In most parts of the word man has found out some way of stimulating,
soothing, or deadening his animal system by means of plants or drugs.
Hundreds of these stimulating, intoxicating, soothing, and stupefying
substances have been discovered and used in various countries, chief
amongst which may be mentioned--
Opium, Tobacco, Indian Hemp, Betel Nut, and Alcohol; and others are
used in a less degree, such as Coca, Kola Nut, Thorn Apple, Cocculus
Indicus, Intoxicating Toadstool, Deadly Nightshade, Henbane,
Rhododendron, Azalea, Emetic Holly, Bearded Darnel, etc. The first
five among those human pleasers and human destroyers are--
1. Alcohol, now drank in the shape of spirits, wine, beer, or some
other form probably by 500,000,000 persons.
2. Opium, smoked, inhaled, drank or swallowed by probably
100,000,000.
3. Tobacco, now smoked, chewed, and snuffed by probably 300,000,000
4. Haschish, made from Indian Hemp, now smoked, chewed, or
swallowed by probably 150,000,000.
5. Betel Nut, chewed probably by 50,000,000.
These five narcotising and intoxicating poisons are used, more or
less, by half the people in the world, giving some considerable
pleasure at times, but destroying, more or less, the health of all
who use them, and gradually stunting the form and otherwise
undermining the well-being of the entire human race.
Chemistry also produces many things which are taken in the same way
and for the same purpose, such as Laudanum, Morphia, Cocaine,
Chloral, Chloroform, Ether, &c., and many so-called patent medicines.
These all tend to form habits which soothe and please for a time, but
they all damage or destroy in the end.
The great bulk of easy-going, unreflecting people have no idea what
an amount of mischief and misery the habit of using these things
inflict upon poor humanity.
_Books show narcotics, toxicants,_
_Of each and every kind;_
_Insidious destroyers all,_
_Of body and of mind._
These four pages show at a glance the effects of the three most
fascinating and seductive Drugs in the world--Tobacco, Opium, and
Alcohol, and which physically, mentally, and morally injure or ruin
the greatest number of mankind.
[Illustration: Virginian Tobacco.]
[Illustration: A young man gradually destroying himself with Tobacco.]
[Illustration: Chinese Smoking Opium.]
[Illustration: The Poppy Plant, from which Opium is made.]
[Illustration: Indian Hemp Plant, from which Hasheesh is made.]
[Illustration: Two Shoeblacks.]
First Shoeblack--What yer doin', Bill?
Second Shoeblack--Learnin' to Smoke.