Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, February 23, 1873, Page 6

THE CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, I873. e e e e e o 7 FACES. .. TERMS OF THE TRIBUNE. TERMS OF SUBECRIPTION (PAYABLE IN ADVANCE). Parts of a year at the same rate. B _ Te provent delay exd mistakes, be sare snd give Post Ofica sddress in full, inclnding State and Cousty. . Remittances may be made either by draft, express, Post Gfca order, or in registered lettors, at our risk. TEBNS To CIYY SUBSCRIDERS, 5 Dutly, delivered,. Sundas ezeepted. 25 Dably Gelvend, Bondey il B conts per Addren THE TRIBUNE COMPANY, Corner Madison and Deasbor Chicago, Hl. o BUSINESS NOTICES. T, RAEUM CURED BY USING JUNIPER TAR ’s{oanf‘ Manufactured by Caswell, Hazard & Ce., Fow or! FOR DYSI'EPSIA, INDIGESTION, DEPRESSION of s Phosphorated Spiciia and Gerersl' Dability. the, Farro Phosphorsiod 547" of Callsaya Dark (Caltinga Bak ad Iro Earnl O B O e 4G5, Now York, x2d 30l by Dragcists. Che Ghivags Tiibune, Sunday Morning, February 23, 1873. Philadelphia has set s good examplo in it trestment of gamblers. Not long since five men wers arrested as keepers of gambling-houses. They hod their triz) =nd were convicted. So imuch is done occasionally in Chicago; but from ¢his stago the Philadelphis treatment makes pew snd vigorous departure, The convicted gemblers were sentenced o a fino of $500 each, snd sn imprisonment * of two years and » Dalf in the Denitentiary. The most remarisable feature of the whole affair was that oms of he contvicted gamblers was an Alderman, Dt this cirenmstance did not serve to mitigate ibe judgment. If an epplicstion of justics could be applied to gamblers in Chicago after £ fashion, we are of opinion that it would not roquiremor than two or thros doscstoputs Stopto the mecessity for further raids upon ‘gambling-houses. Many of the prominent citizens of New York #ro uniting in 2 movement upon the Legislature to autkorize the city to build fast railways, own them, énjoy {he profits, and manage them in the interesis of the people. The plan is one to be regarded with suspicion, We have heard so much sbont the neceesity of rapid trausit in New York, thet we cannot but be- lieve that the New York people would patronizo liberally any adequate supply. If, then, thu charscter of this trsasit had boen de- termined, there would be no lack of ptivate en- terprise to supplytho demand. The presont movement, in this light, looks very much es thongh it was intended thatthe city should make a1l the costly experiments, and bear the expense of'gll the fzilures that could be put upon it. In other words, the project is to make those who do not negd quick transit help pay exorbitantly tosecure it for those who do. ' The- grest difficalty attending every effort to hang a man who has committed murder has in- duced the Legislature of New York to consider propositions for removing -the obstacles. Re- corder Hackett, smong others, bas drawn upa. vill, based upon the principlo that the delays are chiefly due to the number of causes which suthorize a stay of proceedings, and the cir- cuitous route of appeal from the Criminal Court, st to the General Term of the Supreme Court, and then to the Court of Appeals. The proposed Jaw forbids & motion for & ew frial in murder trials, except for the misconduct of a juror, which shall be proved in open court. In cases of appeal, the bill of exceptions must be submit- ted within ten days, and, if the decision is ad- verse to the prisoner, the lower Conrt is anthor- 1zed to resentence. Thersis certainly & general eentiment that the laws are too lenient toward “conricted murderers, but the changes shonld be suggasted by men of great experionce and unin- fluenced by any “temporary indignation on the pert of tho people. s There is » movement among the merchants of *Kew York and Brooklyn looking to the uniting of the two cities. Thero isa Brooklyn com- mittee of ten prominent gontlemen who have the matter in cherge, it having been decided that it would be better to insugurate the mat- ter a8 & Brooklyn movement. Itissaid that the project roceives a-favorable consideration from business ‘men in both cities, and that the oppo- sition comes principally from the smsll politi- cians of Brooklyn who fear the lossof their present influence. The movement has gone 8o far ithat the New York Legislature will bo petitioned to appoint a commission, consisting of citizens from Brooklyn and New York City, to report a bill for aanesation on conditions just to both cities. The "advantages, both commercial and political, are of an obvious character, and the two cities will be one, more than ever, after the completion of the bridge across the East River. It is intimated, indeed, that this work esn never be fipished until annexation sball give an equal intorest in the enterprise for both cities. It is entirely probablo that the time'is not far distant wher Brooklyn 2nd New York will be one city in government as they are slready in fact. Thers are few men possessed of sufiicient fudgment and moral conrage to resist the temp- tation of a crown. Amadeus, of Spain, pre- sented u notable exception to the rule. At the very same time he was running away from a royal place to which he was fully entitled, an obscure Frenchman was besieging the Thiers Government to recognize his claims as the mon- arch of La Nouvelle, France. AL de Tounens was his name in his former estate of Bourgeoisie. Ho was a lawyer, and lived in the south of _ Trance. As the south of France is where most . invalids seek health, M. Tounens naturally left it'when he became an invalid. He went south of South America, and found a couple of savage lands, known as Araucania and Patagonia, where not even the Spanish priests nor the Spanish gold-hunters had pepetrated. * Here he dis- covered tribes of hostile savages, whoss amusements and business Were combined in mutual efforts o extermimate each other. LI Tounens was not content to permit thiem to carry ont this worthy purpose, but con- etituded himself 8 pesce-maker, and talked to them of milder pursnits. As s punishment for his interferance, they elected him King; he as- sumed the title of Orelie-Antoine L., and declar- ed himself monarch of all the Araucsnians and Pstagonians. It seema that Chili had some cleims on bis dominidn, seized the citizen King, aod pul him in jail, whers they kept him for a year or two. After this experiencs, M. Tounens thought ho would like tohavea