The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-04

Is apt 70 look ragged and half starved. Among
the well TODD and well. nourished Glasses 'he
evils OF opium are, apparently. more moral MAN
physical: among the masses both, evils are COM
bined. The lower orders Of officials ana yam'h
runners" with their unlimited leisure al" H'"
orally smokers. Among our auihor o'H''"'
escorts In S,echuan. numbering In Ill iao men,
all but two were devotess 81 opium,
The habit defics public opinion. lhe 'W
nese themselves condemn all exeptthe mos inod'f
ate opium smoking as a vice no less hhtmin'
tlan gambling, and not a yoicc IL rai~d 'n 90
fence Of the custom, even by the smokers 'iem
selves. on the contrary, the opium hab' IN
regarded a. n disease, for the cure of which many
smokers Voluntarily place themselves III OPIUM
refugees at some expense, and at the cost OF gfea'
suffering, In the market towns, which are
thronged with native traders, there is to be seen on
many stalls q among innumernblc Indigenous drugs
and commodities, a package labelled ltemedS
for Foreign Smoke" foreign smoke berg ire
usual name for opium in western China Mrs
Bishop was impressed by the exhibition OF a
curious sort Of conscience among the dev"'ees
Of opium which leads them to consider themselves
as moral criminals. The Chinese generally he
lieye that II a man takes 10 The opium hapit
1t will lead TO the imroyerishr tnt and rum OF
his family, and will prevent linn from iuihli
ing ono Of the FIRST OF Confucinn obliga'inis'
ma mely, the support Of his parents in then ola
age. On several occg sions our author was ar
surcd by Chinese ,hat the reason the Japanese
had beaten them was that they were more Nigor
Gus men owing 10 the rigorous exclusion oil OPIUM
from Japan. Foreign observers have drawn
a similar deduction from the widespread use
OF the drug. Thus the British Consul at 1aindn,
Fnrmosa, expresses the opinion that AS long
as China remains a nation Of opium smokers,
there is not the least reason 10 fear that she VIII
become a military power Of any importance, as
tie habit says the energies and vitality "f the
people" Writing on the deplorable condition
of Nunnan. Consul Bourne, who ACCOMPANIED
the blackburn commission to the west and south
Of China in ls06.87 attributes 10 the general
use Of opium the extraordinary failure Of this
province 20 recover from the devastation caused
bv the rebellion. Testimony 10 the same eff
feet is borne in a book published at the close
of 1898 by Chang Chih-tung, who has filled sue
cessiyely three Of the most important \iceroyal-
ties in the Empire. lie pronounces the opium
habit a huge national evil. and continues as fol-
lows: THE injury done by opium IL that OF II
stream OF poison flowing on for more Than a hun
dred years, and difusing itself in more than
twen,y-three provinces. The sufferers from this
injury amount to untold millions. It's conse-
quences are insidious and seductive, and the
limit has no, yet been reached. II destroys mems
abilities, II wastes wealth, II Neakens the ylFor
of the soldier, and 1t has made China what she
is to-day. The drug affects the ability Of civilians
and soldiers alike. Mems Wills are weakened an
,hplr physical strength is reduced, In the manage
mant Of business, they lack industry. They
cannot Journey any distance. Their eHrendi-
tur, becomes extravagaul, their Chi lren are lew.
Aftnr \ few more decades, the result will hc inst
China will become tie laughing stock of the
world" This native writer concludes with the
nvarment that IL Confucius and Mcncius were
10 live again, aud were again TO teach the I'm
pirc, they would certainly hegin by warning
men 10 break of the opium habit II viii rot
effects Of oDium are scarcely reconcilnhlo with
the many signs NJ prosperity which Mrs. Bishop
observed throughout the interior Of China.