548 mescal: a new artificial paradise. 



casts around the simplest atul commonest things. It is the most demo- 

 cratic of the j)iants which lead men to an artificial jiaiadise. If it 

 should ever chance that the consumption of mescal becomes a habit, 

 the favorite x)oet of the mescal drinker will certainly be Wordsworth. 

 Not only the general attitude of Wordsworth, but many of his most 

 memorable poems and phrases can not — one is almost tempted to say — 

 be appreciated in their full significance by one who has never been 

 under the influence of mescal. On all these grounds it may be claimed 

 that the artificial paradise of mescal, though less seductive, is safe and 

 dignified beyond its peers. 



At the same time it must be remembered that at present we are able 

 to speak on a basis of but very small experience, so far as civilized 

 men are concerned. The few observations recorded in America and 

 my own experiments in England do not enable us to say. anything 

 regarding the habitual consumption of mescal in large amounts. That 

 such consumption would be gravelj^ injurious I can not doubt. Its 

 safeguard seems to lie in the fact that a certain degree of robust health 

 is required to obtain any real enjoyment from its visionary gifts. It 

 may at least be claimed that for a healthy person to be once or twice 

 admitted to the rites of mescal is not only an unforgettable delight, but 

 an educational influence of no mean value. 



