New-York tribune., 1898-01-23
NJ MESCAL AND IT'S MAGIC.
DRUG WHICH PRODUCES NEW KIND
OF ARTIFICIAL PARADISE.


MEXICO. AND USED BY THE KIowA INDIANS
ITS FASCINATING AND COR
GEOUs VISIONS.
Havelock Ellis. in The Contemporary Review.
1t has been known for years that the
KiOwa Indians Of New Mexico are accustomed
to eat. in their religious ceremonies. a certain
cactus called Anhalonium Lewin. or mescal
button. Mescal-which must not be confounded
with the Intoxicating drink OF the same name
made from an agave-is found in the Mexican
valley Of the Rio Grdnde, the ancestral home OF
the kiowa Indians. IS well as In Texas, ana
is a brown and brittle substance. nauseous and
bitter to the taste composed mainly of the blunt
dried leaves Of the plant Yet. as we shall see.
ii 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 Kowa Indians, who first discovered
its rare and potent virtues. 1t has had 50 strong
a fascination that the missionaries among these
Indians. finding here rival to Christianity not
yielding to moral suasion. have appealed to the
secular arm and the buying and selling OF the
drug haze been prohibited by the Government
under severe penalties. Yet ths use of mescai
prevails among the KiOwas to this day.
1t has indeed spread. and the mescal rite may
b. said to be to-day the chief religion OF all the
tribes of the Southern plains Of the United
States. Tn rite usually takes place on saturday
night: the men then sit in "A circle WITHIN thc
tent round large campfire. which is Kept burn
ing brightly all the time. After prayer the
leader hands each man four buttons. which are
slowly cheWed and swallowed and altogether
about ton twelve buttons are consumed by
each man between sundOwn and daybreak
throughout the night the men sit quietly round
the fire in a state OF reveric-amid continual
singing and the beating Of drums by attendants
absorbed in the color visions and other mani
Cestations Of mescal intOXicatiOn. and about
noon on tho following day. when the effects
have passed of. they get up and go about their
business. without any depression or other uh-
pleasant after-cffccts.
In 1901 James Mooney. of the United States
Bureau ~ Ethnology. having Frequently OBJ
.erved the esc1l rites Of the kiowa Indians
and assisted at them. called the attention OF
Tho Authenticated Society at Washington to
the subject and three years later he brought 10
Washington a supply OF mescal whch was
handed over for examination 10 DIS. Prentlss
and Morgan These investigators cXperimented
on several young men and demonstrated. for the
first time. the precise character OF mescal lntox-
ication ana the remark able visions To which 1t
gives rise \ httlr later Or. Weir Mitchell OK
perrin ented himself. ana published very
interesting record II the brilliant visions by
which he was visited under the influence OF the
plant
FIRST EXPECTS OF THE DRUG.
In the spring Of the last year | was able
t. obtain "a small sample OF mcscal in London.
and as my first experiment with mescal was
also. apparently the frs attempt 10 investigate
its vision producing properties outside america
| Will describe II in some detail. in preference 10
drawing on the previously published descriptions
of the American Observers
on GoJd Friday found myself alon" IN the
quiet rooms in the tempt, which occupy when
in l., ndon. and judged the OCCASION a hliins one
for personal experiment. mad dreo' ti'h
"a different method from that adopted IN Amer
ica) Of three buttons. the full Physiological doSc
and drank this at intervals between ~ ana
400 H. m The first symptom observed during
IN. afternoon was certain cpnScInuSnrSS ol
energy and intellectual power. This passed OF.
and about an hour after Tho final dose ley
faint and unsteady: the pulse was low and
found it pcasanter 70 lie down. was sun a'lc
Ia /, ali ana noticed that pale violet shadow
tnaf,d over the page around the point al WIlch
my eyes We're fixed. had already noticed that
objects not in the direct line ~ VISION SuCh as
nv hands holding the book. showed tendency
to look obtrusiye. heightened in color. almost
rnorstrous while ON clo sing my eyes alter
images were vivid and prolonged The appear
arce Of visions with closed eyes was very graz
raj Al first there was merely vague play Of
Iirht and shade which suggested pictures bui
meyer made them. Then the pictures h.came
MORO definite but too confused and crowded to
be described. beyond saying that they were OF
the same character as the images oi thr kaleido-
scope symmetrical GROUPINGS OF spiked 1hJ"clS.
Then in the course ~ IN" evening thry p"'afh"
distinct but stl indcscri ibabl"-mostly vast
field of golden jew,s studded with r'd ana
green stones, ever changing. ThlS IN 'in"it was
norhaus the most delightful of the experience.
for at the same time the air around me seemed
to be flushed with vague perfume producing
with the visions a delicious efect-and All dIs-
comfort had vanished. 'Tc"pt 4 slight iaintn"SS
and trcmor # the hands. which later on made
il almost impossible 10 guide a pm as ! maze
notes Of the experiment, u was. however, WIN
ar effort always possible To write with pencil
Tn visions never rcsembled familiar objects
thcv were extremely definite. but yet always
novel. they were constantly approaching. and
yet constantly eluding. the semhlancc Of kn'Wr
things.
spLENDOR OF THE VISIONS.
7 w,,ld see thick glorious fields of jew
els solitary or clustered. sometimes brilliant ana
sparkling. sometimes win duH rich Glow.
Then ihey would spring up INTO noWcT, ,,iE, IKE
nt Gorgeous butterfly forms or cndl' IS folds "l