The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-03

BY settling upon Sh3nghal-Ihet e 70
say. the most foreign city OF China-as
the place Of the conference its organizers
have. at any rate. secured for the dele
gates a freedom Of speech which they
could not have enjoyed nearer home
Shanghai Is, Of an the cities which II has
ever been my lot to visit, the one most
wholly free from prejudice o. any sort
whatsoever.
Moreover, by assembling the congress
on Chinese territOry-thst is 20 say. in
the country Of all others which IS alleged
TO suffer most cruelty from the blight Of
'the poppy-alI sorts Of specious appeals
TO public sentiment viii be negatived
which might prove effective here or in
Europe. since addressed to people igno-|
rant Of the conditions Of Oriental life
Such viii carry no weight whatsoever.
and VIII not even find hearers in an Ash
attic city where almost every one. be he
foreigner or native. is enabled 10 speak
with experience upon the subject engag-
ing the attention OF the congress
Let any one who has ever attended a
meeting in London in the now defunct
Exeter Hall. whence so many crusades
/
imagine the sort OF reception which
man would have received there who had
attempted 20 say a good wore in behalf
Of opium II is probable that he would
have been ho0ted of the platform At
Shanghai, al any rate he viii be able 10
secure a hearing. and then the world at
large will he treated for the first time 20
both sides Of a much misunderstood Ques-
ton
That there are two sides 20 the ques-
ton and that whereas opium is poison
Gus 10 some races. Il is not only innocu-
Gus in the case Of others. but may be
even conducive TO health. is shown by the
opium legislation which it was sought 10
introduce into the Philippines during the
early DAYS OF the American occupation
Under Spanish rule Filipinos were for
hidden by law 20 smoke ar 10 use opium
the dealers being only allowed 20 sell the
drug 20 Cinnamon The projected Amer
lean legislation followed the same lines.
absolutely fOrbidding the sale Of the drug
70 any Moro OF American but allowing
IL 10 be purchased by Cinnamon over
twenty-01e years Of age. The authors
Of the bill. after diIigent inquiry into
the subject. aided by several Official and
nonoficisi investigators. came to the con-
clusion that the drug in moderation was
Indispensable TO the Chinese in the Phil
ippines. and their opinion did not under
90 any modification when Il was discov-
cred that a petition against The legisla-
ton alleged 20 have been signed bv 7.00
Chinese included the names OF a dead
Emperor. a stuffed monkey. and Of many
persons al the time repOsiug IN their
graves.
-Tro. 81. MO- s,--. &, ,,-.se+yo- ala ~o-
become law was due 70 popular senti-
ment here in the United State-that
same popular sentiment which forced
Congress 70 repeal the statute establish
/ ing canteens I'm army barracks-snd IL
ultimately proved strong enough 20 Sc
cure the exclusion OF the drug from the
ARCHIPELAGO and the prohibition OF its sale
or use except for purely medicinal pur-
/ poses
Moreover. Il is this self-ssne public
sentiment IN America which has led the
United States government % inaUEUTate
/ the movement which has resulted IN the
calling Of the congress which meets this
month AZ Shanghai The negotiations
have been IN progress for more than
eighteen months past and the programme
Of the congress intimates that its object
Is an international discussion Of the cues
ton OF the Limitation or total prohibition
Of the prediction and Importation OF
opium except for medicinal purposes.
Now. with regard 70 the arguments in
favor OF the use in moderation OF opium
by The Chinese which win be presented
I 10 the congress. they go 10 show that the
extraordinary immunity of the Chinaman
20 ague and low types OF fever. no mat
ter how svamplike and UNFRAMED the
locality Of his residence. IS attributable
10 the effect Of opium. and II is recalled
that the inhabitants Of the lOwlands OF
Lincolnshire and Of the fen lands OF other
English counties use IaUdanum with the
same object in view.
Psychologists teach us that the length
{ OF the intestines IN an animal is CORE
/ lated with its diet. vegetable feeders
/ having long and animal feeders having
/ short intestines. The length OF the mites
tines in man shows that a due a6mixture
( OF animal and vegetable food is the diet
i best suited 10 him In China the masses
Of the population live almost entirely on
vegetables Opium smoking slows the
/ process OF digestion and IS consequently
I
struck with the comparative immunity
/ Of the population from diseases OF the
] bronchial tubes and lungs. That this i'm
mUniJy is not due 10 climatic Influences
/ IS clearly proved by the fact that Euro
/ peans and Americans are not more free
[ from the scOUTge in China than in their
! own countries.
Moreover. the enormous percentage Of
deaths from consumption among native
Christians is asCribed by many u the
fact that the missionaries prohibit opium
smoking among their converts and bar
the users Of the drug from membership
Of the church One OF England's ablest
/ C0nsUIs IN China. Gardner by name. n
fact insists that IN the case Of the Chi
| nese AT any rate opium smoking In mod
Grafton IS not only a preventive. but q
cure for consumption
Surgeon General William Moore. who
spent the greater part OF his long milf
tary service n India. declares that all
his own experience and that Of others
which has come within his reach has
been 10 show that opium in moderation
4 IS a remedy and preventive OF those ma
larial fevers which are an even more
fatal and more cruel ScOUTEe than
cholera, and recalls the fact that since
the days Of the sncients opium has al
WAYS been esteemed as a prophylactic in
nalaTiOuS countries. Surgeon General
Moore adds that all countries are 5Gdict-
ed 20 some sort or StimulanJ or narcotic.
and insists that If the people OF India
and OF China are deprived Of opium they
viii take 10 other stimulating agents
which could be named and which wili
prove infinitely more deleteriouS
Nearly all who have lived for any
length OF tine in the Orient are agreed
that the use Of opium in China and also
/ IN India must be regarded from the same
standpoint as q national habit as the
I-cn nr ll.nEoI -r-.o..r- IH-r-..--. .--.s......