The Somerset reporter., 1895-03-28
HASIIEESH SMOKING
a PREVAILING HABIT AMONG tn.
TURKS AND PGBSlANS.

Causes Terrible Suffering and /, Always
Dangerous nlicitly sold In the Bahuarj
OF Con.tantinople.
\ Traveller returned from an extensive
sojeurn in Turkey has this to say of the
famous Grug
Among my purchases at the d. gs
hazaar at Constantinople was hashecsh.
1t i strictly illegal to buy or sell this,
and the yender made "a great show of
mystery about the transaction, besides
charging me ten times the right price.
1t il soft black stick or coil, made
with indian hemp and sundry sweet cs-
sences 1t may either be drunk with
water eaten rs it Is. smoked in hubble
bubbles or smoked III little terra Gotta
pipes.
1t Is said II have the power Of con-
ferring a dual personality upon those
Who take It. Their dreams are extraor-
dinarily vivid, aud every detail of them
is remembered for a long time after
ward, They do not 60 of 10 sleep hut
have kind Of fit, which does not SOUND
particularly agreeable, though for some
reason OF other is evidently popular
These at least arc said to be the com
monest eject. Of the drug, but it affects
different pdoflo i'll different ways, and
so some get IN further than a bad head
ache
1t has been used by maeicians ever
since the middle ages rememh. 7 dun
ing the esoterie Buddhism craz' ,om.
years aga IL friend of nine who w8>
h'ttu l. Il got hold Of same hl.hn,-h
aad at II, III the expectation # being
able IL AIojeef bis soul across tine gar
den THWhasheesh was hadlymiN,d, and
a heavy dose Of it kad no effect what
ever
He found that his soul persisted in
remaining where it WAS So hu grow
bold and helped himself to another
lump, in which all the strength Of the
hemp happened l. be concentrated. The
result was that two doctors had to walk
him up and down the garden All mgEf
to prevent his falling into sleep that
would know 10 waking.
Though its Use Is forbidden iu Con
stantinoplo, hasheesh is said to berNtcn-
clN1i siiIhh1i AliiAtY tEI'i itAllN Ril''llE
the Persians. | told my guido THAT
must see this sight, and after great
deal Of trouble | manage, to get taken
to a real hasheesh den 1t WAS "A fairy
large square Ioom, with Il diVan run
ming all around IT, Tho walls we've
whiteWashed and the carpets on tAe
floor were cheap and shabby. one COM
mon oil lamp hung from the crJIuE,
with a big green shade. The center OF
the room Was empty and there were u5
tables or looking glasses IN it, T~,
men were squatting Turkish fashion CA
the divan.
For a lon2 time they seenSd to be in
a kind Of trance, slabbering at tho cor
hers of Their lips and nultcrng like
nadmen. After Il short timo one OF
them became liYalier and moro excited
He burst iuto wild laugh which shook
his whole body He placed his hand to
his nose, and beginning To strckc it ut
the top passed his hand down into tho
air as If his HOSE had reached an inordi.
nate length
An attendant passed Iy with coffee
cup and the smoker made a wild effort
to turn ASIDE his head, angrily telling
the attendant To be etl. rs he was tread.
ing on his hose. Then came molhOr
wild burst Of laughter, and the fit WAS
Mt an end.
HIS reason gradually seemed to got
the upper hand, and he proceeded to
express his wonder that he could have
fancied that his nose had grown so long