The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-21

k-& school conducted at Singapore
tRR4i under the auspices of the Malay
e---H-1~ sian mission of the Methodist
| Episcopal Church, writes to the Journal,
under date of Jan. 3 as follows
In my attempt to get information for
| those who might be asked to appear before
the opium commission from the Philip
| pines, which visited the Straits Settlement
| recently, L offered prize in the three up
! per grades of our school for the best essay
on the use of opium. 1 think they would
be interesting reading for the American
public, both in regard to the treatment of
the subject and the product in English we
get from our schools among the native peo-
| pie here. l am sending you one for publ
! cation"
The essay mentioned, which is given be-
| low, bears as it's title, "Opium-Its Use and
| Traffic" 1t is written with pen in YER
teal handwriting so even and uniform that
| it might serve an object lesson for pupils
| in American public schools. Admirable as
are many specimens of writing done by
these pupils, few show the copper-plate
perfection achieved by the young Chinese
author of the essay. Also it is doubtful
| if many of them could excel his use of Eng
| lish and the general manner of composition
| The production certainly speaks well for
the work of the school. 1t reads thus:
1.-THE effects of the use of opium upon
| the body are very clearly marked. Almost
| every opium smoker is weak physically.
| Compare an opium smoker with one who
| does not smoke, and the difference will be
clearly seen. The man who does not smoke
is seen to be far stronger and healthier than
| the one who smokes. Once as 1 passed
| along a certain street / saw woman smok-
| ing opium in her shop. She about
thirty years DID, and her face was pale. She
was tall and very thin, and her dress
very dirty. These aspects were due TO
| opium. She might have been a beautiful
lady if she had not given herself to smok-
| ing. Now what was true in the woman's
case is true with all opium smokers. for
one day L was on my way home in a
rickshaw, / was shocked to see how thin
and pale the puller was. He looked almost
| like skeleton, and 1 at once guessed that
! he must be an opium smoker. This proved
| true, for when L paid him the fare he
shouted out that l did not pay him enough,
and at once caught the smell of opium
| from his mouth.
AN opium smoker is more or less dirty,
as in the of the woman already men
toned. Actual observation and gathering
OF information from many opium smokers
have revealed to me that the smokers are
|
! they may be seen washing their faces with
! hot water, while the rest of the body, re-
naming unwashed. becomes consequently
| dirty and impure. This is why some smok-
| ers look so dirty so that clean and we'll
! dressed man dare not &C near them, lest he
might spoil his suit and dirty himself.
AN OBJECT LESSON.
During my stay with my father 1 was
in the habit of visiting one of my neighbors.
He was a great opium smoker and spent
almost all his money in smoking. He
cOughed a great deal, and he told me that
| his coughing was a very painful one, indeed,
and L can remember how his face revealed
| his suffering. Before that time he had been
a strong and healthy man, but when he
began to smoke he became very weak and
suffered from that severe pain of coughing.
l often heard him grumbling at his i'll luck.
! He told me that If he had not given himself
to smoking he would not have to suffer so
much pain and distress. Such are the eff
! fects OF opium upon the body.
| Again, have seen that an opium smoker
will smoke as much opium as he can get.
| Take the case of my neighbor already men,
| toned. He spent nearly all the money
| which he earned in a day in smoking One
| day he earned much more than he usually
! did, and he smoked from D. m. to a. m
| Next morning he could not go to work,
but slept the whole day. Thus he spent all
the money he earned the previous day, and
as he was unable to go to work the day
after, his pocket empty, and he was
| forced to get a loan Thus we see that
opium smokers are not rich. Some of them
may have large property given to them
! by their fathers, but observation has re-
vealed that many men of such kind are
stance, one of the boys of the Oldham Hall
has a brother who smokes a great deal.
They had much wealth formerly, but now
! their property is half gone. Thus find
| in almost all cases that the pocketbooks
| of opium smokers show a continual de-
] crease
/ Utmost oil nararts Give nc ,ho;r s.. IL
vice TO their sons that they should not as
sociate with those who smoke opium for
older people have seen at least some of
! the physical effects or opium smoking, and
| they do not want their sons to be in that
| condition. Even opium smokers themselves
have been known to advise other people
not TO smoke. For instance, my neighbor
already mentioned, advised me that L must
never try TO smoke, for, said he the same
things which happened TO him would hap
pen to me If L should try to smoke. Hence
we often see that an opium smoker cannot
! keep up with society very long, and he will
one day withdraw himself from society. L
| have seen that respectable and well-organ-
| lied societies will not have more than two
members who are opium smokers. After
| some intercourse with opium smokers, l
| know the cause of this is that the smokers
are hated by the other members because
| when they speak the smell of opium comes
| out from their mouths and disgusts the
other members. Besides this an opium
smoker spends most of his time in smoking
and consequently has very little time to 60
| has been known to eXclaim that he prefers
| to stay at home smoking rather than go
out and visit some friends.
OPPOSED TO SMOKERS.
''In order that a society may be a praise
worthy one. its members must have perfect
understanding of all the rules and manners
of polite society. and not only should the
members understand but also they should
observe them. We have seen that opium
smokers are lazy and dirty. and. therefore.
society whose members are smokers will
scarcely improve. and the evil effects of
smoking will discourage others from Join
ing the society. This, therefore, tends to
break up the society, and this is why we
| find that the existing societies are practi-
| cally devoid of opium smokers.
| Many cases of theft and robbery have
been known In which, as il has been found
| upon examination, the offenders are princi-
| pally smokers who have been forced TO
commit evil so as 10 get money for their
/ opium. An opium smoker is selfish for in
| the case OF my neighbor, have seen that