China's Curse Of Opium

ven-tentha oí the people "f China are opium smokere, and two inillions of them tl i annuaüy irom its eflects," said a Chinese missionary recently who has spent twenty-two years of his life in the Fldwery Kingdom. "This habit is rapidly gvowiag," he went on. "It is confined to no class or sex, but men and women, ofBcials and Coolies, use it alike. As BOOD as opium smoking becomea a oonflrmed habit witli a Chinese coolie he Unows that he lias about ten years to live. That . to be the average. I consider it easier to reform a sot in the putter, one of vour lowest type of drunkards, than an opiuin smoker. Place thcm behind iron burs, if you like, and after beintr Imprisoned a short time they gin to Im-jí and plead for opium. They rave like maniaca and their sufferings are terrible to behold. Tliey act like wild men. "The opium vice is ruining China. The people know it and the government knowe it. but they take no action. In twenty-two years it has increased tifty per cent. Fertile flelds thai once used in the eultivation of rice are now prowing the opium weed The provinces in northern China, where the terrible famine occurred a few years ago and uhere thousands perished for want of food, had been for years given over to the production of opium instead of food grains. When food was short the people found they could not live on opium, so they starved to death. "A parallel to the sufferinfr durin? that famine is hardly equaled by any event in the history of the vvorld. Human beinga died in the streets of Tlüagea and on the roads. i'eopie turncd cannibals. Some duf,' up roots and otliers were found on the roadside where they had died biting-thebarlcolï the trees. The dead were not buried, for the living had all tb.ey could do to take care of themselves. "Now to-day rice is one-third hiher in pricc than it was a score of years ago, because the erop has fallen off. Opium shops are everywhere. You imiv be traveling along wit.h yourchair coolie whon tlie first you know he will put yon down and leave you sittinf,' in the streets while he goes in to take a smoke."