brief respite from royalcy, and went back to France. He arrived just at the outbrealk of the Franco-Prussian war, go thet Kepoleon had no time to devote to his brother jo’ sdventurous royalty. Now, His Majesiy, Orelie-Antoine I, wents the Thicrs' Govern- ‘ment to recognize his dominion. But as Franco is now making an effort to estsblich a republic, the propriety of encouraging s monarchy under one of its own citizens is regarded as doubtful. King Orelie-Antoine I will do well to follow the example of Amadeus, and aliow the Araucanisng znd Patagoniansto work out their own destinies. PRI GIFT-TAKING AS A FIRE ART. “If wo accept the relations of Messrs. Nesbity and Colfax, as they aro defined by the latter, and in the correspondence which passed between the two gentlemen, we have a new and hitherto unrecognized class of people among us,~that of professional gift-takers. Bothlaw and soci- ety have heretofore taught us to regard the bog. ging-letter-writer, the professional alme-seeker, the Dblackmailer, and all persons who are in the habit of demanding or receiving money without valusble con- sideration, rsmore despicable thanthe man who ‘puts horse-pistols into his saddle-bags, and goes out upon the high rosd to demand money or life. The latter class have been deemed more dangerous to society; the former have been deemed on the wholo more despicable. The theory which the late Mr, Nesbitt laid down in his letters, and which Mr. Colfax evidently ap- proved when he sccopted the several $1,000 checks which these [otters contained, is entirely opposed to correct principles. It teaches that the pursuit of statesmanship i8 of moro important to this world than - eamning one's living, and it assumes thst it is the daty of those who do earn their own living, by government contracts or otherwise, to divido their bread and butter with impecunious states- men. Ar. Nesbitt and Mr. Colfax had both etarted out in life as poor young men. Ar. Nesbitt went into speculations or what not, and made money ; he found his way into government contracts and got rich. Mr. Colfax went into the printinig business, and found an obscure pewapaper in Indizna, feebly conducted, tobe a meagre source of income. He - drifted thence into politics. Now Mr. Nesbitt holds, and Mr. Colfax sgrees, that it is entirely proper for Nesbitt to give, and for Colfax to re- ceive, precents of §1,000 each. It is a now ap- plication of the sgrarian principle. It can bo extended, with equal propriety, toall other pur- suits which are popularly believed to be unprofit- 2ble. The impecunions poet, the succesefal General, famishing on $12,000 per year, the un- recognized composer, tho philosopher in a tub, s well a3 the self-sacrificiig statcsman, may claim it &s their right to be supported by sub- sidies from gentlemen who have chosen other and more lucrative pursuitsin life. Thus tho business of gift-taking might generally be fol- Ifowed by all who are not gifted with notions of personal independence, and the profession of begging would eventually be as well filled and as respectable in this country as in Italy. Such are the natural conclusions from an ad- mission of the disinterested motives claimed for Alr. Nesbiit’s gifts to AMr. Colfax, for Dr. Du- rant's checks to Mr. Harlan, and for the mani- fold contributions which have poured in upon Gen. Grant before and since his election as President. But gift-taking as 8 fine art, an ac- complishment, and a virtue, 8 of re- cent growth. We do mnot recollect that it has ever been openly justified and respected in this country before Gen. Grant gave it dignity through his high position. Sinco then the infection seems to kave spread. DBut we are not yet propared to admit the claims that are made for it in these high places. e do not believe that Mr. Nesbitt, & government contractor, Dr. Darant, the General Manager of the Union Pacific, Oakes Ames, the projector of Credit Mobilier, and men of their class, make presents from the pure and disinterested mo- tives which are got forth in the Nesbitt letters. Wa hear of no strictly private gentlemen,—men who are not government contractors, nor man- 2gera of Pacific railrosds, nor projectors of Credit Mobiliers,—makiog gifts of $1,000 drafts and $5,000 checks to Secretaries of the Interior, Vice Presidents, and other statesmen, who have no opportunities for méney-making. We look in vain among the eolicitors of the varions fands raised for Gen. Grant’s benefit fornames that do not represent some special interest or have not received some special favor, although some of the contributors may have been of that class. ‘We cast about ‘among the men of wealth and ac~ knowledged liberality in this country for in- stances in which they hove divided the profits of their business with statesmen whom they ad- ‘mired, and for that reason only. When we come to the public gift-takers, thero is & still greater Iack of evidence that their mo- tives in the transaction are purc. We do not believe that auy right-minded man will thus compromise bis independence; still less do wo believo that any public man can accept money as a gratuity without forfeiting that independence. Every man must feel a sense of obligation znd bumiliation in accepting valuable gifts from ‘persons out of his own family, unless they come in the form of bequests from deceased friends. The task of earning one's bread is the first daty imposed by the Creator. The duty of being a statesman, or a poet, or awarrior, or a philoso- pher, or sn artist, or an ornament to so- ciety, is secondary to it, Mr. Colfax may declare, in sccepting s gift of £4,000, thst he will do nothing in return for it, but we should havo » poorer opinion of him than we holdnow if we believed this was true. The trath is, that no public man has the right to ac- cept gifts, eave those in the character of & souseniror of a purely testimonial character,— like s medsl, & gold-headed cane, or something valuable only from its esociations. If states- munship is uoprofitable, nobody.is obliged to follow it or persevers init. Dollars and cents arenot the chief compensation in life. Wo doubt whether the man who has sttained the dignity of Vice President of the TUnited BStates, and st the same tims has preserved the respect of his countrymen, would willingly change places with an obscare business man who Las saved a million which he does not enjoy. Furthermore, the salaries at- tached fo public places dre known be- fore the places