OPORTO 



4392 



OPPER 



ten million dollars. The English tried to pun- 

 ish the Chinese for the loss, and for two > 

 (1840-1842) what is known as the Opium Wai- 

 raged. At the end of the struir.do China agreed 

 to allow opium to be brought into the country. 



So many people used it that it was grown 

 extensively instead of rice, and famines resulted 

 A great deal of money was also taken out of 

 the country to pay for what came from India, 

 so in 1906 it was again forbidden in the schools 

 and in the army; all those who used it were 

 ordered to break off the habit, and the people 

 were forbidden to prow it. In 1916 the Chi- 

 nese nation, as a result of its awakening politi- 

 cally, morally and socially, took steps to end 

 the opium traffic throughout the country for 

 all time, permitting a period of ten years (un- 

 til 1926) for adjustment of affairs to the new 

 condition. 



OPORTO, opohr'toh, the seaport and chief 

 industrial city of Portugal, next in size to Lis- 

 bon. Port wine, its principal article of export, 

 takes its name from this town. Oporto is situ- 

 ated on the steep, rocky right bank of the 

 Douro River, three miles from its mouth and 

 about 175 miles northeast of Lisbon. It is en- 

 circled by pine-covered mountains; and the 

 houses, brightly painted and surrounded by 

 wonderful gardens, rise irregularly from the 

 river's edge. Of two recently-constructed bridges 

 which span the Douro one is counted among 

 the largest and most beautiful of its kind in 

 Europe. Crystal Palace, embowered by gar- 

 dens and erected on one of the crags overlook- 

 ing the river, and the "Tower of the Clergy," 

 a granite structure 246 feet high, are two of 

 the city's finest buildings. 



Many of the monasteries are still standing, 

 although now put to other uses; one is a cita- 

 del ; another, the exchange ; a third, barracks, 

 etc. There are also museums, libraries and 

 many institutions devoted to education and 

 the fine arts. The city contains one of three 

 universities of Portugal. Important manufac- 

 tures are hats, silks, cotton, woolen and linen 

 stuffs and soap. Oporto was an important town 

 during the Middle Ages. In 1808, during the 

 wars with Napoleon, it was captured by the 

 French, but in the following year they were 

 driven out by the English under the Duke of 

 Wellington. Population in 1912, estimated at 

 180,000. 



OPOSSUM, opos'um, the name of an ani- 

 mal belonging to the marsupial family, that is, 

 having an exterior pouch or bag in which the 

 young are carried after birth. It is native to 



America and includes a great number of species, 

 of which the best known is the common Vir- 

 ginia, opossum, famous in negro legends of the 

 South. This animal is remarkable for its cun- 

 ning and its skill in feigning death when threat- 

 ened with harm, and the expression "playing 

 "possum." to indicate deceit, has become pro- 

 verbial. 



It is the size of a mouse, when young, and 

 grows to be larger than a cat. The head is 

 long and muzzle-pointed, with large, naked ears 

 and many sharp teeth. The hair is soft and 

 wool-like, with stripes down the back, and it 



THE OPOSSUM 



has a long, flexible tail, by which it can hang 

 from tree branches. Fruits, vegetables and 

 small animals form its principal food. It lives 

 in trees, usually, and roams principally after 

 nightfall, consequently hunting the "possum" 

 with dogs at night is a favorite sport. The 

 flesh of the animal is white, and when baked 

 is considered a delicacy by the negroes of the 

 South, although the animal is not clean in its 

 habits. The young are numerous, and remain 

 with the mother until well grown. 



OPPER, op"r, FREDERICK BURR (1857- ), 

 an American cartoonist, creator of Happy Hoo- 

 ligan, Alphonsc and Gaston, Our Antediluvian 

 Ancestors and numerous other characters fa- 

 miliar to those who enjoy the Sunday news- 

 paper comic supplement. Opper not only has 

 the gift of making his illustrations humorous, 

 but he is equally successful in giving them 

 point, and his representations of unscrupulous 

 "bosses," the "trusts," stock gamblers and the 

 like rank with the best political cartoons of the 

 day. He was born at Madison, O., and began 

 his career in New York City in 1872. Besides 

 illustrating the works of Bill Nye and Mark 

 Twain, and Finley Peter Dunne's Mr. Dooley, 

 he has been associated with the Hearst news- 

 papers for many years. His own publications 

 include Folks in Funnyville, Puck's Opper 

 Book and Maud the Matchless. 



