The Yale expositor., 1910-04-29

9uzx.snzszzuznzD successful He was
elected to the egis-
lature, became president of the state
senate and in such esteem was he
held that there seemed to be no of
flee within the gift of the people to -
which he might not reasonably aspire Il II
Then opium claimed him as a de- Va
votee-not directly, but through NOR ttff
phine, one OF its derivatives. l do .,o-.-
not know how he acquired the habit
but the effect was soon apparent; he
began slipping backward - down. n
down. down-much more rapidly than M
he had climbed up. In a short time MN
he was out of politics, and a little WIN
later he out of business The mn
foundations OF success. that he had EW
laid with such labor and pains, crum- lin
bled away; he became "1end" a HIM
pitable wreck of an able man, a by UUl\
word and a joke among the more WlN\
thoughtless of those who knew him WlN
In time he reached a point where MN
he borrowed" from anybody who M
would lend" him anything from a N
nickel to dollar. So strong was the
instinct of the man in him. even then,
that he would accept nothing as
gilt but resorted to the miserable
makeshift of entering every loan"
however small, in notebook that he
carried for that purpose Could any
thing be more pathetic than the pic
ture OF man of his attachments and EE5zTFsFs
early promise borrowing" 10 cents E
or quarter that both he and the EM
lender knew he never would or could N
repay? Yet he always insisted upon M
this form. la
This story would unquestionably lE
have more horrible ending were II W H1
not for the fact that the victim had ~ -
a devoted and prosperous brother esszaaAna
This fact kept the "iend" out of the gutter 70
provision was always made for his material wants
although 1t was quite impossible to intrust hir
with the money for his board, lodging and othe
necessities. The brother did all that was M,
sible TO do to break the habit. and he finally su,
ceeded in getting the unfortunate one into a
asylum and under the watchful care of physician
The habit was there broken, but the patient nea
ly died in the breaking. Furthermore the harr
had been done. and. although the man never wen
back to morphine, he never was anything but
miserable wreck of no to himself or to an,
one else. His brother provided for him. but b
continued to be joke or tragedy (as you ha,
pened to look at it,, to the day of his death an
he died miserably
That's one story Of opium in one form; a prom
Using career checked in the very momer
OF its greatest promise, and then ruined Their
many others, where there is no devoted brotl
er, that will surpass It in horrid details OF degr,
dalton, but the very fact that this man, with a
the uplifting influences and help that he had fe
swiftly and so far makes his story impressiy
and Illuminating
Struggled opium drifts naturally into thos
channels that lead to its vicious and harmful us
Duty.paid opium is also thus used to a large e.
tent, but the struggled article is almost who'll
for that market Indeed. without that mark,
there would be little smuggling.
There are restrictions placed upon the sale
opium and its derivatives, but these restriction
cannot we'll be made to apply TO what is contr
band anyhow and liable to confscation wherevt
found Neither national nor state government ca
successfully regulate the sale and use OF a
ticle that neither is able TO find. SO smuggle
opium naturally follows subterranean channe
and reaches those who would have difficulty
buying openly. The very fact that Il is contr
band compes II to seek this market. and the yer
fact that this market is under the ban OF Ii
law compes It to depend largely upon the contr
band article The fact that II is cheaper tina
the dutypaid article also commends It. but thu
Is merely incidental
Struggled opium Il is for the mos. part tn;
supplies the opium Joints" and the Joints" n,
only cater TO the struggled article, but Great
The habits that make the demand for II.
Morphine is ,derivative Of opium, and is prope
ly TO be considered Herewith Opium contain
an average Of about nine or ten per cent OF mo
phine There are also other derivatives OF oplu
that produce some OF the sensations the "henc
learns TO crave. but morphine alone seems to tai
the grip on him that becomes habit.
passes quite easily and naturally from opium
morphine usually taking Il internally at first. ar
then with the needle" II is a saying anon
physicians that "a man is lost when he begir
10 use the needle" This is not to be understood
az meaning that all opium-users. or even a m
iority of them, pass to morphine. or that all mo