THE BEE: OMAHA, TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1916.
Health Hints -:- Fashions -.-- Woman's Work -:- Household Topics
The Truth
About Opium
Habit
By WOODS HUTCHINSON, M D.
The opium habit hai always been
one of the fascinating horrora of med
icine. The deadly charm which it
holds for its victims, the dreamy and
delirious joys which it is supposed to
afford them, the fearful penalties
which it exacts and the depths of deg
radation to which it plunges them,
give it tremendous appeal to popu
lar imagination and curiosity.
And although our imagination is a
divine gift, one of the highest powers
which we posses, when powerfully ex
cited and appealed to, it can play us
some curious tricks. Seldom has it
taken greater liberties with the ac
tual facts than in the romantic and al
most preposterous conceptions which
we have of the so-called opium habit
In the first place it is, strictly
speaking, no habit at all in the sense
'of something that we do more and
more easily by dint of practice and
repetition, but a diseased craving for
relief from acute discomfort, due to
a poisoned or toxic condition of the
cells of the body. In the second place
there is little or nothing of positive
pleasure of even delirious delight
about the opium habit in nine cases
out of ten.
All that the vast majority of opium
or morphine habitues obtain from
even the hugest doses of their dar
ling drug is a mild and muddle-headed
sense of drowsy comfort and peace f
mind, such as the average citizen gets
every day after a good dinner. What
drives them to the hypodermic, or the
vial, is not any longings for illicit de
lights and rosy dreams ot paradise,
but simply a craving for relief from
' intolerable discomfort and pain. The
opium addict has all the pains and
penalties of dissipation, but none of
its supposed pleasures. The utmost
that he succeeds in doing is to "break
even" and at what a fearful price I
Incredible as it may seem, the so
called fascination of the drug for him
is almost purely negative, as a means
of relief from intolerable discomfort
and distress, which discomfort and
distress are due to the poisonous after-effects
of the doses he has already
taken. This is what i; grimly and
graphically, termed, in medical par
lance, the "vicious circle" of the
opium habit. .' v
Thirdly, so far from opium being a
key which unlocks the gate of a short
lived seventh heaven, opium or mor-
Shine in ninety-five persons out of a
undred produces no dreams, or
visions, or positively pleasurable sen
sations at all I Simply a feeling of
drowsiness, at first rather pleasing
than otherwise, but quickly beco'ming
distressing, like that which accompa
nies excessive fatigue when the eye
lids can hardly be held open, deep
ening to unconsciousness, and if the
dose has been large enough death.
Ii the dose has been small, when
the taker awakens it will usually be
with a dry, sticky mouth, furred
tongue, an aching head and a nau
seated stomach. All the familiar do
mestic symptoms, in fact, of "the
morning after" magnified three or
tour-fold, without even the memory
of a period of exhilaration and ef
fortless triumph to console him. In a
word, a healthy and normal man or
woman gets astonishingly little pleas
ure out of opium its only charm be
ing its power to release from pain.
Last, but not least, instead of the
devotees of opium, slaves of the pipe
or of the needle, being hopelessly
bound in an eternal slavery, whose
fetters nothing but death will atrike
off, it is the opinion of broad-minded
and intelligent physicians who have
had wide experience with these un
fortunates that at least halt and prob
ably nearer two-thirds of them can
be cured, and will remain free from
the craving afterward as long as they
can be kept in a reasonable condition
of health.
"W hats in a Name!" -o-
Copyrlfht, 1U, Intonation.! News Sendee,
-0- By Nell Brinkley
Household Suggestion
Vinegar added to black lead gives
a more lasting polish to the grate.
Before cleaning knives on a knife
board, dsmoen them sliahtv.- Thev
clean more quickly and gain a better
: polish.
NAMES mean much, and they carry their picture '
with them. Smiling, have you wondered why
- little mothers and fathers didn't wait to have
just a ghost of an idea what their little Eve the
' name we all own was going to SEEM like before
they gave her her name? They might call her .
