'UriTl X T Trnrim mn-.
.Tiuniiiry HI, 11)01. j
Big Opium Farm--
China's Great Curse
LP
(Copyrighted, 1000. by Frank O. Cnrpontcr.)
MACAO, Dec. 3, 1900. (Special Corre
spondence of Tho I)co.) Thcro Is n groat
opium farm nt Mncao, where about $10,000,
000 worth of opium 1b mndo every year.
Thoro 1b a Blmllnr farm at Hons Kong, and
there aro others scattered over China. Tho
Chinese consumption of opium la steadily
growing. Two hundred years ago It was
practically nothing. Today It costs more
than tho liquor bill of tho United States. It
probably unounts to more than 1100,000,000
annually, for tho foreign doctors In some
of tho districts estimate that 70 per cent of
tho pooplo ore addicted to Its use In other
places tho pciccntugo Is less, fulling among
Homo classes as low as 20 and 30 pur cent.
Say, for Instance that on an avcrngo It
amounts to only CO per cent and you havo
200,000,000 people who aro opium eaters or
opium smokers. Somu of thesu annually
spend hundreds of dollars for tho drug,
others hundreds of cents, hut at tho low
nverago of $2 u year tho opium consumed
would cost $100,000,000.
I visited tho opium fnrm hero today. It Is
situated In tho heart of tho city. It Is Bur
rounded by great buildings, and nil told
It docs not cover an aero of Bpaco. Never
theless Its produco Is worth $200,000 a woolc,
or moro than $10,000,000 a year. Tho
Macao people call It u farm, but It Is not
that In our uenso of tho word. It Is an
opium fnetory, a monopoly farmed out by
tho government. Tho rent of tho farm Is
$130,000 n year, and tho farmer pays this
for tho prlvllcgo of turning tho crudo Juice
of tho poppy Into tho little tin boxes of
opium rendy for tho plpo of tho smokor
The most of the opium used comes from
India. It Is rnlscd on tho plains ot Hln
doostan under tho superintendence of the
English government, shipped by It to Hom
bay and Calcutta nnd from thcro sent to
Mncao. It comes In grent boxes and balls
of four pounds rnch. Thu tmlls nro of a
brown color. Thoy aro as rough as sand
stone and they look ns though thoy had
ETC r, . , i ' '.-V1 f- u. Kbi
THEATRICAL PEOPLE
been dusted with ontmcnl. Each ball la
about n b big as your head. It consists nt
tho Juice ot tho poppy ns it was gathered
from tho pods by tho Hindoos and mado
Into thcso balls under the English. I asked
tho head of tho factory to allow mo to
photograph ono of thcso balls, but ho re
fused to permit ttio camera to bo UBod in
tho works.
tow Oiiliiin ! lli'lluvil.
Ho permitted mo, however, to go through
tho establishment and 1 spent several
hours In tho different rooms mnklng notes.
It Is ono of tho busiest places I havo seen
In China. Tnko tho melting rooms, whoro
the opium Is boiled and rellnod. It Ib moro
like n foundry than anything else. It Is
COO foot long nnd not moro than twonty foot
wldo. It hns nn earthen lloor nnd along
each wall, running tho full length ot tho
room, nro scores of little ovens, In each of
which Is a great Hat brass basin, in which
tho opium Is cooking. Tho stuff looks Uko
n thick, black molassos. It Beethes nnd
holts ns tho half-naked Chlneso worker
stirs It to nnd fro with n great ladle.
Somo ot tho basins aro as big around as a
washtub and nil aro sending forth opium
fumes. Tho room Is filled with white vapor
from tho hundreds of boiling pans. Tho
fuiiios got into my nostrils, my head aches
and for tho tlmo I havo all tho sensations
of tho opium drunkard.
I sit and watch tho Chlneso devils at
tholr hellish work nnd as I do bo it Booms
to mo that I can soo tho plcturos ot tho
ruins which it Is to crcnto as it Is scattered
throughout tho Chlneso empire. I can boo
dons in which scores of haggard-oyed,
yollow-faced mortals nro lying and smoking
nway tho wages which should go to tho
support ot their families, There nro wonion
ns well as men, nnd children ns woll as
grown-ups. Hero Is a mother with hor
baby at her feet lying before tho opium
lamp. Tho plpo has fallen from hor mouth
and tho llttlo ono Is playing with It, suck
ing it. I can see tho opium parlors of tho
rich and tho hells of vlco which I hnvo scon
at Shanghai a scoro of pictures which
havo been registered on my brain slnco I
wont through China.
KiictiilliiK the Poppy Juice.
I leave this room to go Into another.
Hero tho opium, having bcon boiled to tho
consistency of taffy, Is being kneaded,
rubbed and stirred into a nasto-llko mass.
