in
any way whatever, in the Chinese opium traffic.

The last item of expert evidence which I shall present from the countries
most deeply concerned in the opium question is from that British colony,
the Transvaal. Were the subject less grim, it would be difficult to
restrain a smile over this bit of evidence--it is so human, and so
humorous. For a century and more, Anglo-Indian officials have been kept
busy explaining that opium is a heaven-sent blessing to mankind. It is
quite possible that many of them have come to believe the words they have
repeated so often. Why not? China was a long way off--and India certainly
did need the money. The poor official had to please the sovereign people
back home, one way or another. If a choice between evils seemed
necessary, was he to blame? We must try not to be too hard on the
government official. Perhaps opium _was_ good for children. Keep your
blind eye to the telescope and you can imagine anything you like.

[Illustration: WHERE THE CHINAMAN TRAVELS, OPIUM TRAVELS TOO A Consignment
of Opium from China to the United States, Photographed in the Custom
House, San Francisco]

The situation was given its grimly humorous twist when the monster opium
began to invade regions nearer home. It came into the Transvaal after the
Boer War, along with those 70,000 Chinese labourers. The result can only
be described as an opium panic. I quote, regarding it, from that
"Memorandum Concerning Indo-Chinese Opium Trade," which was prepared for
the debate in Parliament during May, 1906:

"The Transvaal offers a striking illustration of the old proverb as to
chickens coming home to roost.

"On the 6th of September, 1905, Sir George Farrar moved the adjournment of
the Legislative Council at Pretoria, to call attention to 'the enormous
quantity of opium' finding its way into the Transvaal. He urged that
'measures should be taken for the immediate stopping of the traffic.' On
6th October, an ordinance was issued, restricting the importation of opium
to registered chemists, only, according to regulations to be prescribed
by permits by the lieutenant-governor--under a penalty not exceeding L500
($2,500), or imprisonment not exceeding six months.

"Any person in possession of such substance ... except for medicinal
purposes, unless under a permit, is liable to similar penalties. Stringent
rights of search are given to police, constables, under certain
circumstances, without even the necessity of