The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-12
Kansan is the ignorance of the country, whicn
in the matter of tariff exactions feels in its pocket
what it cannot understand in its head.
DRUGGIST HuMANITARIANs.


DRUGGIST. HUMANITARIANS.
Philadelphia retail druggists, numbering over
100 have set the country finely unseihsh ex-
ample by clearing their shelves of all nostrums
prepared for use with children and containing
dangerous drugs. Child murder by means
of soothing syrups and similar preparations
the effective base of which is opium, some
times alcohol chloroform, chloral or CO
caine, has for many years constituted cruel
but profitable industry. In fact there are many
cases among the growing army of drug fiends-
an army whose number has been increasing by
$780, 900 victims year-in which the prediction
for opiates was undoubtedly created by medicines
administered by parents to their children. In
former years, when the use of these drugs them
selves was not SO well understood, there was the
excuse of ignorance in this character of patronage
of business which wrung it's dividends out OF
the wreck of children's lives. Since the passage
of the pure food and drugs act however, under
the provisions of which no dangerous drug may
be used except its presence be plainly and
specifically stated upon the bottle, the use OF such
nostrums is wilful and criminal denial of the
right of childhood to the fair chance depending
upon sound body and steady nerves. The fact
that, for the sake of the temporary quoting OF
children, so many parents still persist in this
sort of treatment, is an illustration OF a selfish
ness which has not even ignorance to excuse it.
| The action of the Philadelphia druggists is,
! for this fact, the more commendable 1t shows
high sense of business integrity that they should
forego profits upon an enormous volume of busi-
ness for purely philanthropic motives. They
might with good reason argue that they are IN
business for the ends of business THAI the prepa
tions used for the ruin Of childhood are well
| known articles of purchase and sale; that the
parents and not they are the natural guardians OF
the offspring of the land and that, if the parents
have no regard for the health of their children,
they ought not to be expected to have. This
would have been the familiar business argument
It would have been stand which could not be
technically assailed. The druggists in taking j,
would have been we'll within their rights as bust
ness men in business to meet honestly and above
board a public demand. But these druggists
knew that large element of parents did not have
the regard for their children which they ought
TO have had. They knew that the quacks who put
forth these medicines were engaged in adver
Using them broadly, in minimizing the effects OF
the drugs upon which they rely to create a habit
narcotics and knowing these things, great body
of business men set higher standard of business
ethics with their eyes wide open to the immed
late and continued financial loss which they woult
suffer by setting it.
And surely this action on the part of business
men in refusing for reasons of charity and moral
ity to deal in class of medicines advertised
daily, Haunted before the eyes of the people,
furnished to the trade at price assuring enor
nous profits, ought to convince parents every
where of the danger lurking in the nostrums
themselves, and of the cruel lies with which thei,
use is recommended by their makers and BY
7 which their deadly character is mnimized in the
public mind for the hope of profit contingent
upon the health and even lives of babies. Many
children annually are soothed to sleep when fret
Iful--and wake not upon this Earth again. Il
is true that they are the exceptional cases, but
1t is in many instances certain that those who
survive the dosing necessary to the creation OF
a ruinous habit would have been more fortunate
had they gone into the dark in the arms OF
opium dreams while vet in the cradle. Whoever
has looked into the wavering eye, or has noted
the transparent skin upon the emaciated victim
of morphine, would, it would seem, hesitate to Sc
cure his childs quiet at the risk of such future
Yet strangely enough there are millions who
yet risk what practically every one has seen, wha
every one knows, in the case of their own off
! spring. In the face of such an inexplicable
practice, the action of the Philadelphia druggists
is one worthy of emulation by dealers in drug
J everywhere.
If war in Spain is indeed dependent upon
word from the Pope it may be confidently ex