26 



OPIUM : 



Spread of 



tobacco-smoking. 



Opium-smoking 

 in Formosa. 



ineffectual as those against tobacco-smoking ; and among the causes of their failure 

 must be included the love of Opium-smoking by many in high positions, favourites 

 and others, whom it would be very difficult to punish. 



In a work called Sfiun-hsiang-chui-pi (3 HP ^ 3j), written 10 or 20 years later 

 than this edict, tobacco-smoking is described as spreading to the city of Soochow 

 and as being quickly adopted by all classes of the people. The author states that 

 this circumstance was much to the detriment of morality ; it had previously been a 

 difficult thing to uphold moderation in living, but after this it was far more so. 

 Women as well as men, the inhabitants of villages as well as of large towns, fell into 

 the snare, till the habit became almost universal. This immense popularity of 

 tobacco-smoking was an indication of the readiness of the Chinese nation to adopt 

 the use of narcotics. The same thing which took place in the nineteenth century 

 with Opium-smoking occurred in the seventeenth century with tobacco-smoking. 

 The Confucian mind was shocked, the sense of propriety was wounded ; but this 

 did not prevent the rapid spread of both these modes of indulgence in all circles. 

 Prohibitory edicts were issued in vain by Emperors animated by paternal affection 

 for their people. Tobacco was a less evil than they supposed ; Opium-smoking was 

 a far greater evil than they feared. In both cases the Emperor was powerless. The 

 Emperor CH'ENG TSUNG, as we ought to call him, but who is better known as 

 TAG KUANG, is much to be respected for his strong moral convictions on the subject 

 of Opium. He made really great efforts to cope with this evil, but it was in vain. 

 The fondness of the people for inhaling a narcotic was too strong for him to over- 

 come. He failed utterly in the attempt to put down Opium-smoking even in the 

 city of Peking. It was as hard to persuade his own people to abandon a bad habit 

 as to conquer England in war. 



The habit of tobacco-smoking became national, and went on extending itself 

 for a century, till soon after the close of the long reign of KANG Hsi the attention 

 of the Government was drawn to Opium-smoking as a new vice in Formosa and at 

 Amoy. It grew up in the same part of the country where tobacco-smoking had 

 been introduced. 



