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OPIUM 8MOJÍEKS.
A DMcif^rfe warning peopUpgainsti^fte
pernieiout effects if Opium mohing, - by .tjobolaaticus Soliurma;f CancAoo
*ang).
The following rs an «TMinymous dis- course, deprecating tlie use of Opium,;
which is posted on almost every street <>f the town. A Itbongb the author gives Liinself out tO'beV aaeohided aoholar,''
' HÍl'k'-aopposedrbylíwSojxto^oiiHi--íroin;
tbe pen of i«>'e:-Viee'í^}ílíijn»e.lfi.«Jl. ia' beaui¡fully cornposed:and wotdd fee no
discredifctotuefi^
We bave taken a good-deal of pains toi '^lialiteíUí'tfut^
»ot done justice -lo the/jWiauty of tbe, .original, j;ior indee^d; ii; U ia
?': lodo^U justice.; |Nottng^eón*arlhV
íórpith, brevity, terseness, harmony of . alylè,' arid ipposilo enpreisionsi r«an be
?compared to the classic'.language df .Chinai We nJu's^-tlierefore^beg pur reidera not lo judge of li» trierita of the .original by the ,pbyerty;rbf - tire transla- tion.:^;ïndeedi.withT'ïhe .exoep'tíbn~. of admitting that it.ióptejs *o»irftó% of tlie îmariingof the original,-it riiay be aaid or it, what a fämout;tinologuo said .of. a lomewbjst "similar performance, ?'''fir^í^'^^ri^^*^^1^*6^ -«*»» allara ep^apiur(l^/»ermnej componi fotest, quant T/tersites tüín\ Achill!"
$f all rtbe'jjjiyi Is /:thàV;JB|Biet;^nk;n|i; ;klio ;greatósí iare ^pirt^^fríblí^líe. \:pej$
? versely bringa.Tipbn himself, in.bis ? ó^bW oWt'cal^
> duct thai leads .bim lb «vniisekáble'tleatb, . ' »but contentedly aihka dbvvn.to the lo weat.
of bis species^^ind'beWwéí'an bliJRct .-of hatred and «cprri to bis fellow-iueb: ': ".'Hauiig :peV*eTely';b^u'gtt
upon himself ; wliicb lead intóv tp,a -iniser'abledoalbV^bbn : be diés^ ."mab. piries iiiimï contentedly; aipkingdown Ho the lowest of bi'sapeciesi :'and ¡becom-' . >ing an object of hatred and contempt to
Airfeilowinionc, be;^ts fdea«cd~wUü"Thi« .,d*pw'vt3tf,i -which ii ;noi^tb^Aóríg4n'aÍ
«ature of man ;tb be'notbf the original nàturë^ôCir^
Ü» «bat belongstpTeptilea, wild beasts, dogs and swinejcefuinly not to the 4ioman:«pèciës'!! *'?' ' "'...f "{"'.''.''' .,; ''' '.''.,'','.
'l^hyjdbjl thus ^preaif toyself . rep. tiles"and wild "beasts "posteas to knowi. ¡ledger;-4hey- rare; npt^-awaro of ¡.the linîfelioity'o'f a miserable death, and they Hake no steps to guard «gaioai it ; dogs! -and.twine never beard of tb o «apres- uróos, right and tarong,^ glory and1 disgrace v. they .qiiietly *eceiv e tb e1 Moka ondoursesof tuen, audthej remember 4iot bit »suits with a blush of tharne.!; Therefore it i»; that men J who by their ?-©Wirbels bave reduéed th^mselvPs ,'tb à',
-tiniilar;fbbtingtarè^pbraided as beingi as reptiles, wild beast«, dogs and twine;' -and-though: they may be unwilling tb submit to such degrading epetheis, jei; *rttlipy unable^jto ilbate off iheee api-* ^elláiiuis which have been ..to bappHy. v applied to them 1 .... But there are, men
.¿till' more brutish ¿ban the brutee!.