aro saccepted, and the history of those who have been muccezsful in public life, aud retired from it, showsit to be the rule that they fared beiter at -the hands of the public than they would have fared in private businesa. On the whole, therefore, we cannot recognize the new echool of public gift-takers as a class of people entitled to the respect and confidence of the community. e must continue to suspect their motives and the motives of those wko mske the gifts, The force of example in Ligh places has already caused thé crime of bribery to be condoned too freely. It was time that the Credit Mobilier exposares, aud those of Harlan, Colfax, Caldwell. Pomeroy, and the rest. ware ~only be sought, in sorrow and not in anger, and ‘only 23 2 means of escaping en intolerable evil, : made. The labozeria worthy of his kire, but not of gratuities. g DIVORCES IN ILLINOIS. Wo believe it is the d:sire of every respecta- Vle citizen of this Stato that the Legielaturo should amend the Divorce laws 8o 23 to restore to eome extent the stability of the once hon- ored institution of marriage, and free this Stato from the reproach of being an asylum of men and women who take superficial views of tho obligations of matrimony. A carefal examina- tion of the statutes of the various States of the Union discloges astonishing progress already madoe in the way of bresking down the eanctity of the merriage obligations, and in reducing the most szcred of human relations even below the grade of an ordinary contract for merchandiso. The family relation is the bond which holds society together. The faith of husband end wife, and the relative obligations of pa- rent and child, constitute the best part of the hzppinces of mankind. Without these relations, sanctified, prosccted, ard enforced by the statnte aswell 2s the moral law, the condi- tion of man would soon ssimilsta to that of the lower animals, As the preservation of society | deponds on the maintenance of the family, so any law which provides for or pormite any breaking up of that relation, or the dissolution of its bonds, for light and trausient causes, is & law to overturn snd destroy the very founda-' tions of social order. Wo do not propose to discnas the question of the religious obligations of marrisge. There are large religious bodies who do not admit that a Iawful marriage, contracted between competent persons, can ever be dissolved, except by the death of one of the parties. Others allow divorce only on the ground of adultery. But the law of the country does not respect the doctrines of any Church. It allows any two persons, and frequently any one person, no matter what may lave been the terms of the original contract, to Dave the bond dissolved, and the parties em- powered to contract other marriages, and to re- peat the operation indefinitely, Tho lawa of the States bave brought this matter of divorce to such s fres 3ad exsy condition, that substan- tially all that is needed is the desire on the part of either husbaud or wife to get rid of the con- jugal partzer, and tha divorce can be obtained, if mot from the Courts of one State, then from those of enother. Amid the maltiplicity of specifio causes prescribed by statate for divorces, many of the States have added a genoral clauso. Thus in Connecticut, “any such conduct of the other party as permanently destroys the happi- noss of the petitioner;” Indiana, “any other cause for which the Court shall deem it proper that & divoree be granted ;" North Carolina, © or when any other justcause exists;” Rhode Tsl- and, “and for auy other gross misbehavior and’ wickedness, repugnant to, and in violation of, the marrisge contract.” A Divorces are of two kinds. Those which die- s0lvé the bonds of ‘matrimony absolutely, and divorces from bed and board, where the par- ties are legally scparated, but sre not at liberty to marry again. In some of the States this distinction is not recognized, all divorces being absolute. In other States, Massachusotts for instance, the distinction is maintained. Has not this freedom in the way of getting divorces weskened the bonds of society enough “already, and do not prudence, and proper regard for sxfoty and decercy, demand that the abuses of this eystem should be arrested? Isitnot time to return to the long-established doctrine, that marriage ia & contract for life, and that those engaging in that contract mustbe pre~ pared to sccept e}l its consequences, aad abide with its results for “better or for worse?” The law in every age recognizes cortain well-defined causes for which the formalities of the marriage msy be eet asido. hus, marriages between relatives within the prohibited dogrees, are ¥oid: contracts between persons mentally and physically incapsble of contracting, may be set aside, and, when adultery is established, the marrisge bond msy rightfally be de- clared at an end. Ought the marriage bond be dissolved for any other causo? Take up the long list of canses for divorce contained in the statutes of tho various Stetes, and do they furnish any justifiable resson for any other pro- ceeding than ajudicial zeparation? The man or wife who seels & divorce for the purposo of marrying again, by that act shows that in making the first contract for life there was no intention. tomaintein it. If adivorce is sought, as it should the person seeking it will find all-sufficient legal protection and eecurity in = divorce from bed and board. The very freedom which the law allowa in matters of divorce furnishes tho cause and incentive for such divorces, and, were this frecdom mot allowed, aad men =nd women compelled fo besr their own infirmities, and to maintain, as well as they may,ftho contract which they have assumed, there would be much less “ cause for divorco™ then is now furnished. Armed with an appeal to the Courty for soparation and maintensnca, the wife and mother, who does not want to bo something else, has all that any decent or con- sistont regard for the marriage obligation will demand. The Legislature, thereforo, would greatly promoto public order 2nd decemcy by amending the Iaw 50 a3 to confiae divorces from the bonds of matrimony to natural canses, and to such canses a3 render the marriage void ab inilio, and to adultery ; and let all married peo- | ple who have minor grievances, and who cannot live together, find in decrees of separation that relief and security which they may need. At all cvents, let those who take a differcnt view of ] marriage