The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-26

or life have probably much to do with
it: but the modern epicure desires
more than the drowning of care. He
wants TO fog his sensitive nervous sys-
tom into yielding of its best. into pro-
viding him with the stately pleasure
domes such as Kubla Khan decreed
He is seeking
The sovereign alchemist that in a
trice
LIES leaden metal into gold trans
mutes.
Or, to change the image, he seeks a
key for the ivory gate OF AN unearthly
paradise. Many are the keys that are
used-opium, morphia and cocaine are
well known but the epicure finds hash
ish and mescal even more effective, be-
cause of the fairyland of visions they
reveal to him.
Hashlsh is prepared from Indian
hemp, and is chiefly used In the East
as the inspirer OF the most Incredible
visions and ecstasies. An English
medical man who took some of IL said:
1T produces an extraordinary dislo-
cation of the ideas Of time, space and
personality. You do not know where
or when or Who'll had almost said
how many-you are. You feel that
within you are two or more person.
alites-a DR.. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde, as
~ Wttt~-COinilllllkitu yet edcn SAIlNllb
to express Itself" Sometimes the eff
fects are unpleasant. and common OBJ
jects, such as cat or a dog, inspire
the utmost terror from the uncanny
appearance they present.
Prof. Marshall accidentally swallowed
some extract of hashish in the course
of some chemical experiments, and he
says Il was free from all sense OF
care and worry, and consequently felt
extremely happy. Fits of laughter oc-
Cured. especially at first. The most
peculiar effect was that time seemed to
have no existence. / was constantly
taking out my watch. thinking that
hours must have passed, whereas only
a few minutes had elapsed. This, l
believe, was due to a complete loss Of
memory for recent events"
But of all these unearthly paradises,
the newest and most subtle is opened
to the taker of mescal.
This Is a bitter, nauseous drug pre-
pared from the dried leaves of cer-
tain cactus. The Indians of the south
ern plains of the United States treat
this cactus with divine honors, gath
ering it with heads uncovered amid
clouds of incense. Missionaries have
found its worship a great rival TO
Christianity, for It's heaven is here and
now.
The mescal rite is usually held on a
Saturday night. Seated in a circle
around a large camp fire for the Wis
ions are most intense by pickering fire.
light-the men pray for "a good intoxi-
cation" and then the leader hands the
drug around.
Throughout the night the men sit
quietly around the fire I'm a state OF
reveries-amid continual singing and
the beating OF drums by attendants
absorbed in color visions. About noon
on the following day, when tho effects
have passed of, they get up and go
about their business without any de-
preston or other unpleasant after ef-
fects.'
Mr.. Havelock Ellis determined TO ex-
pertinent on himself with the drug.
After a transient consciousness Of en-
ergy he felt faint and giddy. Pale violet
shadows foated before him, suggest
ing, though not definitely forming, pic
lures The air seemed 10 be flushed
with a vague perfume. Then he saw
glorious fields of Jewels, which sprang
into fiower-like shapes beneath hts gaze
and then turned into gorgeous butter
ny forms.
II was further impressed" he says
mot only by the brilliance. delicacy and
variety of the colors, but even more
by their lovely and various textures"
He compared them to living arabesques.
Familiar objects assumed the beautiful
shadowy effects seen in Claude Monet's
pictures The visions subsidized into hui
man figures, fantastic and Chinese, as
he settled down into peaceful and
dreamiess sleep, waking at his usual
time with no fatigue or unpleasant
"reminiscences. Ever since, he believes
he has been more sensitive to delicate
phenomena Of light and shade and
color.
An artist to whom he gave the drug
experienced a pain at the heart and a
sense Of imminent death. He says
with the suddenness OF a neuralgia
pang, the back Of my head seemed to
open and emit streams Of bright color.
/ had the sensation Of the skin dlsap-
pearing from the brow, Of dead flesh,
and finally Of a skull" His attire ap-
peared 10 change into a richly colored
medieval costume. Any movement led
10 streams OF blue flames Of wondrous
beauty.
on eating. the flames burst out
afresh, Illuminating the interior OF the
mouth and casting a blue reflection
on the roof. The light In the blue
grotto at Capri" / am able TO affirm,
lis not nearly so blue" With him the
visions did not fade gradually, but the
outer world came back with a bound.
1T was the sensation--only much in
tonsified-- which every one has known
on coming out into the light OF day
from an afternoon performance AZ q
theater."
To a well known poet the drug glori-
fed the whole work-a-day world
Late in the evening" he says. u
went out on the embankment and was
absolutely fascinated by an advertise
ment which went and came In letters
OF light on the other side OF the river.
I cannot tell you the intense pleasure
Il gave me. Two girls and a man
passed me. laughing loudly, and lolling
about as they walked. | realized, In
teliectuaAiy, their coaraenesa, but
! usually I saw them. AZ they came un-