Tho men who do tho work nro coolies, barj
to tho wnlst. Thoy nro porsplrlng nnd the
whlto drops stand out upon their skin and
roll down Into tho innsa which they aro
kneading. Tho stuff Is boiled several times.
It Is mixed with water nnd strained. It Is
boiled again nnd strnlnod again, until
Anally It has bcon gotten down to tho right
consistency nnd condition for snlc. It Is now
put up in tin boxes nnd is ready for ship
ment to China, the United Stales nnd other
countries whoro uiilum is used.
Thu Increase In tho use of opium among
thu Chinese Is enormous. Last year letters
wcro sent out to 100 forolgn lo:tors station d
In different parts of tho empire. Thoy
wuro asked for statistics ns to opium nnd
its cfTects In their rctpcetlvo districts.
Thcso reports wcro gathered together by
Dr. l'ark, tho surgeon of tho linporlal
ninrltlino customs, who hnu clintgo of tin
big hospital at Soo Chow. I have the copy
before me, and from It (nku much of the
followlni; Information:
Mnny of the doctors ostlmnto that from avongo thorasolvcs upon an enemy. Thcro
30 to 80 per cent of tho Chinese nro opium Is no greater dlsgrnco lioro than to have n
smokers. They say that tho mandarins person kill himself on your nccount. You
smoke the most and that thousands ot aro then supposed to bo his murderer. The
wealthy peoplo aro Impoverishing them- peoplo say you must havo been n very bad
solves by tho uso of tho drug. They say man to hnvo brought him to such a stuto
that tho laboring men smoke less becauso of mind and aro hence disgraced. Wives
tho act of smoking takes a great deal ot often commit suicide to nvongu themselves
tlmo. It cannot bo dono while work Is go- on their husbands and I know of Instances
ing on, and tho smoker Is nlmost Hiiro to of fathers killing themselves to spite their
loso his Job. No ono will employ sin opium sons. This Is an awful calamity for tho
smoker if ho can help it. lie Is, ns a rule, son, for it menus his social ostracism. Y'e
unreliable, genorally weak nnd often a had a case of tills kind In connection with
thief. tho mission. Ono of our natlvo preachers,
Tho Chlneso themselves donounco tho a very good fellow, had an ill-tempered
habit. They class H nmong tho tbroo father, who becamo angry and killed hlm
creatcst of sins, nnd nttcmpt to rcgulnto It solf in his son's house. This caused such
Mj&d War-
ALL SMOKE OI'IUM.
by law. They llcouso tho opluui -soiling thcro aro wholo families who lako their
shops, collect taxes upon It nnd tront it dully smoke. "In ono rich family," says
much as wo do drink in tho United States. the report of Dr. Park, "ovory member
'I ho peoplo call opium smokers cplum devils, smokes, and a 12-year-old boy had an al
and although nearly nil use moro or less lownnco of $1 n day tor his opium. An
oplum, thoy despise tho opium drunkard as other doctor reported that he knew of n
much ns wo do tho alcoholic druuknrd. Somo 'atbor nnd six sons, nil of whom wcro
ot tho omclals nro attempting to put a stop P'un' smokers. Tho youngest son died at
to opium Bmoklng. Ono of thcso is Chang tho ago ot C' n mt,' withered old man.
Chi Tung, who has denounced Its uso nmong 0no of 1,10 sonB married a girl of 16. She
tho oniclnls. and who would Uko to sco a wf8 Prottv nnd healthy until married, when
stop put to opium rnlBlng In his province. 8,10 became an P'um ficnd-
Opium SiilelilcN.
Tho number of opium suicides In China Is
nlarmlng tho authorities. Soo Chow has not
to exceed COO.000 peoplo and Dr. Park states
umi uiuru ru u inous; nu uuempis ni
sulctdo on tho nverago there every year,
This is ono for every COO ot the population,
VC! !nr'!d' n,UV. 8!","0S,"K
there bo 400,000 000 Chlneso, If the same
average exists elsewhere. It means S00.O0O
attempted opium suicides nnnually. Tho
percentage of suicides Is said to have
doubled slnco opium wns Introduced. Tho
Chlneso nro an excltublo pooplo nnd tho
having of such n poisonous nrtlclo ns opium
on hand Is a tomptntlon. Thoy know that
an ovordoso will causo death and uso It for
this purposo both in tho raw and ninnu-
fnctured stnto and In opium ashes.
Indeed there nro chnrltnhlo Institutions
In dlfforcnt parts of China that offer doctors
at any tlmo, day or night, to treat opium
suicides froo of chnrgo. Ono such Instltu-
Hon at Soo Chow treated 111 enses of this
nnturo In six months.
