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130 pages

English

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Based on a series of talks on the controversial subject of opium use and trafficking, The Truth About Opium asserts that much of the propaganda disseminated in the West about the drug has been exaggerated, and in some instances, entirely false. Brereton draws on his own experiences and observations in China to weave a compelling counterargument.

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 juin 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776537075
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT OPIUM
BEING A REFUTATION OF THE FALLACIES OF THE ANTI-OPIUM SOCIETY AND A DEFENCE OF THE INDO-CHINA OPIUM TRADE
* * *
WILLIAM H. BRERETON

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The Truth About Opium Being a Refutation of the Fallacies of the Anti-Opium Society and a Defence of the Indo-China Opium Trade From an 1883 edition Epub ISBN 978-1-77653-707-5 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77653-708-2 © 2014 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Lecture I Lecture II Lecture III Appendix Endnotes
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" Let truth and falsehood grapple; who ever knew truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter? "—JOHN MILTON.
Preface to the Second Edition
*
In the preface to my first edition I expressed a hope that these lectures,however imperfect, would prove in some degree instrumental towardsbreaking up the Anti-Opium confederacy, and I have the satisfaction ofknowing that my anticipations have not been altogether disappointed. Thelectures were well received by the public and the press, and struck theAnti-Opium Society and its versatile Secretary, the Rev. Mr. StorrsTurner, with such consternation that, in the language of people indifficulties, "business was discontinued until further notice." Mr. StorrsTurner,—the motive power which kept the Anti-Opium machine working,—whohad hitherto been so active, aggressive, and demonstrative—a veryMercutio in volubility and fertility of resource,—became suddenly silent,mute as the harp on Tara's walls. He who once was resonant as the lion,like Bottom the Weaver, moderated his tone, and roared from thenceforth"gently as any sucking dove." Until the delivery of my lectures, no larkat early morn was half so lively or jubilant. Letters to the newspapers,articles in magazines, improvised lectures and speeches, flew from himlike chaff from the winnowing-machine. Heaven help the unlucky individualwho had the temerity to differ from him on the opium question, for Mr.Storrs Turner would, as the phrase goes, "come down upon him sharp."
This kind of light skirmishing suited him exactly; it kept alive publicinterest in the Anti-Opium delusion, and no doubt brought grist to themill, without committing him to anything in particular, or calling for anyextraordinary draft upon his imagination or resources. He had only toreiterate loud enough the cuckoo cry that his deluded followers had solong recognised as the pæan of victory. But when my lectures weredelivered, and it was announced that they would be published, "a changecame o'er the spirit of his dream." Having for so many years hadpractically all the field to himself, it had never occurred to him thatanother and more competent witness from China, where all these imaginaryevils from opium smoking were alleged to be taking place,—who had hadbetter opportunities of learning the truth about opium than he couldpossibly have had, and who had turned those opportunities to goodaccount,—should appear and refute his fallacies. This was a dénouement that neither he nor his Society was prepared for, and dismay and silenceprevailed in consequence in the enemy's camp.
And the tents were all silent,—the banners unflown,— The lances unlifted,—the trumpet unblown.
My lectures were delivered in February, 1882. The Rev. Mr. Storrs Turnerattended them and corresponded with me upon the subject. In those lecturesI criticized his book and pointed out its misleading features andinaccuracies; but, recognizing the force of Sir John Falstaff's maxim,that "the better part of valour is discretion," he never attempted tocontrovert my case, nor justify himself or the Anti-Opium Society, who forso many years had made such noise in the world. It was only in October,1882,—eight months after my lectures had been delivered,—after anarticle appeared in the London and China Telegraph , commenting on thecollapse of the Anti-Opium Society,—that Mr. Storrs Turner, likeMunchausen's remarkable hunting-horn, gave utterance to a few feeblenotes, to the effect that his Society was still alive; for he well knewthat all that I had stated in those lectures I could prove to thehilt,—aye, ten times over.