"Baby," or little "Oh My" until then, don't you
think) Sometimes you frown when you remember
that you took Minerva with your wise owl face and . .
your clever eyes and your dignified shoulders, and
are called DOT I I will own that there is something
weird about the way in which some of us can grow
into our names 1 Dot goes dotting around until it
seems to her good friends that all Dots should look
like her. Her name cuddles her up somehow and
trims her down, and. she fills the tiny name and
stretches it and gives it more wisdom than went
with it ever before.
But sometimes. Most times! The slow-eyed,
soft, 'dark girl with the siren mouth and the gar
denia skin, graceful and dreamy, like a half-tamed
lioness, not small or quick or childish in anything
out) of the book of names her folk chose for her
PATSY I And beside her, a sunbeam of a girl, never
woman, always child, with a dimpling, merry little
1 face and glinting blue eyes, unsettled as a little hum
ming bird and as sober, kind and jolly and fluffy, the
"bows-and-curls" girl, will be dubbed THAIS I Well.
NELL BRINKLEY.
Is Husband Who "Potters", an Asset?
. The young husband who most fre
quently comes to grief in married life
is he who becomes merely an orna
ment in the house. He is of the kind
who thinks that, having done the
breadwinning, hia duty is over. Most
wives will agree that it is, but the
husband's duty is one thing and mak
ing marriage a success is another.
A woman likes her husband to be
clever, but she prefers cleverness that
he can demonstrate at home. She
thinks more of the toy castle for lit
tle Willie than a business deal involv
ing much solid cash. It is woman's
way, perhaps, but it is necessary for
a man, if he wishes to be happy, to
take note of it.
Home should be made by two peo
plethe husband and the wife. Neith
er one should be just an ornament to
grace the handiwork of the other. It
is the combination of the individuality
of the man and the woman that gives
to a dwelling the home touch, which
sets it apart from other places.
You have seen, I dare say, homes
where the hand of the husband is
seen all around. Shelves here and
there, brackets with amateur carving,
a home-made clock, perhaps, or
rude china closet. To all of these the
wives point with pride, for nobody is
so ready as a wife to appreciate
man's industry in the house, and no
one else's praise is worth one-tenth
as much. . ,
It is just possible that you have
turned up your nose at the man who
"potters about" at home and if it be
comes a question of success in the
world, you may not be altogether
wrong. Talking of success in marriage
this "pottering about" habit is a grand
asset.
But even among the world's most
successful men we find ' this home
habit, and there are millionaires who
take a greater pride in showing their
own handiwork in a home than in the
big businesses they have built. One
man grows flowers, another collects
china, another carves wood and an
other distributes his energy through
out the house.
stops ltd
aiid:jbuii.
Then Is immediate relief for skins '
itching, burning and disfigured by ec-.
sema, ringworm, oratmilartormenting '
skin-trouble, In a warm bath with Res
inol Soap and a simple application of
Kesinol ointment. The soothing,
healing Resinol medication usually -
stops Itching instantly, and unless the
trouble is due to some serious internal
: disorder, soon clears away all trace
of eruption, even in severe and stub
born cases where other trestments
hive had little or no effect
You need never hesitate to use the
Resinol treatment It it a doctor's
prescription thtt has been used by
, other physicians for over twenty years
in the care of skin affections. It con
tains absolutely nothing that could
Injure the tenderest skin.
Prove it it our expense'
Resinol Otitmtt uid ResuMl Soap are told b
II anwntu, bat for samplse Iron, write to Dept.
Il l, Reawol. Baldawa, MS. ,
Efficient Vision
Among the manv circumstances in
modern civilization tending to impair
human vision is improper illumina
tion, either natural or artificial. Too
intense light is as bad, perhaps worse,
than poor lighting.
Eyes are not merely optical ad
juncts; they are integral parts of the
body, really expanded portions of the
brain. They mutually affect the func
tioning of most other organs; ineffi
cient eyes cause many chronic head
aches, much depression and bodily fa
tigue, most indigestions, many (some
believe, practically all) of the aberra
tions of genius and of the alleged
demi-fous, the half-witted.
Any organ exercised well within its
limits tends to increase in power and
facility;, if persistently overworked it
becomes progressively unable for any
work at all.