Vcptilei, wild beasts, dog« and «wine',' -do nptcorrupt the, morals of 4he age to :as tbcauae one,anxious thought toapring' .up. io7-the breast of our gracious sp-i ^ve'reign." -.Now,' however, there are men' -what _do.- so,,l.who .consequently -are beneath leplil.e«, wild beast«, dogs and .wine, and thcto men are- the smokers 'ff Opium! V-\ V :;:'>y-:-y ' ?'' ?>"'?}
It is worthy of remark, that opium' .riiofcing commenced by one or two care I est worth leis fellows, who mutually .instigated each other to this vicious «indulgence, «imply by way rpf amnte lment.l ~ When people begin to «mokeyi they at firat observe no evil effect« pro-; ducetH>y it; when they bave~ snioked tor" some time, they then 're'quiro what
1« calledrenoufliK?«,; wheo the. tin:e for T«novating come«, ii they do aot-smoke,
iden tbe band«, and.: feet become weak
.-and palsied, the'mouth drop«,'' the -pyes ,'beoonie glazed, rheum flows from the; .one, «nd »laver ftom the other, tb'ey .«re .BJjeci to complaints- which- reaeniblc. .phlegm, asthma and. cpnvulii*e l8t«V when ibey arrive at thi« stage «if the . disease, ïsrery atom '' Of human .reason; appear« to leave ; left them??you ¡may*
beat tbem.^oold them, carie them «ntl insult them, yet they will not getJfp tb rgivo ,yota .»by rejoiuder 1 This ja 'ttUtv Ürst view, shewing,bow baneful opium
.is to Jiman life?! ;'?.-'?. .;? ;-'i -.¡u v.,,--.*;
And baring «nïoked itilill lbtoger, .the constitution begin« to igiyè'wèyi'.tha .interior gradually debayiV thousand« of .worms and maggot« gnaw the intestines, ¡their face «becomes discoloured, their ?teeth black, -their appearance like p'Uar y .coal, their shoulders rise to their, ears,
.tUeir.necktabribk in,'the thrapple pro- trude«^ and their whole figuiei* hateful; at that of a ghost ¡or di*il (w bibil'ia the reason why they are called a peen JCwei, or opium-smoking.' devils),' amiI -w fine they insensibly bug their bane till death overtakes tbem in the very act I Thi«; is the second view that I present of the horrors of .opium ! ?. r- ;'>
Further, people who are in the-habit of smoking opium require /the most costly viands io liounihflhem, and of t liefe cost ly viand« the .renovating it/tm, is the moa coatly of all ! ;t l>ay-tjy d«y; it goes on increasing from One arid two mace to five and six mace, there is- no certain, rule, ? but they reckon á'maceot opium «a among ..their ueceiaaries of life,. Av man's wealth as .well as his strength hat its.bonnda ;, b»cn a riob »ian may not always be able to fill or ropleniab: Ibis leTak in", the cup, how hmo'i less then a poor man Î 1 he bril habit thus leads to one cruelly neglecting-the comfort of ki* father and mother, and leads' to his unfeeliugly espoiing his wife and children to cold and want, he care« not for. bis moroing or evening meal, but todo without bia opium -were impossible! This then is the third view that 1 present of the evil« of Opium!
Moreover opium smoker«, by indulging chiefly in their baneful habit at night time, waste many: candles and' consume much oil. Till morning they do not sleep, . «ed while the sun sbinea^opon the «orld,
aiid other inen rise lo go to work, the opium smoker alone is «ill in hi« «lum- ber« I Tbu'« by not gettisg op till mid, d-y in eçaàtant èéecession, the employé . nrkleots his publi« duties, the scholar
flingi Mide -LU took, >tbe i^^H^jf!. opou pá i i i n jjbea^.i© " ruin »Jib«' merchant drains lui ?ub^Unce, "tbe >oltli¿r and officer becpin^^|í|^^aíid impotent, â'n4 tbe aerVínt Ía¿#liíoBpyÍDg bia mai tèi'a commands: tÜai-tlieo, by it, time is mwperit.^db/ly ( nagi ec ted, weil tit d ii-' «ipated,iifelost, and families overtaken, by "destructioni:this'iiithe fourth'viçw tb'at^preaen* ctf the pernicious effect ot »piúml... ;::.,.;^ ,,^;.'--, -.uTJi- :ni<-* ?j 'Npw.ítn, referen ce(lo.tUeae.foar points' bfyiewjn whichil.hs^ shown opium-to 'be a great calamity,.it M pot that, people, don't see it, ^^f»,TiJ,nt* pèppte.'aou'v
«MOW it, but still iucii is (bo fact Ulai with -all ibis »taring; thom in tbe face, ibeymdluBllyb'áslenítb'eymütoálly ur^e* each'other to^lhcir"^
,ly ?", yield ' «p', thçi r, Clivés !-. to i ta «osions, influence 1 Aa the water« of tbe great -river;tflo'w to lire ea'a't, arid dayby ¿lay; !flbiv 'jon Wilboiit ceaiiug; aö we pbdofj tbis cyiljiabit, when it first began, thal those wlio smoked avoided the gaae of other meit, thèy fcbpV their alíame 'secret! anti''feared ?' ib;^yow,',it"^.r'now'hp.wbVerïi; ia',laker, jo public, and even »erred up asa treat lo guests and strangers i
