The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-12
MESCAL AND ITS MAGIC.
A DRUG WHICH PRODUCES A NEW
KIND OF ARTIFICIAL PARADISE.

view.
It has been known for some years that
the Kiowa Indians of New Mexico are ac-
customed to eat in their religious ceremon-
tes, a certain cactus called Anhalonium Le-
winii or mescal button. Mescal-which
must not be confounded with the iutoxi-
eating drink of the same name made from
an agave-is found in the Mexican valley
of tie Rio Grande, the ancestral home Of
the Kiowa Indians, as well as in Texas.
and is a brown and brittle substance, nau-
seous and bitter TO the taste. composed
mainly of the blunt dried leaves of the
plant. Yet, as we shall see it has every
claim to rank with hashish and the other
famous drugs which have procured for
men the joys of an artificial paradise, Upon
the Kiowa Indians, who first discovered its
rare and potent virtues, it has had so
strong a fascination that the missiona-
ries among these Indians, finding here a
rival to Christianity not yielding to moral
suasion. have appealed to the secular arm,
and the buying and selling of the drug
have been prohibited by the government
under severe penalties. Yet the use OF mes
1t has indeed spread, and the mescal rite
may be said to be to-day the chief relg-
ion of all the tribes of the Southern plains
of the United States. The rite usually takes
place on Saturday night; the men then sit
in a circle within the tent round large
campfire, which is kept burning brightly
all the time. After prayer the leader hands
rthsr % qlOVylV
chewed and swallowed, and altogether
about ten or twelve buttons are consumed
by each man between shutdown and day
break. Throughout the night the men SIT
quietly round the fire in a state of revere
amid continual singing and the beating
of drums by attendants absorbed in the
color visions and other NANTES tatons of
mescal intoXication, and about noon on the
following day, when the effects have pass
ed off, they get up and go about their bus
tness, without any depression or other un-
pleasant, after-effects.
In 1891 James Mooney. of the United
States bureau of ethnology, having fire.
queutly observed the mescal rites of the
KiQwa Indians and assisted at them, call
ed fthe attention of the Anthropological
Society at Washington to the subject and
three years later he brought to Washing
ton a supply of mescal which was hand
ed over for examination to Drs. Prentiss
and Morgan. These investigators expert
mented on several young men, and demon
strated, for the first time, the precise char
acter of mescal intoxication and the re-
markable visions 10 which it gives rise. A
little later DR.. Weic Michel experimental
on himself and published a very interest
ing record of the brilliant visions by which
he was visited under the influence of the
plant.
In the spring of the last year / was able
20 obtain a small sample of mescal in Lon
don, and as my first experiment with mes
cal was also, apparently, the first attempt
TO investigate its Vision-producing prop
critics, outside America l will describe it
in some detail, in preference to drawing
on the previously published descriptions of
the American observers.
On Good Friday l found myself alone in
the quiet rooms in the temple which l oc-
cupy when in London, and judged the oc-
casion a fitting one for personal expert
ment. l made q decoction Ca different
method from that adopted in America) Of
three buttons, the full physiological dose,
and drank this at intervals between 2:30
and 4:30 p. m. The first symptom observed
during the afternoon was certain con-
seriousness of energy and intellectual pow
er. This passed off, and about an hour af-
ter the final dose 1 felt faint and unsteady
the pulse was low, and found 1t pleasant
er to lie down. i was still able to read, and
noticed that pale violet shadow floated
over the page around the point at which
my eyes were fixed. l had already no.
ticed that objects not in the direct line of
vision, such as my hands holding the
book, showed a tendency TO look obstrus-
i've, heightened in color, almost monstrous,
while, on closing my eyes, after images
of visions with closed eyes was very grad
ual. AT first there was merely a vague
play of light and shade which suggested
pictures but never made them. That the
pictures became more definite, but too con-
fused and crowded to be described, beyond
saying that they were of the same charac.
ter as the images of the kaleidoscope
symmetrical groupings of spiked objects
Then, in the course of the evening, they
became distinct but still indescribable-
mostly vast field of golden Jewels stud
ded with red and green stones, ever chang
ing. This moment was, perhaps the most
delightful of the experience, for at the
same time the air around me seemed &c
be flushed with vague perfume-produc.
ing with the visions a delicious effect
and all discomfort had vanished, excepl
a slight faintness and tremor of the hands
which later on made it almost Impossible
to guide pen as / made notes of the ex.
pertinent; IL was, however, with an effort
always possible TO write with pencil. TIL,
visions never resembled familiar objects
they were extremely definite, but vet al
ways novel; they were constantly an
preaching, and yet constantly GLIDING III,
semblance OF known things.
] would see thick glorious fields of lew
els, solitary or clustered, sometimes bril-
liant and sparkling, sometimes with a dull
rich glow. Then they would spring I'D m
TO flower-like shapes beneath my gaze
and then seem to turn into gorgeous but
terfiy forms or endless folds of glistenin.
ifridescent, ibrons wings of wonderful in
6ects; while sometimes l seemed to l.
gazing into a vast hollow revolving YES
sci, on whose polished concave mother-cf
pearl surface the hues were swiftly chang
ing. although the effects were novel
frequently happened that they vaguely re
called known objects. Thus, once the GA
jects presented to me seemed to be mad
of exquisite porcelain again they wer
like elaborate sweetmeats, again of
somewhat Maori style of architecture
and the background of the pictures IRE
quently recalled, both in form and tone
the delicate architectural effects, as @
lace carved in wood, which we assoeiat
with the mouchra bich work of Carlo. Blu
always the visions grew and change
without any reference to the characterize
les of those real objects of which the
vaguely reminded me, and when I trle
10 influence their course it was with yer
little success.
ny. 1