go to some other State to find ita rea- lization. Illinois has been long enough tho Botany Bay of unsatisfied husbands and wives, ] and the ordinary conrse of justice has been tco long impeded by the crowding of our court dock- ets with their vrangles. DIVORCES IN ENGLAND. The class in modern history in the English echools is tanght that one of the leading charac- teristics of America1s the facility with which divorces are obtained ; the class in geography is informed that it may recollect tho State of In- diana and tho City of Chicago by associating them with the divorce businces as one of their favorite and lucrative industries. Cheap wits Lave been accustomed to tell how the rail- road conductors anmounce ** Half ag hour for divorce” when they come to Indiangpolis, just as they cry out *‘Fifteen minutes f¢r refresh- ments” at dining-stations. Nonovql has been written in England or France, and fio play has been produced in eitker country for [years, hav- ing any reference to America, which Has not con- tained 3 fling at American divorcd practices. According to late accounts from Enjgisnd, how- ever, the divorce business ha$ assumed formidable provortions there. Soma tima 2go, » specizl court was provided for the convenieace of those who could not afford the luxury of going into the Houso of Lords. That Court has already worn out the life of one Judge. Lord Penzance was a man who had withstood successfully the vexations of ordinary litigation for many years, but he epeedi- 1y succumbed to the pressure and complications of divorce trials. And now lis succeesor, Sir James Hannen, pleads for help. He says that he does not know howhe will cope with tho business of Lis Divorce Court. There is =& list of 243 divorco causes withous jury before him; and, besides these, there aro twonty-soven specisl jury and forty-four common jury cases awaiting trial. He has beon bolding court from 1034 o'clock in the morning till 53¢ o'clock in the afternoon, giving hia undi- vided attention to ladies and gentlemen who seek new connections through the dissolation of tho old, and yet the divorce cases accumnlate 50 much faster than he cen dispose of them that ho is in despair. He saya that his is 2 caso of ons Judge doing the work of four; which, if true, shows that London slone now requiras four courts that shall be devoted exclusively Lo divorce trials. When the Divorcs Court was started in Lon- don, it was belioved that there might be 23 many as eightoen or twentycasess year. That was not verymany yesrs ago. Yetthe number of applications was largely in excess of the esti- mate the very first yoar. Then the theory was started that the rush wassimply the accumulation of former years, when the facilities of tho Di- vorce Court were not be had, and it was held that, when the first rush- could be disposed of, the Court would be zble to settle down to & quiet, comfortable business. Instexd of this, the num- berof applications has incressed with every year, until the Divorco Court finds itselfata dead lock, and cries out for sssistance. The late Judge of this Court declared that the possi- bility of freedom begets the desire to be free, and the greatest ovil of dissolving one marriage is, that it Joosens the bonds of 0 many other marriages. Tho bistory of the London Divorce Court certrinly indicates that the number of divorce cases increases indefinitely with the facilities for mecuring legal soparstion. The tendency thus established is cortainly not in favor of Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton's notion of a National Divorce law in this country, affording broad and equal facilities | tlroughout tho continent. The plainest doduc- tion is, that affection, honor, children, and the other tios which should cement the union of maniage, aro not enough toassure the constaney which is demanded by the interests of society. The same couple that might be contented and happy under legal restrictions sgainst {heir scparation, could easily grow restless and adventurous with easy facilities be- fore thom for trying mew associations. The probability that this is true is farther confirmed by tho fact, moticed in the London Divorce Court es well in American experience, that appli- cations of divoree are not 8o frequently made for tho purpose of breaking existing ties as for that of making new ones. The prospect of re- loase once presented, there seems to be a temp- tation to make it availsble for the purpose of forming new partnerships that may possibly suit better. The cases befora the London Court, in which parties eppear for the sccond divoree, illustrate this tendency, and the frequency and Daste of remarriage has induced, the belief that netrly every applicant for divorce haa & new alliznce in view. The Divorco Court of London kas been ased principally by the middle clasaes. The grent scandel that follows divorce in lugh life, out of which the English newspapers make greator sen- eations than the American press, has the effect of checking the tendency for seeking legal divorces among the aristocratio classes. They usually come to some private agreement to disagree, and make alliances of & quasi-mor- genatic nature which spits their purposes equally well. The fower and working classes do not seek the Divorce Court for the reason that their marriage relations—so an English journal explains it—are of 80 Jooso a character that they do not require ceremonies either to unite or to dissolve. It is the respectable middle class, therefore, that has found the Divorce Court g0 great a boon, and’Las made such liberal use of its facilitios, It is very evident, from the increase of tho business, that the London Divorce-Court will have to be enlarged or the Divorce laws materially changed. - At all events, with this exhibit before me, the smeer at tko divorce mapia cannot honceforth bo directed exclusively at America. THE LESSONS 0F BAILROAD DISASTERS. The annual report of the Massachusetts Board of Reilroad Commissioners contains some inter- esting and important facts concerning the rail- road disasters which occurred in that State dur- ing the past year. The Commissioners first made the chapter of accidents & conspicuous feature of their report after the Revere disaster of {1871, They now propose to continue this feature, and it promises to become one cf the most useful portions of their labors. They en- counter serious obstacles, however, in the cir- camstance that, while the law provides that the