The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-12

there was a general hypera esthesia of all
the senses as well as muscular irritabu-
ity, and every slightest sound seemed mag
nified to startling dimensions. / may also
! have been kept awake by a vague alarm
at the novelty of my condition and the
possibility of further development.
After watching The visions in the dark
for some hours 1 became = little tired of
them and turned on the gas. Then found
that l was able to study new series of
visual phenomena, to which previous OBJ
servers had made no reference. The gas jet
can ordinary pickering burneI3 seemed 10
burn with great bTilliance sending out
waves of light, which expanded and con-
tracted in an enormously exaggerated
manner. was even more impressed by the
shadows, which were in ali directions
heightened by fiushes of red. green and es-
pecially violet. The whole room, with its
whitewashed but not very white ceiling
thus became vivid and be autiful. wished
to ascertain how the sulJdued and steady
electric light would inf hence vision, and
passed into the next room: but here the
shadows were little marked, although
walls and floor seemed tremulous and I'M
substantial and the texture of everything
was heightened and enriched.
About $3.50 a. IN l felt that the phenom-
ena We're distinctly diminishing though
the visions, now chiefly of human figures
fantastic and Chinese in character. still
to sleep. which proved peaceful and dream
less. l awoke a the usual hour and exper-
fenced no sense of fatigue nor other n
pleasant reminiscen ce of the experience
had undergone. On.y my eyes seemed I'M
usually sensitive TO color, especially 10 blue
and violet; i can. inoeed, say that ever
since this eXpe rience / have been more
aesthetcally sensitive than was before
to the more delicate phenomena of light
and shade and color.
1t occurred to- me that it would be in
teresting to have the experiences of an
artist under the influence of mescal, and
/ induced an ar DIST friend 10 make a sim
liar experiment. Unfortunately no effects
whatever were produced at the first at
tempt, owing, as l have since discovered
to the fact that the buttons had only
been simply infused and their virtues not
extracted. To make sure of success the
experiment was repeated with four but
tons. which proved TO be an excessive and
unpleasant dose. There were paroxysmaI
attacks of pain at the heart and sense
OF imminent death, which naturally alarm
ed the subject. while so great was the
dread Of light and dilatation of the pupils
that the eyelids had to be kept more or
less closed, though it was evident that a
certGin amount of vision was still posi-
bic. The symptoms came on very sudden
ly, and when l arrived they were already
at their hight The experiences of this
subject were in many respects very unlike
mine.
l next made experiments on two poets,
whose names are both well known. One
is interested in mystical matters, an ex-
cellenL subject for Visions and very ia
miliar with vision-producing drugs and
processes His heart, however, is not
very strong. While he obtained the Wis
ions, he found the effects of mescal on
his brea thing somewhat unpleasant; ne
much prefers hashish, though recognizing
that its effects are much more difficult to
obtain The other enjoys admirable health.
and under the influence of mescal he ex-
pertenced s'carcely the slightest unpleas-
ant reaction, but, on the contrary. a very
marked state of well-being and beatitude
He took somewhat less than three but
tons, so that the results were rather less
marked than in my case, but they were
perfectly definite.
1t would be out of place here 10 discuss
the obscure question as to the underlying
mechanism by which mescal exerts its
magic powers. 1t is clear from the
foregoing descriptions that mescal intoxi-
cation may be described as chiefly a sat
urnalia of the specific senses. and. above
all, an orgie of vision. 1t reveals an on
teal fairyland, where all the senses now
and again join the play, but the mind it,
self remains a self-possessed spectator
Mescal intoXication thus differs from the
other artificial paradises which drugs pro-
cure The mescal drinker remains calm
and collected amid the sensory turmoil
around him; his judgment is as clear as
in the normal state; he falls into no ORR
entail condition ST vague and voluptuous
reverie. The reason why mescal is of all
this class of drugs the most purely intel
lectual in its appeal is evidently because
1t affectssmainly the most intellectual of
the senses Further unlike the other
chief substances to which it may be COM
pared, mescal does not wholly carry us
! away from the actual world, or plunge us
into oblivion. a large part of its charm
lies in the halo of beauty which 1t casts
around the simplest and commonest
thingss 1t is the most democratic Of the
plants which lead men to an artificial
paradise.
At the same time it must be remem-
bered that at present we are able 10
speak on basis of but very small expert
! ence, so far as civilized men are concern
ed The few observations recorded in
America and my own experiments in
| England do not enable us to say any
| thing regarding the habitual consumption
| of mescal in large amounts. That such
| consumption would be gravely injurious
| cannot doubt. It's safeguard seems to
| lie in the fact that a certain degree of
robust health is required to obtain any
real enjoyment from its visionary gifts.
| 1t may at last be claimed that for a
/ healthy person to be once or twice ad-
| mitted to the rites of mescal is not only
an unforgettable delight, but an educa-
tional influence of no mean value.
|