The Penn's Grove record., 1893-04-21
ENoLAND'S SHAME.
ponsi Die for the Use of Opium Amons
67O.OOO.o 900 People.

sU'OOOsOOu Eoopios
Americans do not realize the ex-
| tent OF the terrible curse Of the opium
| vice in Asia. In China alone 1885,
600, 900 out Of a population Of be-
tween 800, 900, 900 and 400, 600, 900 Use
It.
And now the British Government
IN India, to increase its revenue, has
! authorized the licensing of shops
throughout India and Burmah for the
free sale of opium. These licenses are
issued in very unusual form. Those
who take the license come under obli-
CATION To sell a stipulated amount, or
to pay a forfeit! Thus the Govern
nIent almost compels the holders OF
the license to stimulate its subjects
to a deadly poison! The
| door is thrown wide open for all the
inhabitants of India to take that
which destroys at once the body and
the soul.
The unrestricted sale of opium ID
i permitted in Java, with its 20, 000,-
900 of population. 1t Is also permitted
IN the French possessions of S,O00,-
900 or 10, 600, 600. The vice Is also
carried by the Chinese immigrants
into Siam and all the islands of the
Eastern Archipelago. II the popula-
tions of the various countries in
Asia, in which free sale of opium is
permitted, are added together the ag-
gregate number is more than $780,
900, 000i In Europe and America the
/ sale is restricted to medical use, by the
direction of physicians. and the walls
and boxes containing it, when thus
given out by druggists, are carefully
labeled, 'Poison!"
The laws of China once prohibited
The sale and use of opium, the viola
tion Of which was punished by death.
So earnest were the Chinese to pre-.
vent its introduction into the coun-
try that the Government became in
volved in a costly war with England
about 1t, at the close of which a
treaty was made, in which England
recognized China's right to prohibit
the introduction Of opium, but left it
with China to seize the vessels that
struggled 1t In and conf1scate the
vessel and cargo! But as the SNUG
glers were Englishmen and the ships
English ships the Chinese were afraid
to execute the law. and so opium
was brought in English bottoms from
India to China from 1912 to 1860.
The Chinese Government finding 1t
could not stop the smuggling of
opium into the country by British
ships finally determined to legalize
the horrible traffic 1t could not de-
stroy. Shops were opened In every
village and town in the country and
the cultivation Of the poppy was be-
gun. To such an extent has the use
of opium been extended that mis-
sionaries have said that seventy out
of every 100 people are more or less
opium eaters.
To sum up: The population OF
india and Burmah,% according to the
census taken last year, is 285, 600, 900;
that of China is $50, 900, 900, some
make it 400, 900, 600. The Island Of
Java counts its 20, 900, 600, to which
the French possessions in Southeast
ern Asia add at least 10, 900, 900 more.
The Eastern Archipelago has
say 5000, 900, making altogether q
total of $40, OOO, OO0i The curse Of
Asia has been saddled upon that con
tinent by Christian Europe. Fol
this terrible blight cast upon the
greatest Of the four-quarters of the
globe, the British government Ii
chiefly responsible. A hundred year:
ago the East India Company com
menced to m%onopolize the production
of opium for sale in China, and the
government at home gave to the com
pany the protection OF the British
flag. Since 1858 the British Govern
ment has had a monopoly of the pro
duction and sale Of opium. Great
Britain is thus directly responsible
for the prevalence of the opium plague
among the $40, O00, 600 people in Asia