I heard of many curious opium suicides
during a trip that I mado through tho
country n hundred miles or so back of
Shanghai. I stoppod ono night In tho city
of Kow Shlng nt tho hospltnl of tho Smith-
orn Prcshytorlan Modlcnl mission. Ono nf
tho doctors of this hospital Is Mr. Venable,
an American who has worked long In that
field. Ho told mo that ho had last year
treated something llko 0,000 pooplo and
that tho most of tho cases beforo tho
hospital resulted from ovordoscs of opium.
Said he:
"Tho CMncvo often commit suicide to
OI'IUM PARLOR OK A CHINESE
an outcry nmong tho man's congregation
that ho had to givo up tho ministry.
"Another caso of opium suicide wns that
cf a mother and daughter-in-law. Thoy
got into a qunrrcl over tho breaking of a
tea cup and each committed suicide to splto
tho other."
Men, AVonicii mill thllilrvu line It.
Dr. Vcnablo tells mo that thcro Is a vast
deal of opium used in tho Yangtso valloy.
Thcro aro moro opium dens than rlco shops
or tea shops, und men, women nnd children
aro to bo found in them. Tho theatrical
peoplo and singing girls nil uso opium. It
Is smoked by tho army nnd almost ovory
whero. Kow Shlng Is a walled town of 100,000
people, but it consumes opium to tho valuo
of a thousand dollars in gold every day.
This would bo an average ot a cent a day
per person, or $3.03 a yoar, for ovory mau,
woman and child In tho town. At five to
tho family it would be $18.28 annually for
every family in Kow Shlng. Considering
tho fact that tho poor mako on an average
from G to 10 cents a day this is enormous.
Supposo an American laborer getting $2 a
day should pay CO cents daily for drink or
opium, ho would not pay as great n pro
portion. From ono-fourth to one-half ot
each man's dally earnings goes (or opium.
Tho children ot opium smokers soon
learn to uso tho drug. In some districts
uiii.urvn aiiiu kit winiiiii.
The crazo'for tho drug Is beyond descrip
tion. I am told that Chinese mothers often
mil Jlmti llftln flr1a In lmv nnlltm. Tnflinrn
B(!), the,r -Qn3 nnd huabands lhoir wlve8.
Dri u,,ob0i w,,0 , ln chnrg0 of tho b,g
hospital at Nanking, said that ho had a
neighbor who was an opium smokor. Ho
6po.it nil of his money in gratifying tho
tnst0i nm, tlmt wna gono BolJ nls
thrco chlldrcni ono nItcr tho othor nnd
flnnlly hB wlfo t0 Batisfy his opium
hunger
Tho Chlneg0 looU upon tf1080 who nro tho
8lnve8 of tno Imbt much n8 wo ,ook upon
COnnrmed drunkards. A beggar of Soo
cboW( who sloeI)B ncxt door t0 nn oplura
tlon( wna (lHUed wuero ho llvedi no ropUcd:
Next door to hell."
Muny ot tho opUm Briers deslro to bo
curcdi nnd for thls purposo opium rofuges
bavo bcetl established. Thoy aro moro
common than tho Keeloy cures, or gold
cures, of the United Stntcs. Thoy aro well
patronized. An Institution of this kind
wn8 rcccntly opened In Foo Chow. It had
applications from COO opium smokcrB tho
nr8t yt.nr. Thcro aro quacks in tho dlffer-
Cnt cities who mako a specialty of treating
opium cases. Thcro aro also charltablo
families who keep omotlc powders on hand
to glvo to any ono who nsks for them,
These emetics nro for uso in cases of at-
tempted suicides.
Tho doctors say that few opium smokers
aro over cured. They usually Increase their
allowanco from year to year until death,
When thoy endeavor to break off tho habit
they suffer the agonies of tho damned, the
contrast of tholr condition whljo smoking
MILLIONAIRE KVKHY VISITOR IS INVITED TO HIT THE PII'E.
and stopping being well expressed In tho
following, which wns written on tho walls
of tho opium refugo at Soo Chow by ono ot
tho Inmates:
"While smoking opium we nro" trans
ported to Paradise; while breaking tho
habit wo aro tortured in hell."
Tho tortures nre usually too much for tho
patient. Some of them pretend to bo per
mnncntly cured, but upon investigation it
Is usually found that they havo changed
from opium to morphine. A vast amount
of mcrphlno pills nro consumed by tho
Chinese. They are for sale at all the drug
jj
AN OLD ALASKAN GRAVEYARD.
stores, and In somo places tho pill-takers for tho Shlmau's power of warding off
nro as many as tho opium smokers. dis'caso as his father had and tho pro-
In somo cltleB along tho Yangtso tho fosslon of medlclno man Is dying out.
hvnndnrmlc. method nf lnloctine morohlno
has become common. There are profeBslonal
with
hypodermic syringes up their sleovos und
given Injections at tho rato ot 1 cent nplcco.