At first, none but slaves and the vilest of the vile smoked it ; MOW however; it bias infected -the--capped and gowned' ¿entryof the. Undi At firstOitVas merely used by 4be people pf Canton« and Fokien, and those parts wbicli bor- der on the «ea ;" now hbweverit has gone east and west, it haa<rrps»ed tbe frontiers' into.Tariary, ¿"oris títere«province of tne - empire 'whertf it has not found its way | At iinji none but a few depraved twretcbes of Ibe^màleisex" used iff 'aîîd5 nom we find li(at; «vén BoriBCf, Tàod pjnests, tnarried. w^
are addicted'to the life-d«stroying drug. In every itenTt in every respecH is the .ejvil becoming daily:moi« grave,;wore, deeply footed, than beförel ib mtijiob'so
that iVs baneful inâuoiice feems'to threa- ten Hule by little to degrade the whole
population of the Celestial Empire to a
lèvel-wilb Teptiles.^vild beasts, dogs and
sj^e I .W'h«n the people ¿of'ioàr Em-
pire shall baye, jfeeenráegraded'lo this brutish level, then: the ¡bree relations will ,be anqibilated,* tbe nine jaws or punishments. Vi 11 cease to act, the five businesses of lifewill be-utterlj neg- lected, man's reason al an end for ever, and unutimbered woes will arise I From the time that there ever was, people an til now, never, was there a calamity, which, in its first beginnings to bland, so be mtelitog, threatens to consume ill ihings with, its blacé-likeaa Ihisfearfáídrug!
Above, oar sovereign,-and bia virtuous ministers, brood over tbis national .mis- fortune, and lament the havoc -it has: made.: below, all-good men, and all disinterested empjoyes exert themselves to ! counteract ill "effects,' yet are they unable to arrest its progress t When one reflect« on all these things, even granting rthat. the ¿final sentence: of the law should be awarded to4bose men who have caused such disasters, who is there
ihat may left up bia voice ana «ay;*' it would not be -right so lo do Î" Nor does; tile evil stop here. Those foreigners, by means . of their poison', dupe "arid he-: fool tbe natives of China'! It is not only -that year by year they abstract thereby .many millions of our money.' but tbe direful appearances ,.«'e'¿m to indicate. a wish on. their part, utterly te root out and extinguish na as a.people Î+ [ repeat. that from «the time of our be- coming .a nation until now, never did any evil, at first to bland, so enticing, blaze so fearfully as does this dreàdful poison ii ..'. .-< _ ?_ _
; My , countrymen of China well 1cnow tbe dangerous position they stand in, yet ^tbey contentedly hog 'their.bane whiob,brings on them rain and death!! I'bus it is by land and by water, in tbe publio market and in the moñtain,passes, those who sell opium, are'to be met with by hundreds and by thousands at*tihie'j These ure all so many cat throat ruffians as-careless of their own Ikes as of those of -others; they go about with their' sword« and spoarcallprepared, in order to prosecute with violence their illegal calling: equally depraved are tbepo* lice -and *ôldièry,;iprí.tbey, in order lo turn their employment lo good_aocoifot, pretend tbaV Ihey jire «earobing for tbe prohibited .drag, and «ndrr, this exeaao turn* the baggage of the lawful traveller upside dow ny and subject good béoplói to every "species of annbya'iioe. These ovil« end' abase« day by day become mere nriile «preadiiig,???. more deeply rooted, and they are ^entirely brought dn by'the smokers itf ^piumi. .> When I reflect upon ihis, it seHrdS to met, that though every one bf these, said opium smokers should be,'esterminatedi yet
woaid not their; death be, sufficient to alone for tbe crimes they have com daitted-for tbb evils tbr^buve brought abOUtJ ;.;.-? ?; ..;.>;,?. ,'.''..'.-.-'?-.. I j
; Now 1 have heard that our gracions Emperor, after mature consultation, is about.to take this abandoned class of hi«
subjects and utterly cut theni off! Tbe liecessity 'of the case 'imperiously'«alls for it, and reason strongly justifies the o^asurel, j.Whyis it;4bátlttt<ts express niy»elf?:na^yvfccaiise a Crime commit ted against an individual, against his property, or -against a fraction of the community; is a small matter compared with one. which threatens to pat the whole: Empire ina blacé !, and amidst a calamity which UiosaflTects the coun- try from one' end to another, is our sovereign lord to sit quietly looking on and seo it raging without putting forth tbe rod of bis power,to punish and.re- press ! Moreover, such are the dictates of reason that guide mankiud r where títere aré those who degrade themselves to a level with reputes! wild beasts^ dogs, and «wine, their fellow men des- pise them : where tlieir fellow men des pise them, they also reject and caat tbem off: thus misery is superadded to misery, and looking upon them like bird« of prey, we may blunt them down; or as herbs, we rniay root them up, without the leaat feeling of pity or compunction !
