nos THE INTERNATIONAL OPIUM AsSw.
The agreement of the First Opium Conference consists of 15 Articles, and is introduced with language that seems to express a sense of ty and of grave deter-
"Great Britain (with India), China, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal and' Siam, being fully determined to bring about the gradual and effective suppression of the manufacture of internal trade in, and use of prepared opium, as provided for in Chapter I. of the International Opium Convention of Janvary 23, 1912, in their possessions and territories of the Far East, including the leased territories and protectorates, in which the use of Prepared opium is still permitted, and being desirous on the ground fof humanity, and with a view of assuring the social and moral wellbeing of the peoples concerned,' to take all useful measures to achieve this with the least possible delay."
This introduction is conceived in so laudable a spirit that we natural-expect to find their splendid task fas been carried through in a manner to commend itself to the best judgment of the nations.
But we are not merely disappoint companiment of a system which iso laws for the satisfaction of its "uplifte those who make the laws tond to obey them, These seemed to men Liberal ideals as well as common-sense ideals, For Liberalist, like Christianity, believes in "thow' shalt," Socialism in "thou halt not." "Yet one can detect a various doing feives, some barmies them new. laws violating these fundamental principle The Grestest Dificutty The greatest difficulty arises when the new laws proposed deal with the question of sex. For here the ordinary member "6f Parliament scarcely dare stand up against the wave of emotion which assumes that if he is against some special legislation he must be in, favour of the practice which the law is intonded to stamp out. I remember the House of Commons, goaded to statutory virtue upon what was called the "White Slave Trafle Bill," being confronted with clause that the ladies of the street, in addition to being hauled up by the police for "accosting" in playing their trade there (a claus which, if suddenly enforced, woul overcrowded every prison in Eng-and) and the police raiding of "dis orderly houses," should also be sub-Jected to sudden police attacks in their own single flats and room No one in the House had the courage to oppose it. Alfred Lyttelton feame to my room on the evening of the debate and asked my advice Jegined that you could encourage virtue or discourage vice by decanting the population, good and bad like, from one place to another place under the general police inunction, "Move on."
The Home Secretary is contriv~ Ing legislation against "Night Clubs" with strong moral indigtion behind him. Suggestions made that all clubs should be prohibited which do not open before five o'clock oF eight o'clock, of 11, Why should amusement and companionship be "banned "—made nto a erime—because it is taken in the night instead of in the day? Tt is also suggested that not only lyall heavy penalties be imposed on uch clubs, but that even heavier penalties shall be imposed for any fwornings or contrivances which Would inform the occupants of them that the "police are coming."
Night Clubs We are rapidly approaching the system of the Russian, "Cheka' "You uttered a shriek," "You blew a low whistle" is the charge to be brought against some unfortunate infant whom the company of police think to be engaged in cheating them of their prey. Isn't all this very silly? I have never been to night club, but they seem dull and dismal affairs for the moat part, and in any case institutions which the ordinary citizen does not find a If any there are discovered drinking out legitimate hours (although every cesupant would probably be drink. ing similar poison in his own house elsewhere, if not there) let them by all means he visited with such
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.