malady, and when she
Jay in her coffin friends and relatives
said: 1T is better that she is gOne.''
To-day the once beautiful American
girl lies in a French cemetery and her
friends sigh, but with relief, as they
speak of her on whose tomb might be
written. "a Victim of Morphine"
The death of Jacques Damala, huS-
band of Sarah Bernhard. is a sad eX-
perienee of morphine's power. Jacques
Damala was brave and good. but al
ways misunderstood, first. because of
his Oriental origin, afterwards because
he became the husband of Sarah Bern
haTdt. As young man he was an Off
Ger in the guard of the king
OF Greece, attache of the Greek
Legations in Italy and Eng
land. educated and accomplished; but
he had debts innumerable and fought
duelS without number. His marriage
with Sarah Bernhard and the Separa-
ton from the actress are too well known
for recapitulatiOn. To drown his
troubles NJ. Damala drank abSinthe and
Brandy and smoked sometimes seventy
cigarettes a day Naturally, he was
very i'll after this dissipation, but a
stored him to health.
One of his friends told me that when
RssaileG by creditors. with no one upon
whom he could call, his refuge was
morphine, and for one year NJ. Damala
lived i'm a miserable room, sleeping
twenty-three hours out of twentv-four,
his only companions PravaZ
lancet and two bottles. one con-
tanning morphine, the other cocaine.
He ate very little-for morphine re-
places fOOd-but every afternoon din
ner was brought him from the most ex-
pensiYe restaurant in Paris. This poor
man. heavily laden with debts, unable
10 buy himself the common neceSSarieS
of life. unable to pay for comfortable
room. found means to dine as only the
WealthieSt are able TO do.
NJ. DAMALA's FATE.
But when Sarah Bernhardt returned
TO Paris she learned of her ex-husband's
financial difficulties and of his aband-
Onment to fate, offered him the first
place in her troupe, and perhaps had
not his friends ridiculed him for ac-
cepting aid from his wife, JAG
cues Damala to-day might be alive
and successful actor. He could not
endure the criticisms coming from ev-
cry quarter. the illusions to his lack of
dignity, lack of pride, and to forget, he
again took morphine. In Egypt, he i'm
itated the signatures of the physicians
and thus obtained immense quanti-
ties of the poison. But until the
troupe reached Milan, Sarah Bern
hardt did not suspect her hus-
bands relapse. There concealment
was impossible. for one day at the hotel
table NJ. Damala became furious; i'm
agined that rats were on chairs, tables
and even climbing on those dining; like
a wild beast he threw himself upon the
RstOnished travellers and attempted to
81 I,oi al,