" TJaiaJMWS relations (sr bonita), vis,; priaceaad .***tt,father and sea husband awi wits
t- Many. Chiste» ara 'nadar1 aa iwpraisiea that it is our object te laka tbair ecualry by ataaos el
estuati .-i".- '..) .:.'.: :???. ?.?...?-! ,- ? ?
it is only,they who hare brought lids woe upon themselves 1
..Now, 'although happiness is built upon a foundation misery has also a source from which it springs, and ^amidst the discord,of those warring, principles, it belongs to.- those above to aeixe the op- portunity of bringing forth good out of evil Î '' In reference to this, Chin Tung foo has said, " When the bulk of tbe
" people arejoyfully, hastening to their -" ruin, and when it is not in tb« power " of gods or devils to change their «. course, man van do it .'and if it be " asked me', bow'can man change their ?*. course f ' 1 reply by killing-in order " rostay killing 1" (i. e., by putting a few lo death, as an example and warn ing to others ) Horn therefore'in refer- ence to tbe opium smokers, if we do not impose these laws upon them, then they will die under the bands of the exeru tioner ;-but it seems better that a few should perish under the hands of the e'xeoutiOn'er, with the prospect of being able to resist the evil, than that they should die from opium, and our race be-
come exterminated!
i Again, there are appearances in na- ture as if beaven} and earth at times repent of} unnecessary severity ; more- over the holiest of men trembles,while punishing wickedness, if be has not distinctly warned the parties before-
hand. Obscure-individual that I am, dot being in the situation of the high ¿officers of the governmental canü¡«t pre- sume to know >usV3reg{rtate> their1 plans, and for m%4hu« to obtrude my impertí
neat advice, mayjuttly be reckoned to me a« a crime t-^But', ,1 look upon ye all a« of the same species^ with myself, a« my brethren of the human race ; in the midst of my retirement I have thought of,youir situation with grief and nain : and I deeply pity you^ seeing the
terrors'of the law/about to take hold of
yJou. 1 have therefore composed a short discourse, which With tbe 'kindest bowels of compassion, I offer up for your perusal,^earnestly hopiog that~my brethren will "give good heed to the faithfulness of my intentions, and deeply ponder upon my words'. It M to the
following effect.