One habitually using his eves in
strong light decomposes his "visual
purple" faster than it can be regener
ated. Even normal eyes are ruined
by over-use, especially in lowered gen
eral health, and as most eyes are ab
normal, or at least not perfect as
visual machinery, many people have
to cope not only witn bad environ
ment and lowered health, but also
with inherent optical defects.
Dr. Etlice M. Alger, whose knowl
edge of the eye is peculiarly full and
exact, considers that because of the
many newly-invented methods of
commercial lighting, by gas and by
electricity, the composition of light
as well as its intensity have come to
require serious consideration.
In the days, and nights, of oil and
candle light the question was simply
one of quantity, the quality being gen
erally soft and benignant, but modern
lighting, whether gas. or electric, is
often so intense as to be injurious;
these latter means of illumination con
tain many more of the violet and ultra-violet
rays of the spectrum than
our fathers were accustomed to.
Such rays are useful in the treat
ment of disease by light and in radi
ography, bui they are certainly amiss
for illuminating the printed page or
the object on which the artisan must
work. ' 1
Lights that can tan and sunburn
the skin and perhaps induqg baldness
are no doubt responsible for much of
the present-day visual weakness. The
effect of such illumination on . the
deeper optical structures is certainly
pernicious.
It is very likely much cataract
comes from this cause; certain it is
that stokers, glass blowers and other
workers in intense light and heat are
very prone to this grievous eye dis
ease. Illumination is the best for visual
purposes. The problem of. securing
a light which srfall allow a maximum
of efficiency, comfort and convenience
is one more within the province of the
illuminating engineer than of the
physician to solve. The solution is
not only a humane procedure, but one
& 9
I
it
Precedence
Paattljecrowd inthelobby straigbt
to the man they're waiting to see, go
v
WESTERN UNION'
Telegrams.
Day Letters and Night Letters
The yellow enrelope gets the prece
dence everywhere. It delivers your
message before the other fellow has
the chance to shake hands.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH CO.
Advice to Lovelorn
By Beatrice Fairfax
Return It Promptly.
Dear Miss Fairfax: Have been coins
about with a young; men for three yearn. A
year ago Christmas he presented me with
a diamond rlnr. with the strict understand
ing that It was only a friendship rlnr. We
had a few worda between us, and I offered
to return his present, but he said what he
Save rae was mine. Since then he has
broken off and is enraged to another younr
lady and he wrltea and demands the rlnr.
Kindly rive me your opinion whether I
should return the rlnr or not A. 8. R.
By all means return the ring. Un
der the circumstances it is decidedly
beneath your dignity to keep it. Of
course he has no right to it, but even
so your own self-respect demands
that you return it at once. Don't fail
to do this.
Tou Would Win Hit Contempt.
Dear Mlae Fairfax: My aister Is angered to
a younr man whom I secretly love. I know
I oould win hla affectiona from her, but 1
do not want to ruin her happiness.
RUTH B.
How can you for one second con
template anything so contemptible as
attempting to win your sister s lover?
If you were to try you would win
nothing but his contempt unless he is
the sort of weakling and cad who de
lights in feminine conquest. Put all
thought of him out of your mind, for
what you feet is fascination of a sort
that is bound to bring unhappiness in
its wake unless you conquer it.
which should be also very profitable
to inventor, to employer, to employe
and to all who read that is, to everybody.
T)n Vnii TCnnm that.
X y S J. J w sv ak i vvw vi iwv
There Are Fiftu
Kinds of Kisses?
.
The more usual a thing is the mort
inclined we are to accept it without
wondering at all about its previoul
history or its meaning. One hopes
there are very few people in the con
dition of New York's little East Side
girl of S years old who was taken
to the hospital very ill, and, when in
great pain, was asked by the hospital
nurse: "Shall I kiss the place to
make it well?" The small patient
said: "What's a kiss?" It is dread
ful to think that there should be chil
dren in' America who do not know
what kissing is; the great majority of
the civilized world are better in
formed, but few people exchanging
this affectionate salutation know what
an important place it has held in his
tory. In the middle ages the monks took
the matter in hand, and must have
studied it with great attention, for
they divide the kiss into fifteen kinds.