Thoy visit tho tea houses nnd nro ready
to give you a Jab In tho arm upon asking.
In nnmn nlnrf)R thn piiRinmnrn fttnrifl nn In
a row and hold out their arms with tho b ' uuiu n mom,
sleeves rolled up to the shoulders. Tho J'ra l8a ulB fellow and ordinarily ho has
usual place for tho Injection Is tho biceps, Vlco, llko a, bul1' but whun 1,0 Kts ux"
but many arms nre tattooed from shoulder cUod t,mt volco J"Bt "arrows down and
to wrist with Injection scars, and some per- ru, "wny 'nto ft 8lckenln' squeak,
sons havo such marks extending ovor the tl "" Jim stopped ono night to nddress
groater part of their chests and shoulders. thc voter8 at Ogdenshurg, our biggest town,
Tho morphine Injectors mako their own about cIovon miles from Canton, tho county
solutions. Thoy carry tho stuff along with seat' nn' t0 ranko ft Bod showln' a lot of
them, nnd wbon the solution gives out they tho boys from Ca"ton enmo ovor with n
tako tho dirty water from tho shop and brass band- whon tuo ,ocal domocrats
mix morphine with It In a dirty cup for a hcard tllat wo would havo a bra8s band they
fresh supply. Thoy never cleanso their Bot llp ono' t00' bllt t,loy kont It bid in n
syringes, and the danger of dlsoaso com- bar" unUl Jlm sbould got well under wny,
munlcatlon must bo great. Such men nro whon thy Mended to bring it out nn' stop
to bo scon also in tho native city of our meotin'.
Shanghai. "Wo know soniothln' was in tho wind.
While nt Kow Shlng I took a look into but wo couldn,t ma out what It was until
Borne of the opium dens. They may be Jlnl bad BOt wel1 under way. Ho wns bol
found ln every block ln tho city nnd nt Ier1"' ut tho iniquities ot tho domocrnts.
overy few steps. The ones I saw wore full dwol'ln' particularly on tho mean things
and I nm told thoy are busy all day long. tnoy'd dono to him In tho pnst, when some
Some of tho dens were of the roughest de- th,D' happened in tho barn nn' Jim's speech
ocrlptlon, merely long low roofs with wldo was Punctuated by a big "booD boooo!" from
bods or benches extending out from tho ,bo( baBS born.
wall with a central aisle between them. "Well, sir, Jim ho went to plecos an'
On each bed lay two men facing an opium ust ln tho middle of a grand threat ho wns
lamp. From tlmo to tlmo one would tako solng to porpetrato on tho democrats on
a llttlo ball of brown opium, put It Into his e'octlon day his volco glv' clean out an' loft
pipe, and, leaning on his olbow, would suck hls aws a-fannln' tho air without glvln'
at it while ho held the bowl over tho llarao fortn a sound. To soo Jim workln' to resur-
of the lamp. Some of the men wero chat- rect tnat volce wou'd have meltod tho henrt
ting nnd somo sleeping. Some wore In a " stole, for it wns pathetic. Every
Btupor and others seemed exceptionally musclo in hlB fnco writhed till tho tenrj
blight. On tho outside of the city I saw ran down h,s ebeeks. An' ono old fellor In
beggars smoking opium in the open air th crrowd 8Ung out:
nnd everywhere tho horrid smell got Into " Wo know they did treat yo pow'ful bad,
my nostrils. Jlm, but I wouldn't cry nbout ill'
One of tho wickedest cities of China Is "That dono It. Jim never hold his head
up again that campaign. An ho cot oniv
(Continued on Eighth Pago.) ten votes In Ogdensburg." J
Old Alaskan Graveyard
Alaska hns some of tho weirdest and
most curious cemeteries In existence. The
columns shown In tho illustration are
monuments to dead Shlmnns, or medicine
men, of the Hulda Indians. Tho main
figure of tho column in tho foreground Is
an eagle, that bird having been tho token
of tho Head Shlmnn. Shlmnns nro always
burled in remote localities, usually on a
heavily wooded hillside. Many of their
monuments nre centuries old. Tho Alaskan
Indian of today hns not tho name respect
What HaDDCUCdtO i 111
"Just to show what n llttlo thing will turn
tho tide," said an up-tho-stato politician
to a Now York Sun mnn, "I'll toll you a llt
tlo yarn about a friend of mlno who ran for
shorlff of St. Lawrence county last year an'