Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-14
nas Op Crusade Snpasses American Temperance Movemen

registered and the government at Pekins
is keeping a close watch over the amount
cultivated. The prince regent has offered
medals and rewards to those who have
grains. and they are to be freed from ma
tional taxes for fixed period.
In short, there is no doubt about the
earnest and active efforts of the officials
and of a large part of the people 10 do
away with the opium habit. Many are
resolved that il must be cut out of China
at any cost and the government IL willing
to submit to the enormous loss of revenue
which 1t entails, for the good OF the peo-
pie.
On the other hand, il is a question
whether the opium evil is anything like
so great as is generally supposed. II has
been stated that more than 100,CpcUO OF
the Chinese are opium users. Some will
tell you that the whole race is drUgged
and that all the men. women and children
use opium daily. This is untrue on iis
face. / doubt whether the opium habit IL
as prevalent among the Chinese as the
whisky and beer drinking habit is among
the English, Germans or Americans. In
the first place, IL Is costly and the bulk OF
the Chinese are poor Again. the amount
OF opium raised in China is pretty well
known, and we have accurate statistics
of all that Is imported. Foreigners est
mate the total annual consumption at
something like 4O.OO0,00O pounds. IL this
were divided equally among the peo-
pie, IL would equal only one ounce per
year per head. Now the average con-
flrmed smoker takes about three mace a
day. or ninety mace in one month
Ten mace make an ounce, and this
would equal nine ounces a month or nine
pounds a year Dividing the 4OOOo0U
pounds by nine gives quotient OF
less than four and one-half millions. the
total number OF confirmed smokers re-
quired to consume all the opium raised in
CHINA. In other words, II one-tenth OF
the population were habitual opium smok-
ers they would consume all the opium
which China now has. If the estimate is
doubled the number would be less than
10,00OO0.
DR.. George Morrison of the Lon
don Times. who Is one OF our most care
full writer's on things Chinese and who
knows the country better than any Chi
nese / am acquainted with. estimates the
possible consumers at less than S.OoO,OoO
In fact, opium is consumed here about
as much as spirituous liquors are I'm Eng
land and the United States. Both habits
are a mighty evil, and both cause a vast
deal Of misery; but to say that every
man. woman and child I'm China Is an
opium fiend is as false on its face as II
would be to allege that every man. wom-
an and child in England and America
is addicted to drunkenness.
In closing this letter I would say that IT
will be a long time before the hopes OF
the Chinese statesmen and patriots can
come to fruition. The work Of repression
is going on rapidly. but opium is stu
smoked largely In secret and an enormous
amount of underhand selling and SNUG
Cling is done. These people are just as
human as We are and the same conditions
prevail as would obtain in the United
states were We to try to abolish the
drink habit within as short a time as the
Chinese have allotted to the wiping out
OF this terrible drug. Some OF the officials
are hypocrites, others are openly disobey-
ing the law. while others, bound I'm the
LAGOON grip OF the opium. are secretly
smoking the drug or are injecting NOR
phine into their persons behind their
closed doors. The movement for the most
part Is earnest and honest, and il has al
ready accomplished a vast deal of good.
FRANK G. CARPENTER