The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-06

tency of strawberry jam. when II IS III for
immediate! consumption. All Foo put
these five pints into various little horn
boxes convenient for carrying about the
person and made proper distribution
between his partners I'm the enterprise.
There We're some dregs and residuum
and scum left, which he told me lie would
prepare further. and sell TO some of his
poor friends, but what had seen was the
number one, first chop apien." This is
practically the way all opium Is prepared
1Ir smoking, experience and personal
taste merely modifying the process slight
~ IN some special detail.
Ia America we must those OF us Who
are foolish and criminal enough to indulge
inthe black smoke, "ht our pipe" behind
closed doors, but in China they are smok-
ing divans, conducted in the same omen
manner as an eating house would be. and
frequently run IN CONJUNCTION with one
another. Toward the west gate Of old
Shanghai is, / believe, the largest opium
joint in the city.
There as many as three hundred mon
may quietly and conveniently drop in. hit
their pipes, sleep for an hour or a dav. as
they please, and go their way In this very
handsomely decorated and furnished Joint
there is a large central room, where tea is
served ana light refreshments and where
the Chinese chat for time before going
actually 10 work.
This room is gorgeous in the extreme.
the walls being covered with rather fine
mirrors and paneled with red and yellow,
lacquer, covered with gilded Chinese in
scriptions extolling the delights Of opiu,n
innumerable magniticently carved wooden
lanterns being suspended al various and
irregular nights from the gilded ceiling
and the glasses in these lanterns being ~
various colors the reflections In the MANY
mirrors Is bizarre in the extreme. About
this immense central apartment are
ranged cabinet particulieries, where from
three to six persons may quietly smoke
You may hire an entire one If you please.
and once hired It's yours until your sleep
is over, long or short.
| have never been in an American Joint
and don't know how the thing is done
but here is the way a Chinese gentleman
an habitu, would, and does usually, smoke
supposing he enters this place at all, and
does not prefer his own house.
The opium pipe is made Of a tube Of
heavy wood about the gre Of a broom
stick, say an inch and quarter In dame
ter; again it may be made Of silver and
decorated With repOusse work or of
joints Of carved ivory, bone or horn, but
wood is best, because silver becomes
cogged with the gummy black smoke"
and requires constant cleaning, and to
clean out and throw away the gummy
such a waste Of good stuff. But a fine
bambo pipe soaks up the smoke and be-
comes colored, after its own fashion. just
as q meerschaum pipe would, and one
which has been long smoked fetches d
high price as compared with new pipe
About two inches from the end Of this
tube let US say Of wood, is fitted the pipe
proper, which sets in this straight stem
lust as a door knob would and is made
Of eartheuware with very small orlfice
to receive the prepared pellet of opium.
There IS a receiving cup al one end and
jade mouth piece at the other end Of the
tube.
We enter a cabinet particuliere large
enough for three: It's a small apartment,
about 10 by s, and the curtain to the door
can be left open 50 as to see into the
main saloon. We find waiting there a
"gaisha," or singing girl whom my
friend has sent for so as to save himself
the trouble Of filling his own pipe This
is not necessary, for the establishment
furnishes attendants for this purpose, but
It is quite an ordinary procedure.
There are two divans ana a small table
between. We recline on these and the
attendant fetches my friends private
pipe and one for me, places the quantity
Of opium called for on the table-fourteen
pipesful-twelve for him and two for me-
il l survived the first mouthful, and
leaves US to the care Of the gaisha. Ly-