But if Mr. Storrs Turner has declined the contest, an acolyte of his, Mr.B. Broomhall,—who appears to be the Secretary of the Inland ChinaMission, and one of the "Executive Committee" of the Anti-OpiumSociety,—comes upon the scene like King Hamlet's ghost, declaring that he"could a tale unfold, whose lightest breath would harrow up your souls,freeze the hot blood, and make each particular hair to stand on end."Plagiarising, if not pirating, my title, with a colourable addition of theword "Smoking," he produces, in November 1882, a compilation entitled "TheTruth about Opium- Smoking ," rather a thick pamphlet, made up of excerptsfrom all the writings and speeches, good, bad, and indifferent, that havebeen published and delivered within the last thirty years on theAnti-Opium side of the question, with some critical matter of his own,from all of which it appears most conclusively that he, Mr. B. Broomhall,is perfectly innocent of the subject he undertakes to enlighten the worldupon. I think I see through this gentleman and his objects pretty well.With respect to the authors of these writings and speeches, I may say atonce that I hold them in as much respect as Mr. B. Broomhall does himself.Some of them are very eminent men, who, apart from this opium delusion,are ornaments to their country, and all, I have no doubt, are men ofspotless honour and integrity; but what, after all, does that prove? Why,simply the bona fides of these gentlemen, which no one ever questioned,and nothing more;—that in writing those pamphlets and articles theyhonestly believed they were giving utterance to facts and recordingcircumstances which were true, and which it was for the good of societyshould be widely known. The good and just man is as liable to be deceivedas he who is less perfect,—indeed, more so, for his very amiability andguilelessness of heart allay suspicion and make him an easier prey to thedesigning and unscrupulous. Not one of those gentlemen, save SirRutherford Alcock, and one or two others, whose opinions are coincident,in fact, with my own, have had any actual personal knowledge of the factsthey write about, and such a statement as the following might well beprinted in the front of each of their books or writings, viz.: "I haveread certain books and articles in newspapers, and heard speeches upon theopium question, which I believe to be true, and on such assumption thefollowing pages are my views upon the subject." To prove to my readers theutterly unreliable and deceptive character of Mr. Broomhall's compilation,it is only necessary to refer to one passage, which will be found at page122, where it is gravely put forward THAT THE INDIAN MUTINY WAS BROUGHTABOUT BY THE INDO-CHINA OPIUM TRADE! After that, Tenterden Steeple and theGoodwin Sands will hardly seem so disconnected as has been hithertocommonly supposed. But then the book is illustrated; there are thepictures copied from the Graphic . There is the poppy, and there is theopium pipe. Of course Mr. B. Broomhall knows all about opium smoking,—orthe illustrations would not be there. Mr. Crummles, with his "splendid tuband real pump," could not have done better.
As to Mr. B. Broomhall's remarks respecting my book I have very little tosay; there is nothing in them. Like Mr. Storrs Turner, he has found it aposer, and has said very little respecting it. When your opponent gets theworst of an argument, if he does not honestly acknowledge hisdiscomfiture, he generally follows one of two courses—either he loses histemper and takes to scolding, or he suddenly discovers somethingwonderfully funny in your arguments which no one else was able to detect.Mr. B. Broomhall eschews the former, but adopts the latter course. Heselects a paragraph or two, and says, "That is ludicrous," but he nevercondescends to enlighten his readers as to where the fun lies, or in whatthe drollery consists.
But, although Mr. B. Broomhall makes light of my book, he has thoughtproper to imitate its title. He evidently thought there was nothingludicrous in that . This was very "smart," but smartness is a quality notmuch appreciated on this side of the Atlantic. As my book had dealt aheavy blow to the Anti-Opium Society, and a cheap edition might provestill more damaging, an opposition book, with a similar title, might soconfuse the public as to be mistaken for mine. Imitation has been said tobe the sincerest flattery, but I dislike adulation even when administeredby the Anti-Opium Society. This gentleman and his compilation bring veryforcibly to my mind the profound Mr. Pott, of the Eatanswill Gazette ,who, having written a series of recondite articles on ChineseMetaphysics , brought his lucubrations to the notice of his friend, Mr.Pickwick. That gentleman ventured to remark that the subject seemed anabstruse one. "Very true," returned Mr. Pott, with a smile of intellectualsuperiority, "but I crammed for it—I read up the subject in the Encyclopædia Britannica . I looked for metaphysics under the letter M,and for China under the letter C, and combined the information." Thisseems to be the sort of process by which Mr. B. Broomhall has arrived athis knowledge on the opium question, and with similar results. I do notwish to be too hard upon this gentleman, who, after all, may have been