70 7 he Truth about Opium.

China to the importation into that country of Indianopium.

The missionaries, or at all events the greater num-ber of them, have adopted the view, that if they couldonly put a stop to the importation of Indian opiuminto China the evangelization of the country wouldbe a question only of time; and in one sense, indeed,this would he true; but the time would not be short,but very long. The Chinese have a keen sense ofhumour, and if the British would allow themselvesto be deluded by the specious arguments with whichthe religious world is constantly regaled about theopium question, so far as to put a stop to the traffic,such a feeling of contempt for English common sense,and in consequence for the religion of Englishmen,would ensue, that the spread of the Gospel in China would be further retarded. The truth about opiumis so clear to those who trust to the evidence of theirsenses, and who look at it from a plain common sensepoint of view, that they cannot for a moment seethat there is any connection whatever between opiumand Christianity . It seems to me that those gentle-men who adopt the anti-opium doctrine, and scatterit abroad, are only comparable to the monomaniac,who, sane upon every subject but one, is thoroughlydaft upon that. No better example of this can I giveyou than by referring to a speech made by a gentlemanmuch respected by the community, whom I havealways considered as one of the hardest-headed mensitting in the House of Commons , possessing soundcommon sense on all subjects save that of opium.