The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-01-17
METHOD IN BADNESS.

METHOD IN mADN ESS.
Americans are noted for their tscleverness,,l
and tender regard for the feelings of each 9th.
er. and their charity for iae infirmilies Of hu.
man nature. Urfohuna,ely this kindness
sometimes runs into morbid and sickiy
sympathy which is oil impulse and no, at all
akin 10 reason and reflection. The abolition
let who would give half his. fortune 10. favor
anegro while he woald suffer white man
10 slarve, is an illustration of this feeling
Mental delusions, like Mormonism and Mil
ferism, are other developments of it, One
old principle of mental philosophy is seized
boti oil by mountebanks and siioilers, and
converted into the art of "feeling heads" a,
a. twenty-five cents each. This is in imila.
tain Of The old conjurors, mog'cians and sooth
taters. Another principle Of mental science
ishrned TO the practical purpose oil raising
the dead, and teaching the art OF dancing 10
,'lh'es and chairs. Even m,elligen. gentle.
men touch these Isms gently, for fear of Civ.
ing offence. The mind will and must be ac
live; and in This country this activity is very
highly developed, and in many cases pei vcrls
all heal'Ily mental action by a nervous disor.
der. Bun these perverslons are incidents OF
human nature, and not Of any county. True,
in The old world The mind has more material
objects for lis attention, and is not so much
lett TO ils own gloomy reflections and sngges.
ions. There are the shows, paradee, pomp
and page eao.ry OF the present 20 engage il, !;
and the works of art and science from all The
illus,rous ages of the past TO furnish mental
food, aid to keep The "evl spirit" of malice
and mischief from the house of The mind.
The plea of insanity has become very
common defence for The uDregulated mind of
the crminal; aud is SO often successful as to
cause weIl.iouuded alarm for the public se.
cn,i,v al sssrperiy. True,
every criminal has perverted mental organ.
izalion; !; for if all minds were perfectly bal.
sncsd there would no longer bs crime on The
earth. If any manifestation of malice or
vice shall be called only disease and not
crime, all crime may be called only mental
disordeE for every criminal suffers under an
obliquiy Of mental or moral vision when he
erss BY taking thecourse Of evil,
We are led TO those thoughts by some com.
mentaries upon the late brutal murders OF
the deluded Wakemani,es al New Haven
One gentlemen says the murderers mus, be
crazy or they would not have done so foul an
act. But so too he might cay that every
murderer wins crazy or he would have been
more human. In truth It is only saying that
the criminal has thrown off his feelings of
humanity and does no, think and feel like
men. But there is method in The madness
of these Wakemante murdefers, and deep
and devilish malice in iheir.raelings and ra.
rings. Their "ey, spirtn is evidently their
master, but is passion of their own choos.
ing--a brutality ofiheir own cultivation and
il there is such Thing as moral human respon.
sibility they are fully answerable 10 society
tor,the fesul.
A lunatic asylum would not cure this
Waksmsnile delusion, but; on ths contrary,
Il isto be feared that the sect would grow
and become House Of Refuge for all who
harbored an 'evilspirt" against some neigh
Dor, apd desired license for the Indulgence Of
passion under The charitable plea of ga dis.
eased mind" ,,,a
The perversion of mind is not much unlike
what we see in others Than these Waken,an.
ties; and a thoughtful writer well remarks
that "the Elder Slys of society do not all
commit murder outright, as did their great
prototype at New Haven. But they have
many traits 10 common. Like him, they are
bigoIed and cruel; like him, they have their
man OF sin; and like him, they adop, as Ger.
tam, il not as summary, means of getting rld
OF him. TIE them this man OF sin is rival
in inAuepce-a bar 10 their advaucement--a
compeIiior III busness--ary thing that cross.
es their path; lba, inierferes with their pleas.
ufe-or their prosperity. Some Elder Slys are
at tho heads ol large manufactures or mer.
camille houses; the man of sin 10 them is
young competitor, who stsris In the world
with plenty Of enterprise and honesty snd
very limited capital. Elder Sly puts him out
OF The way in short metre. His agents are
forbidden 10 deal with the rival, who is thus
as effectualIy done for as If he had been de-
capilated. Another Elder Sly is politician
But he has his man Of sin in another OF the
rame party of equal OF greater popularity
Elder Sly he's two ways Of disposins Of his
enemy; lie buys him out bag and baggage.
or he circulaies slanderous report of his
neiehbor, and thus cuts the throat OF his vic
tim, and gashss crosses on his breast with
hisexpressions Of sorrow and sympathy. FL
der slysLthere are scores of them every
where, and Of their victims slso.n
An act Of Justice.