Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1848-12-14

F,
social evil Of Importance. Il is one the units
which gives its character to the aggregate; and,
rising out Of a thing which at first was only
scorned from good TASTE, Stunned from individual
,pr laughed at out Of sheer folly, we
see spreading over the land, vice, misery, pesti-
lence and death. Yet we observe the symptoms
OF this formidable disease with CLASSY and indf-
ferent eye, while those of canine hydrophobia in
spire us with horror and alarm, and drive US 10
in self defence! !. 80.
The dread of water is seen in the human sub.
ject in another form, in which it is attended BY
different class of effects different, but not very
unremotely allied to the preceding. Almost eve.
rywhere the use of water as beverage appears
to be felt az sort of original doom, designed as
a penalty for the sins Of mankind; and everywhere
efforts made disguise it in some way, so that
the patient may be made to believe that he is swal-
lowing something else. Much ingenuity has been
expended upon this curious process but in certain
conditions OF society it seems to be of little con-
sequence what taste is. superadded. or by what
means supefadditioh is made. The grand Thing is
trqnsmogrifcation Among the poorer classes in
China, a decoction Of cabbage leaves is felt as
relief among the upper, the tincture. of the more
elegant tea-leaf is employed. In the Western
world the refuse Of fruit and grain. subjected to
fermentation and dislling, is brought into requi1
sition. The Norman converts his good cider into
execrable brandy; the French maltreat their wine
in similar way in Russia the sickening quass
becomes the maddening votki; in Scotland, honest
two penny is sublmated into whiskey; and so on,
throughout the whole habitable world. That this
sort Of hydrophohia is merely modification of the
other is established BY the fact that they who most
abhor water as acleanser, abhor it most as drink.
A cleanly person will frequently condescen6 to
take draught of the pure element with his meals;
but you never saw a man, with dirty face who
would not greatly prefer sorne poisonous and i'll
tasting compound. At the tables of the upper
classes you find the water karaff most in demand;
at those Of the lower classes the beer Jug. The
quality of the beer is Of no consequence. We
never knew it so freely drank in our own neigh
borhood as a. a time (some 20 years ago) when
the sole effect Of the worthy brewers manufacture
was declared to be to spoil the cater. Even
among the abstaners from these deleterious Ii
quors, there are many who must still have their
water disguised; hence their extensive patronage
of lemonade, .gingerrLees. and other weak though
comparatively, innocuous mixtures. The whole
affair reminds US Of literary work published in
London nearly twenty years ago. by Bond d-ssree.
hair dresser, which gave sort of catalogue re-
of the various materials used for lathsrips
the beaId-all except one for the magnanimous
barber scorned to mention soap. +.
The connection between the worst symptoms OF
the two kinds Of hydrophobia we have described
needs little illustration. The dirter an individual
is in his person. family, house, neighborhood, the
more pestilent are the expedients be falls upon
for Disgusting the taste Of the abhorred water
In other words, the progress Of The disease is nat
urally exhibited in the intensity of ,s symptoms.
A man of sublime cleanliness may be found drink
ing pure water; with. little tint Of human weak
ness one may indulge, likewise, but only occasion
ally and in moderation, in beer, ale, wipe even
stronger brewings; while your true hydrophobist7-
a dingy, vulgar, desperate, whom the very chill
dren on the street know and dc,est. even when he
happens to be sober--siupeies himself habitually
pear that there is an unjust distinction made in
our treatment of human and canine patients. 5
{ We do not propose that the former should be
hoo,ed and hunted like the latter out Of society, OF
that they should be maued with sticks and stones,
OF shot, poisoned, hanged or drowned. The,
might not like it. I.might cause some discop'. EN-.
Il would perhaps be better TO let it alone an tr,
to manage some other way, But what ott. .er wa
How would pump answer at the er.d Of ever,
street, TO be worked by the poli.es A passer- 81
caught in the fact Of hydrop.ob.a, whether IN the
dirty or drunken form of tie. disease, nigh. BE-
pounced upon and pu, under the spout, wher
the remedy administered might be proper.
toned to the intensity of the malady. To say
than this wou,d be an infringement Of liberty ol
the subjec.is is nonsense; for il society has not the
right sc press contagious disease BY any means
in its Lower, might as we'll lay aside the habits
of civilization at oncs and Bstake ourselves again
to woods and caves. Peter the Great was the
ates. doctor In the world, and Il would not be
amiss II We were 10 take lesson from, his school.
The grand obstacle In the way of his project or
cisiIiaapg Russia was. the besrds Of the nsbles-
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