New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-03-29

His grssdnother had certain awful reeard for
that sublice and stately fancdeaszy. But whss
wife Of 10 dsy feels ssy s~e for her hssssad
Catch her, indeed! Women's rights arc OF.
tremeIy wsllunderstood, even whore they have
not consented - yet 10 tue foolish synbo!isa Of
dress. In the public sphere the ssne sigus arc
Visible. No ore any longer rev. FENCES the Gov
erpor, and no ono goes (, zee the President ex-
cept With the patriotic Intention Of getting ofise.
Time was when the little boys would cease from
humble the peg. and reverently step Cd the SIDE
walk. when old DR.. Rogers or the great Dr.. No.
son passed. feeling that there was an ineoucetvs-
bic amount of sanctity locked way in thoss sable
sbripes; but Dr.. Spring or Bishop Potter might
traverse the town to day, his counseusace per-
fectly radiant with "Sh,kspere, Milton and
Hooker" and end no urchin 20 humble ~ to do
him reverence.
All these signs indicate the enormous accession
which Is constantly making to the popular senti-
mept Of freedom. They all involve denial OF
established authority. The parent disclsims the
exercise of arbitrary authority over his child, BE-
cause be recognizes in the child growing nat-
uId demand for freedom, which imposes the OBJ
legation of a purely rational treatment. The
husband disu,es his old authority over tho wife,
because he feels that the copjugal tie has also
received an influx of freedom, making the only
valid hold which either party to 1t has upon the
of. cton of the other, tolie 10 their mltui worth
We grow unobservant of Governors and Pfesi-
denis only because Democracy hM 90 fully
ayouched the supremacy Of Individualism in the
civic sphere. And our ecclesiasticsl disntsAries
have declined to the level of the laity in popalsr
regard. sn,y because Protestantism has 50 eject
uslly yindicsted the claims Of the In1isiduh in
the religious sphere. Democracy, In its u'tmste
apal,sis, propsuuces every man his own King;
and Protestan'sm, in its last analysis, pronouaces
every man his own Priest
tis idle, then, to think Of disgusting the fact.
The sentiment of freedom, in the human bosom,
i, on the increase, and that continually; and In
tbi. increase il involved certain growing dis
like to pronounce upon the internal or character
istic differences among mon. We dare not ashor
Tue evil mhu % VIC ubco W NVs Vo VeAo NV AS'
erence the good man a. We used to do. A
rising sentiment of the rlghtful sscredness
of man TO man, renders us unwilling to
widen the hidden gulf which divides them, and
forces US. in fact, in spite of ourselves. to DO
ever thing In our power to bring them together.
We feel the influence of an all envelopiug human.
ity, which promi,es to life the criminal out OF his
degrat alton. and approximate hin eventually to
the brotherhood of the pure and good. And In
the strength of this influence we relegsse oil
questions of interior or spiritual difference among
men exclusively to the Higher Power. deemlns
that the public are legismstely interested only in
what q man does and not In what he 10. Inc
relation of man to man. In short, 10 becoming
exclusively moral instead Of spiritual; aud hence
we are getting indisposed 10 sit ia judgment upon
a mans inward character, provided hts actions
conform to the public exigency. We feel that
he has perfect right to be what he inwsrdly |"
irrespective of our judgment; only We insist
that this inward sscredness of bis be strictly con-
ditioped upon bic outwardly doing nothing preju-
dicial to our interests.
Now, our Judges and MasistrAtes are By no
means behind the popular sentiment; otherwise
we should not find them elevated to Office. Taey,
iDde ed, may be viewed a. most surely exhibiting
it's true tendency. Like tall mountain.pe peaks,
which fret catch and reflect to the Wales below
The rays of the opcoming sun, these eminent
citizens, being 30 critically placed between the
advancing life of society and ts Did routine or level
are doubtless the frat to feel and exhibit In their
Official capacity the suffusion of the new spirit. If
they are allowed any Discretionary action, they are
sure to show the utmost leniency TO the criminal,
as If they felt soue new tie of brotherhood oblit
Grating the old chasm produced by character be-
tween them, and enforcing the utmost possible
contjguitg consistent with their legal estrange-
ment. Thus Recorder Smith, when confronted
with KissaDe, sees before him q very capsule
person, whom misfortune, o. he himself AYERS,
has brought into that wretched prsdicament. He
will not look upon him in bic inward or spiritual
character, a. being probably o thorough repro
bate, but regards him simply in the light Of bis
aetios, which, being merely the robbery Of .
bank, is not near 90 shocking as murder, and
does not, therefore, invite condigu puoishment,
especially when the criminal so handsomely ex-
presses his regret for the fatality which inhaled
him. The Recorder feels, In fact, that he has
nothing to do with the character Of tho criminal,
or what he is, but only with bis action, or what
he does and hence subsidies practically into .
very friendly relation with him.
Now what IL the remed, for this state Of things1
If our judges, and magistrates aud policemen
obey, in spite of themselves, the democratic In