Eve i y man who w endowed with the gift of reason, koo»s to prize bia life abore-all 'things ; from tho time our feo ble body is scarce a cubit bigb, if it be wounded we mourn and weep. In child- hood when traversing a dangerous road at dead midnight, ne tremblo and mu- tually warn each other to beware ; what- ever 'enticement may be held out, we reject it with suspicion, and feel alarmed to proceed ; this is because we fear to die. And when grown to man's estate, whatever is noxious to our persons, we endeavour to avoid with the utmost anxiety ; if we cannot succeed iu avoid- ing it, we feel sorrowful and repair to a temple to implore divine aid. From childhood till old age, without distin- guishing between the virtuous and the depraved., the noble and the base, the object of all our active exertions by night and by dar, the object for which
we rack our minds with the most intense anxiety, is merely to obtain what will
benefit us, and avoid what will injure. ns4 to follow after happiness to «bun misery, and nothing more. If we are overcome by. dangers or sickness, we are sad ; if informed that we are about to die, we are sorrowful ; such is the nature of man, and opium smoker» offer tho'only exception. These run after their death 1 these «it contentedly on the brink of danger-even as the silly moth j which keeps fluttering round the candle which consumes him. Among men there is no one who doe« not like the idea of making his name famous or honorable ; if yon upbraid a man with being depraved be get« angry ; if you «till further insult bim, by telling him that hw heart iscruel as that of the wild beast or bird of prey, that <he>is defi- cient in -knowledge as the reptrfo that crawls upan the ground, and that he cannot be classed a« one of the human specie«*: methiuk« that at language of this .kind, hi« eyes muit -" like atara «. etfcrt from their «pheres; and «ach "particular hair .must stand on «nd ." like quill« ,«pon the frotful norcu ?** pine IA He must put himself in a posture of defence, and -hurl -back the reproach with a curse, tint opium smokersjire «lone different in this re-' .peet. They, it is true, do not wish to reoeirO such insults, but not wishing to receive the name, and doing that which induces the appellation, is very much the «tune as sitting down content- edly under the reproach. Therefore it ia, that they who smoke opium and olearly know {hat it is destroying their, life are guilty of folly ; they » ho smoke opium, and know that while they do so, it ii sullying their fame and reputation, are lost to -every sense of shame; and those «ho associate with the lowest ot the low, the vilest of the vile, aud who in the company of auch, turn day io lo night, have forgotten every rule of de- cency and propriety« To smoke opium, and not to look after the comfort of your parent«, is to play the part of an undu tiful child {-t#«moxo opium and to'give no heed to the inatruoiion of your'son, is not fulfilling your duty as a father; to smoko opium and care not though your wife sutler cold and want, is what no kind husband would dot to corrupt the manners and customs of the age, and entail calamities upon posterity, is lo be a robber, of the world ; to violate the laws, to break through the regulations and not to repent of your crime is the conduct of » (ebel ; to Uko the intelli- gent and educated mind of a chinese, and'prostitute it so as to be dapedby distant foreigner«, with their corroding poison,'to heap up unnumbered crimes, to refuse to awake from your delusion, and to die with it in your, embrace, .hows that ye know not reason, and that your hearts are like those of the brutes !
t Heaven ii said to, repent of severity, by the China e, e. g supposing beaven le have «mied the land with long drought, when iba lefrethiog tain falls, Ibis is ia saul to be a proof of beaven repent- ing,«*! vic« veisa Tb« mts Ding of the author ia, ulai aa haavrb baa bs«o erusl ia permuting tbe opioospoi on te rag« «ver ib« lead, perhaps b« will raleal sad Maa* tb« vigorous BHSS«/M W« an BOW taking lo ps* a stop IS h,
Now, tien, ye who smoke opium; look atibe nine foregoing crime« you commit ! and when ye, tale np the opium pipe to smoke, do one and all of put Hie hand upon the heart '-and ask yonrselyei : Di»¡I desire death, or not ? ought I to leaVfjeff thi« hateful vice, or
ot!
People who liar« rebelled against high-heaven^ who have injured their fellow men, M bo have opposed reason, wira have trampled on the five relations of mankind, who hare -«el at defiance oveiy rni* of decency and ^propriety ;
moth inks that'' though our sovereign's j laws may not «lay them, yet that heaven
and earth, God« and spirits, mnstexter-,] ruinate them wHtf their avenging light- j
ellinga. And though yon may escape ' bur human punishments, think you that' you can escape 'the punishment of heaven! al though you have human faces and dress like men, though your houses may overflow, willi wealth, and
you may fare on dainties every day, yet I loaded as you are with every species of j
guilt, 1 can find no difference between you and reptiles, wild beasts, dogs and
swine ! can ye hear a reproach of this j
kind without «tarling with horror- ! without th'e ¿old sweat trickling down your foreheads J
Before I finish, a word to yon who «re mandarins; and employes in go- vernment offioes. It belongs to you to rule the people. .«' You* try their crimes, and you award tbèir[ punishments. ' Let me ask OfNyou, supposing t you were Called upon to judge your own crimes in'this respeof, pray/by what lawlor statnte would-y ou'juUge them 2 And ye who are scholars, aud-dearned men.; ye
have already «tudied a great many |
work« ; yo know what propriety i*. Let me then ask of you, supposing you
wero called upon to give an opinion of j your own conduct in ibis respect, pray under what standard of propriety would 3 on class it 3 For the operative, for the merchant, and for every class and de- scription of people, are there laws
made and ounishmeuts annexed,-but'j for you 1 L ;