roilroads shall report their accidents to the Comsmissioners, it fails to provide a penslty for any neglect todo so. The factis, that many of fhe reilroads neglect to report the accideats but the Commissionera endeavor to makeup the Ceficiency by iuvestigations of their own upon common rumor. Their collection of facts may bo regarded, therefore, 28 trustworthy and tolerably complete. The first notsble deduction from the stats, ment made is that the loss of . life'by railroad travel is much less than is commonly supposed. Thera were sixteen train zccidents in Massachu- setts during the year, resulting in the death or injury of forty persons ; but, s regards pas- sengers, though twenty-nino were more or less injured, not ons was killed by. 21 accident beyond his control. Yet 85- 000,000 peoplo were carried by rail during the year, which would make it appear that only one was injured out of 1,230,000 who travelled. The average journeyof these passen- gors was estimated to be 14.7 miles, so that there was 18,090,000 miles of travel for every injury. These conclusiors gather weight from the fact that the exhibit of the preceding year showed a .differenco of only 4 per cent betweon the two years in the relation of the injured to the number of miles travelled. The number of persons injured or killed under circumstances which were under their own control wasmuch larger. There were 304 casualties of this nature, only thirty-four of whom were passengers, 13¢ ‘being employes of the rosds, and 135 being in no wise connected with the roads or with travel. The accidents on the Messachusetts roads, and thoee of ibs ¥arions roads thronghout the country, a8 reported by the Railroad Gazetle, agroo in showing that the great bulk of railroad digasters results from collision and lesving the track. Of thesixteenaccidentsin Massachusetts during the yeer, seven were owing to the former =nd soven to the latter cause. Out of 891 zcci- dents throughout the country, 159 were due to collisions, and 108 fo £ing the track, the per- centage Leing rospectively 41and 27.5 of the whole number. The resdue consists of the breaking of bridgés, broken axles, boiler ex- plosions, malicions obstructions, ete., but the proportion of these to the whole is exceedingly smiall a5 compered to collisions and derailments. The Massachusctts report proceeds to give a gutnfled scconnt of the different disnsters which occurred in that Staste, from which nsefal generalizations may be made. In the East Fosborough accident, when the Providence ex- press train was thrown off the track, four pas- senger coaches wore forced not only from the track, but from their gearing, but remained up- right, though propelled some 200 feet forward, 2nd down an embankment of several foet. Thore wes no “ticlescoping.” mor even un- shackling or separation of the cars ; the glass in the windorws was not broken, and the passengers walked out uninjured. Thepreservation of these cars was due to their solid construction and the presence of the Killer platform. The acci- dent on the Eastern Railroad, in New Hamp- shire, on the 22d of October, was an illnstration of the same thing. Old-style cars of light con- struction had been placed between the locomo- tive in front, and heavy cars provided with the Miller platform at the rear. When the shock came the result was, as the Commissioners’ re- port states it, that *the locomotivo served as an anvil, and the Miller platforms 2a the hammer, between which the old-fashioned cars were crushed” Had all the cars been provided with these platforms, no serious damage would have been done to any of them. Another instance of the same thing was found in the accident on the Boston & Providence Rosd, on'Nov. 29, when the passenger train ran into the rear of a freight train, shattering some eight orten of its cers and damaging the collid- ing locomotie; but no injury was done to the Ppassenger cars by reason of their protection in the Miller platform, tho Westinghous train- brake, and their substantial construction. The deductions from these facts are obvious. If 46 per cont of all the railroad accidents is owing to collisions, then the duty of railroad mansgement is to provide for the greatest possible protaction in case of such scci- dents. Dersilment, which will account for 80 per cent more of the railwsy disasters, is frequently followed by tho same dangers of * telescoping” and crushing of cars. The great meed, then, is stronger cars and superior contrivances for. stopping traing quickly, While good management may yet further reduce the number of accidents, no amount of care can prevent them altogather. But when they come, railrond trains should be provided with the greatest power of resistance. Tha cases cited, to which may be added that of last week, in which a train of the Hudson'River Railroad was thrown off the track, prove that the Miller platform and coupler, and the zir- train brake, furnish the best known meaus of resistance, and quick stopping for railroed trains. It is, therefore, culpable mismazage- ment when any railroad runs its passenger trzins without these improvements attechad to 2l the cars. © THE XEW POLIGE BOARD. ke Common Council, on Fridsy night, con- firmed, by & vote of 23 to 9, the 3ayor's nomina- tions for Police Commissioners, The backbone of the minority was broken, and but nine Alder- men presented themselves to vote to retain Klokke and Reno, Messrs. Mason and Wright, the newly-appotnted Commissioners, will meet on Monday. Itis poesible that Mesars. Klokke 2nd Reno will oppese their occupation of the police beadquarters, end may call upon the police to disobey the orders of the new Board. It is to be hoped, however, that they will at- tempt no disorderly proceedings of that kind. Afr. Sheridan, who is legally & member of the Board, will now bave an opportunity of decid- ing whether he will obey the law, and recognize the authority of il branches of the City Government, or follow Klokke in his pot-house rebellion. The opportunity now being efforded Mr. Sheridan, a rea- sonsble exercise of good sense on his part will lead him to meet with the other Com- missioners, and act on the business which has accumulated during the last month. The public intorests are suffering for the official action of {hisBoard, and, whether Mr. Sheridsn meet with them ornot, the new Commissioners will find zbandance of work for daily sessions for at least o weck. The public have reason to be thankfal that this trouble has resulted in ths triumph of law and order, and in the enforcement of authority. There is not, at this time, o respectable member of the police force who does not recognize the authority of the Magor and of the new Board. In a few days, the whole machinery of the Police Department will be in operation again, and un- der a Board of Commissioners that will fael it to De their duty to enforce law, and maintain order instead of trampling npon both, The death i3 snnounced of MMiss Ceroline Choesbro’, one of the most accomplished, as well 28 one of the most quiet and unpretending, of American writera. Mias Cheesbro’ began her contributions to the magazines as early as the year 1843, and since that time, with the exception of . 