These were the decorous kiss, the
diplomatic, the spying to ascertain it
a woman had drunk wine the slave
kiss, the kiss infamous (a church
penance), the slipper kiss practiced
towards tyrants the judicial kiss, the
feudal -kiss, the religious kiss, the
academic kiss on joining a brother
hood the hand kiss, the Judas kissy
the medical kiss for the purpose of
healing some sickness the kiss of
etiquet, and the only true kiss the
kiss of love. This noes not include
the kiss of peace, which was a greet
ing exchanged between members of
the early church, a symbol of which
is still extant in the kissing of the
pax at high mass.
Before this period the kiss had
been considered of virtue in various
circumstances. The ancients believed
that kissing a dying person might
delay the moment of dissolution.
Then there is a charming legend of
St. Monica, telling that when she was
dying, a little, unknown child came
and kissed her, whereupon her soul
was released from the body. This
gave rise to the Italian phrase: "Fall
ing asleep in the Lord's kiss."
There is an epigram on kissing,
rather on the plan of Borrow's fa
mous conversation between Jasper
and his brother. It runs: "What is
sweeter than mead? The dew of
heaven. And what is sweet than
dew? Honey from Hybia. What is
sweeter than honey? Nectar. What
is sweeter than nectar? A kiss." In
passing, one may mention another
epigram constructed on this plan,
taking the form of a Latin inscription
on the outside of a beautiful old
house in Norfolk, England. As the
visitor waits for the mediaeval door
to be opened his eye inevitably rests
on the tablet which proclaims: "What
is worse than a tiger? A demon.
What is -worse than a demon ? A
woman. What is worse than a wo
man? Nothing."
In old ballads kissing is repre
sented as a potent antidote to en
chantments; and the legends of th
saints are full of instances of miracu
lous cures effected Dy a kiss.
A different form of kissing, not so
pleasant as most others, is repre
sented in the sayings: "To kiss the
rod," "To kiss the dust," and, in old
England, "To kiss the gunner's
daughter." The last mentioned, taken
literally, does not suggest a punish
ment; its exact meaning, however, is
to be tied to the breech of a cannon
to receive a flogging.
It seems so natural a form of greet
ing to us that it is strange to think
there are many countries where it is
absolutely unknown, in Japan it is
notoriously not practiced. At the re
cent Earl's Court exhibition, in Lon
don, in the Old Japan section, there
was a most delightful brown baby
in a blue kimono and a purple obi.
It played with its little toys and with
those of the English children who
were among the spectators all day
long, and its demeanor was one of
kindly dignity throughout, recalling
Kipling's remark that in Japan the
only serious things are the babies,
whose duty it is to look after the
grown-ups. However, there was one
thing that upset this very petted in
fant, and that was when any demon
strative spectator tried to kiss it, a
proceeding which struck terror to its
soul and caused it to rend the air with
most heartrending shrieks of panic.
In the South Sea Islands the place
of the kiss is taken by the sign of af
fection prevalent among calves and
ponies that is, by rubbing noses a
practice which must be difficult to
those in whom this feature is, as Ten
nyson" delicately put it, "tip-tilted like
the petal of a rose.'"
It is possible that at some period in
England, even in Prance, kissing had
the strangeness of novelty, but this
must have been before the earliest,
glimmering of history.
JcCaWi; nccai kwiu sma'
that are heavy-and full of motion,
which is an indication of their fresh
ness, wnen tne shell is encrusted, it
in p. aiirn thpv ar alrl' -n.inm..i..J
lobsters are the best. Have ready a
stewpan of boiling water, salted in
proportion half a cup of salt to one
a-allrtn nf ratr nitt In tk. 1s.k-.k. - I
keep it boiling quickly from fifteen to
tinny minutes, accoraing to its size,
and do not forget to skim well If it
uuus too long .. tne meat becomes
Boiled Lobster
8xCONSTANCE'ClARKg,:.
thready, and if not done enough, the
spawn is not red; this must be obvi
ated by attention. When the lobster
s boiled rub it over with a little olive
oil, which wipe off again; separate "
the body from the tail, break off the
great claws and crack them at the
joints without injuring the meat; split
the tail in halves and arrange all neat
ly in a dish, with the body upright in
the middle, and garnish with parsley
and lemon quarters.
. (Tomorrow Peach cl rt Vtfjj '
