The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-18 00:00:00

LO? DOW, SATURDAY, DEC. 18, 1839.

The death of the Welsh " Fasting Girl" puts a
period to the conjectures which have becn haz trded
on the subject, and relieves her from a condition of
much discomfort. She died on the eighth day of
the real fast, which was begun under surveillance on
the 2d inst. It is worthy of no' ice that eight days
is considered to ba the full period that any person
can live without taking any nourishment. It as
stated that the nurses had received special instruc-
tions to administer stimulents and food, subject to
the advice of the medical attendant, in the event of
her showing any symptoms of exhaustion. It is
said that she died after a few hours delirium,
and that her parents refused to offer her food.
The chamber in which the girl lay was strictly
searched before the watching began, and the only
suspicious circumstance that has been reported is
that on one occasion a nurse, who pretended to be
asleep, detected that an effort was being made to con-
vey food to the bedside. It is not fair to those who
have had the care of this watching business to pass
many comments on their management until further
proof was forthcoming, and it was clearly ascertained
on what principles they carried out their plans ; but
it certainly seems, at first sight, that the girl should
have been forced to take some nourishment rather
than be allowed to sink for want of support.
It is
.possible, however, that the parents might
have interfered to prevent this, and in the confusion
that ensued the poor girl might have suffered
great inconvenience. During the week that has
passed since the last experiment began, the opinion
has been gaining ground that a " cleverly planned
trick" was being carried out." It was even reported
that a letter had been received in Cartnarthen from a
relative, who had previously stated it to be his belief
that the child fasted, and that ho then declared that
the story of the fasting was a falsehood, and that she
was dying.

Perhaps in awaiting more confirmed details of the
affair, it would be well to consider the course which
has been pursued by the outside world. Whatever
was the real truth respecting SARAH JACOBS, whether
she fasted voluntarily or involuntarily, it cannot
be denied that the case has been treated with
great inconsistency and imprudence. How much
wiser it would have been for the public to have let
the matter rest for the decision of the proper judges,
instead of persisting in personal investigations which
were carried on with no medical knowledge
to guide them, and no experience to decide
the real merits of the question. It is no
exaggeration to say, that if the parents of
this (fasting girl have been imposing on public
credulity so long, a great part of the blame attaches
itself to those who showed themselves so willing to be
duped. There is nothing so absurd as the mania
for excitement which possesses some people, ani the
restless craving for some novel subject of attraction,
be it a desirable one or not. The superstitious ex-
citement that attached itself to this affair appears
almost incredible in this age of progress ; but so it is,
and the record of the IVelsh fasting girl may well
cause the enthusiastic admirers of the nintecuth
cen-
tury to feel ashamed. had they brought the light of
common sense to bear upon the matter, they must
have acted iu a very different style. Had SARAH
.T.tcons and her parents been let alone, and no
notice been taken of her state but what was
,Icried from regular ir.formatiun obtained
from in); artial accounts, it would have been
3ettled months ago whether the scheme was an i►n-
-1 osture, or whether the girl was really suffering from
an incurable affliction. At any rate the parents were
greatly in fault, fur they ought not to
have allowed the unhappy condition of their
child to have been made a trade of, and
their doing so alone was so sufficient a proof
of want of right feeling that persons of discrimina-
tion might surely lhave departed to return no more.
A new actor ha;, however, appeared on the scene of