5 Iapse s few yeara ago, ehe has been & constant contiibutor. Sho was the author of meny novels of great merit, chief among which were The Foe in the Houschold,” published in the Atiantic & few years ago, * Victoris; or, The World Over- come,” and ** Peter Carrington.” An unfinished story of hers is now in course of publication in Lippincotl’s Magazine. Her productions were remarkable for their truthfulness to nature, their eimplicity of style, and their svoidance of everything like eeneation either in matter or manner. There comes a report that in the extremo north of Europe Republicanism has made its appearance, end that the example of Spsin is likely to leed to eome diecuzeion in Sweden, The present King of Swoeden succeeded his brother, some few months 30, and. s proposi- tion to get up & grand coronation spectacle has not only been opposod, but the question of Monarchy and Bepublicenism boldly discassed. The present royal family of Sweden is'of mod- ern origin. Ita founder, Bernadptte, ons of Napoleon's Marshals, was adopted by the last of the old family, but there is no connection what- ovor between hiz family and the history of Sweden, —Charles T. Skerman, Judge of the United States Court for the Northera District of Oaio, ought to bs impeached and removed from ofice. . . . . Itisveryevident thathe lied abont using infloeace with kis brother, Secator Joan Sherman, but this only 2dds to bis culpebility. 1f there i any way of getting =t the fellow 23 should be_inconcinentiy lified ont of ofice— Indianagolis Journal (Adininisiraticz). DY PROY. WILLIAY MATHEWS, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. Reader, do you believe in physiogromy,—that thera arein our faces, a8 Sir Thomss Browne says, “certain mystical eigns which carry on them the motto of onr souls,” revealing our in- ner selves as clearly 23 if wo carried s pano of gless in our breasts? Do you pique yoursslf upon being “a reader of character;" or, do you believe with a shrewd observer, that i There's no art To find the mind’s construction in the face? There are few persons who boggle at the generalities of the science; but when 1t comes to minute detail,~as when Lavater talksof a kind of nose which is worth & kingdom,—it is hard to have faith, even as large as s grain of mustard seed. The countenance may be rightly defined as the title-page which herelds the con- tents of the human volume, but, like other title- pages, it sometimes puzzles, often misleads, and often siys nothing to the pmrpose. Nob always does a fair soul, es Plato supposed, choose = fair body todswell in ; norare scoundrels uniformly, in eyes, nose, and mouth, *marked and quoted to be villains.” Naturo cuts queer capers with mon's phizes at timen, and con- founds all the Geductions of philosophy. Char- acter doos not put all of its goods, some- . times not any of them, in ita shop-window. Socrates had an ugly frontispiece; and some of the most virtuous and amisble men have had faces which a stranger wonld not like to have encountered in a lonely “place after nightfall. We have acen ‘‘foreLeads villanous low’ on very noble men, and grand domes of ‘heads on mera blocks and ignoramuses. It is often trus, a8 Moore sings, that In vain we fondly strive to trac In vain we dwell ou lines and crosses, Crooked mouths, or short probosces ; Boobies have looked a8 wise and bright A3 Plato and the Stagyite ; ‘And many a s3ge and lesrned skull Hus peeped through windovs dark azd dull. DeQuincey, in expatisting on the mesnnesa of Dr. Parr's personal appearance, snd his coarse andignoble features, 3dds: I that write this paper have myself a mean personal appearance,’ and atéributes the peculiarity to the original un- kindness of nature. It is said of the great Ruseian military hero, Suwarrow, that, when engaged in business, he looked a man, but, ‘while entertaining company, wounld walk about the room with bent knees, and hesd and hands hanging down like an idiot. Somo of the bold- est and most determined men have had weak mouths, and some of the most timid and fickls s firm-set lip and & defiant eye. It has becn remarked that one of the bravest of our yonng Generals in the Inte war,—a rough rider, sad recklees in battlo to the verge of madness,—is » gentleman o unobtrusive in address, and so gentle of face, that astranger, meeting him casu- ally, would at once place him in that category of temporizing souls who are supposed incapable of saying boo to a goose. Bret Harto, speaking of the fugitives from justice at ‘‘ Roaring Camp,” says that, * pnysically, they exhibited o indication of their past lives and character. ‘[he greatest scamp had & Raphael face, with & profusion of blonde hair ; Oskhurst, & gambler, had the melancholy character and intellectual abetrggtion of a Hamlet ; the coolest and most courageous man was scarcely over five feet in height, with s soft voice, and an embarraased, timid manner.” It is corions fact that many of the men who bave been most distinguished for their power to raise comfc ideas have hed lugubrious visages, suggestive of tears rather than of merriment. Grimaldi, the prince of clowns, was a duli, heavy-looking man off the stage; and 8o W Liston, who, after maddening London with his fan, used to sit up during * the wee small hours” to read “Young's Night Thoughts.” Robert Chambers tells m one of his essass of a person residing near London, who could make one’s sides acho at any time with his comic songs, yet had 8o rueful, woe-begone a face that his friends addressed him by the name of Afr. Dismal. ‘What wit or humorist ever lived who conld so offectually “ creste a soul under the ribs of death" by his jests, g¢ poor Tom Hood ? His writings, as all 28 the world knows, are steeped in the very quintessence of fun; the drollest oddest fzncies and conceits sparkle on his paga 23 incesegntly as firo-flies in an Indian grove. Yet who that ever had a glimpse of his pictured phiz, 8o grave and melancholy-looking,—as if be had done nothing all his life but stare at desth's heads and statues of * Niobe, all tears,” —wonld have dreamed that he was not s modern Heraclitus, a sexton, an undertaker, anything rather than s professor of the Pantagruelian phil- osophy, and author of the queer conceits that fill his “Own?" His face **insinuates such a false Hood,” that one would fancy that nothing less than galvanism could shock its features into any demonstration of fun, and, tnstesd of being suitod to adorn a comic almanac, it seema bet- ter fitted for a frontispiece to Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy. In fact, the owner tells us that he was actually taken many times for & Metho- dist minister, and, on his march to Berlin with the Prussian infantry, could never pass himself off for anybody but the Chaplain of the regi- ment. Cervantes, Swift; Moliere, afford aadi- nal instances of comic geninses whose phyz- iognomies have belied their characters. As the merriest men havesomotimesths sober- est faces, so the most serious-minded have mirth. ful ones. It has been said of Wilberforce, that his countenance was 8o merry, rosy, and good-fellowish, thet ho seemed more like a jovial son of Momus or Bacchus, than a devont Christian, a8 he was intus et in cule, and a cham- Dion of sbolition. The poet Young, whose writ- ings are 8o gloomy that it has been doubted whether their author was ever young, had any~ thing but the ghostly face ons would give to him after reading the Night Thoughts. Itis well- known, however, that he was till 50 a desperate place-hunter, after which he turned State's- ovidence against the world, and satirized the pursuité in which he had failed. One can esily imagine what a clog and hindrance to success in any profession must be a physiognomy unsuited to it. Who does not hesitate to employ & broker who has # 10 speculation in his eye,"—a lawyer who, in- atead of o keen, vulture-eyed look, has & joval, benevolent expression,—or a school-master with #0 comic 2 phiz that his pupils would be forever grinning, instead of being * boding tremblers," i Had lesrned to trace ‘The day's disarters in his morniag face? Charles Lamb has well described the distrust ‘we feel of euch men in his ludicrous account of the Quaker * of the 0ld Foxian orgasm,” whom he heard expressing his remorse at ameeting, that * he had been s wilin his youth,”—while his brow would have scared away the Levities, the Jocos Risusque, faster than the Loves fled the face of Dis at Enna! Some years agoin the East thers was s little bandy- legged comedian, who, finding- that the stage did not pay, abendoned it for the madical pro- fession, but could make no headway on account of his “villsnous morry visage.” He tried every wayto look grave and wise, but hadn't *the power of faco.” In spite of every effort, he carried into his new calling his old morry smirk, and the roguish twinkle of his eyes; so that, while his patients wers groaning with pain, he seemed to bo perpetually giggling at their diatress. He next tried the law, but even in hip zpost frantic appeals, when he pulled hia bair and tore hia coat-tails, no jury would believe him in earnest ; aud so he ebandoned this calling too, declaring that his frcetions face would be the ruin of him in any serious vocation. Not less unkappy in his physiognomy was an Irigh comedian of brilliant talents, who believed him- zelf ent out mtellectually for high tragedy, while his face and figure compelled him to perform only comic parts. In his own opinion, fatand fortuno ouly had made him 3 comedian; and, while he elicited shouts of lsughter =sa bog- trotter, with buskine composed of straw-ropes, be thought only “how great s Kemble wasina Pairick loet,” and viewed himself as one who The soul's reflection in the fac J ehonld have been exciting pity or earae Ao g DIty or borror ag Anomalies like these do not invalidate the goneral truth that the mind stamps its character on thefestures of the face. It ig still true that,as the Scripture says, “‘a man may be known by his look, and ono that has understanding by his countenance when thou meatest bim.” How often do we hit upon the character of a strangar at glance, with 3 thousand-fold more accuracy then if we wers to make it the subject of long and laborious study! The ruling principle of tho man flashes upon us instantly, from some pecalizr expression imprinted upon the featuren by the thaughts and feelings of years, when, it we were to weit and judge by the equivoeal signa of words and decds, we mijzht bo ledinto the grossest error.’ It is =aid of the calebrateq physiognomist, Lavater, that ‘& stranger was once introduced to him, whose feas tares, though he evinced: high intels loctusl endowments and the most accome plished maaners, impressed bim a8t once with the conviction,—¢ This man is a murderor."s Dining with Eim the next day, Lavater forgod his impression; but scarcely had the elegant and polished gentleman left town, when news came thet he was an assesein who had fled from Swedex to escape arrest. Douglas Jerrold, in one of his plays, makes one of thie personc thug comment on the looks of another: *You have » most Tyburn-like physiognomy. Theres Tar. pin in the carl of your upper lip,—Jack Sheppard in the undor one,~Duval and Barrington are in your eyes,—and as for your chin, why, Sixteens String Jack lives in it!” Even Moore, whose thrust at the physiognomists we hava quoted, botreya bis belief in their general principles by giving to tho veiled prophet of Khorsssan a visage fit for his hideous soul, while the soung Nourmahal, the light of the Harem, has features wortiy of an angel : ‘Whie her lsugh, full of 1ife, without any control, But the sweet one of gracefulness, rung from be And e ‘most sparkled, no glance could discovex Inlips, chezks or eyes, for it brightened all over,— Like zay fair Iske, that the breeze wan Upo When it breaks into dimples, and Taughs in toe su, It is » fact well fitted to provoke serions thought, that the spiritual principle monlds and fashions the plastic. substance of its homo,— that it writes its omn character on its exterior walls, and chronicles, from month to month, from year to yesr, its upward aspirations, or its incressing abasoment. Even aftér one has reached middle life, the face may undergo great changes; and many ahu- ‘man countenance becomes & drams of profound interest,—*a visible incarnation of the Mani- chan dresm,"—mirroring, a8 it does, with ter- rible fidelity, the alternations of a'fierce inward struggle between good and evil, darkness and light. Somewhere in our readings we havomat with the story of a painter, who, sesing & besu- tiful child, was 8o fascinated by the loveliness of ita face that he resolved to paint it, He did so, and hung the picture, his favorite, in his study, It became a kind of guardian angel; in sorrow and in passion he tranquillized his soul by gaz- ing upon that bheavenly countenance. By and Dy he resolved, should he ever find its connter- part, to paint thataleo ; but years passed, and ha ‘was despairingof over finding the latter, whan he discovered a faco fo intensely ugly s fullyta realize his idca. It was that of a wretch Iyingin despair upon the floor of his prison cell. He ‘painted that terrible face; but what were his emotions when hs learned that it was the same person he had painted befors! The first was the face of the innocent child ; the last, that of tho profligate, ruined youth. The likenass of an angel had been transformed into the reality of a fiend., el o S A Strange Story. The Amherst Student contains a letter from Professor J. H. Seelye, dated Allaha bad, Indis, Nov. 25, 1872, detailing a strange fact which came under his observation in his racent travels. ‘The Professor’s story recalls the tradition inre- gard to the infency of Romalus and Remus, and snggests that Darwin's theory of tho Descent of Man mey be superseded by another, taking the ground that the lower creation is man's descendant rether then his ancestor. The letter i3 a8 follows : ©Not far from Agra, in northern Indis, is a ‘mission atation of the Chiurch Missionary Socie- ty, connected with which is an_orphanage with several hundred children, now under the efficient care of the Rev. E. G. Erbardt. The region avound is infested with wolves, by which, every year, numbers of children are carried off and de- Foured. But in two instances, at least, instead of being killed 2nd eaton, the children have been Xept alive and nourished with, if not by, thess Dbeasts. Whether, the story of Romulus and Remus be a myth or not, thisis an actual reality, for the children themselves have been cap tored from smong the wolves and brought to the orphansge above mentioned. They wera bo! poys, and apparently of some 7 or 8 years of 2g when taken. They wera found at different times, the last one in of the present year. Some hunters, emoking wolves oub of ‘s cave, wara startied when the wolves appeared by the sppesrance among them of & croature looking strangely buman, but run- ning rapidly on all fours like the wolves, though not so rapidly os they. He was caught with difticnity, and there was no mistaking that he was_a child of human parentage, but with the hebits, and sctions, and appetites of a wild beast. 'The hunters brought him to the orphan- age, where he was received and cared for. Though his physical form and features wera sufficient to show that he was a Hindoo child, there were mno other indicationa sbout him of anything homan, Tnall other re- spects, in the language of Mr. Erhardt, ‘s per- fectanimal.’ He had no speech bnt a whine. He would wear no clothes, tearing from him ey~ erything of the BSort, whemever put on. He would eat nothing but raw fiesh, and when ha drank he lapped the water with his tongue. Left to himself, he wonld hide in some dark spot dur- ing the day, from which. he would come out at night, and prowl about the enclosure, pickiog up bones, 1f any were to be_found, and raven- ously guawing them. It at first seemed im- possible for him to walk ercct, but after much difficnlty he was taught to da 20, and_also to use & fork and spoom, and to drink like a humen being. Though treated with the utmost care and with grest patience and kindness by the Christian hands and hearts which rocpived him, he pined awsy and died, after he had bean in the orphanage 8 little over four months. In all this time he could not be made to ntter aword; he wa never seen to smile, nor show any signaof . joy, or shame, or gratitude. But Mr. Erhardt, who fave mo this ccount, assured me that his fsce looked more intelligent than the averageof Hio- doo children, and that his color and foatures in- dicated that his pientage must heve beon in 3 family of high caste. The other boy I ‘myzelf Baw o few days since at the orphanage, where he was brought about 6 vears ago, having been then captured, much as was the firat-mentioned bog, and baving shown precisely tho eamo habits 33 belonged to him. He has not yetspokena word, but hasexchanged the whine, which wasat firat 'his only usterance, for sounds expressive of pleastre, and apparently of gratitude. He 5o Im:fer profers raw flesh for food, but eats bresd and fruits with ravenous avidity. He walkx erect, but with a strangely awkward gait, throw- ingont his hands witn every step. His hands are perfectly formed, but he ages them awkwardly. 4 pieca of bread tossed to him from s little dite tance, which he was eager to geh, Bf could not catch, but let it fall clumaily totht ground. He wears clothes, to which he wa#, Zrat, as averse as the other boy. His forehesd is low, but his fece would hardly bo cailed du and certainly not idiotic. Hig eyes have s and restless, but not an inguiring look- jBwg are not protruding,. and. his teeth ara well formed and thoroughly human, On bis leff cheek are acars bearing plainly the merks of teeth, whers he must havo boen fearfally bitten, He has been taught to do some kinds Of work, but not fuithfally. He seems ¥ have lost all desire to escape; he DSl freely with the other chiliren, AmOZE whom he has his favorites. When the boy 12 montioned was brought to the orphansge, one was made to understand that lio must tesch the other how t0 eat, and drink, and walk, 124 mauch of the improvement of the younger 05e i these Tespects seemed due to the efforts of {8 older one. The inference from these extrao Dary instancos is stravgelyat variance with 1) affirmations now current. Iv does not poist the least to man’s derivation from the Ioflrflg‘ stion, but_exactly to the reverse. 1f wedh} look accarately_and think cloaely we shal much moro evidence, both in naturs sad in tory, that the lower creation is mau's desce! aat rather than his gncestor.”