Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-10-25
a Long while ago We rocollect to have spent

CIRCULATION, oP.ANYs PAPER IN WHEELING.
ALONG while ago We rocollect to have spent
an hour or two looking through an ably got up
little work, which was called 1.-THE Philosophy
Of Panic. We recollect that about one half
the little work was taken up with metaphysc-
al analysis Of the correspondence Between the
sensational elements comprising panic, and
the facility with which every part Of the hu.
man mind absorbed these clements Just as
sponge takes up water. 1t was curious
analysis, and the reading of it impressed
us very much at the time as natural and
truthful picture. Aspanic, the writer contend>
ed, or rather the sensation expressed by the
word panic, was the most completely dominant
and absorbing Of all sensations He illustrated
this by enumerating the effects of grief, JOY,
anger, misery, love, and many others of what
he called specific sensations, as contradistin:
guished from what he termed generic sensations.
The sensation ofpanic was generic. Unlike
the specific sensations enumerated, it was either
sporadic.or epidemical in its effects, not indi.
vidual. No man could feel the sensation of "a
panic by himself He might be scared or badly
frightened, but he by himself and of himself,
could never know the sensation of panic. We
have thought Of this many time since, and
more especially on one occasion in largo hall,
at a public lecture where some thousand or
more people were gathered together. Alarge
burning fluid lamp fell from the ceiling, and
the glass being quito thick and heavy, did
not break, nor yet did the lamp explode
People looked at the lamp for some little time,
and as long as they looked at 1t they did not
appear at all. disturbed. But presently they
began to look at each other, and after cycling
each other for a few seconds, sudden irrcsista-
bic panic, tho most comico>tragical we ever
saw took place. Men, women, and children,
leaped out Of windows and general break
neck escapode back and forward, out and around
everywhere took place. The lamp went out in
momentafter it fell, but that made no differs
ence. 1t seemed not to make particle of diff
fsrece to the people as they looked behind and
saw the lamp was gone out, they rushed on
hallooing at the top=of their voices and rushed
out wherever they. could get out In other
words, they were panic stricken. Whom we
saw this, nd5it was the first time VIC ever saw
q panic, we recalled the. analysis of the author
of whom we were speaking, and it indelibly
Impressed MS IDEAS OIL our mind.
After getting through his analysis, the author
went on to quote many Of the most prominent
panics which had occurred both in this country
andin England, showing how that the disas-
trous effects of the melting cause Of panics
have been as feathers in the scale against the
incalculable and often times irreparable miss
chief resulting from the panics themselves
There were three disastrous effects containcdin
the origin, progress and decline Of a panic
There was first, the cause of the panic which
was often disaster, although quite as often a
bug. bear There was the action direct from a
panic, such as is illustrated in the run Of a
monetary crazed population, upon bank
Then there was the reaction or indirect effect
which generally causeda dangerous sense of
indifference to the procuring cause Of the
panic, Among the many and sober illus
trations which the author gave, were many
most ludicrous ones, involving arithmetical alb
surdities of the most stupendous and incredible
kind. No two men, he said, who were panic
stricken ever described the scene or estimated
the cause. and effect, either inathe same way or
the same degree. AS mems minds were all es.
sentiay different, so would their views be diff
fcrent As mems consciences were active or
passive, SO would they curtail or exaggerate
As mems physical and moral courage were
wholly different, SO also would they see the
scene and face or avoid its consequences differ
emily. 1t was bound to be different Like
game of chess which involves we don't know
how many chances against the samo. game being
played twice, so is a panic sensation that has
to. run. the gauntlet Of the contradictory bumps
Of different peoples heads.
All this that We have been writing has come
upbefore our minds in thinking over and read.
UNCOVER the accounts that first came and have
como since, of tie IIarper's Ferry riot. People
heardsthe first news and strnightway they went
into a sort OFT panic. When once under
quasi panical influence, they were ready for
anything. Without judgment, without dccen.
cy in many instances, they fell to eliminating
and denouncing, saying lo'herey and 10 there5is
the cause. Some men, perchance, picked up a
paper, some partisan Sheet perhaps, which had
'irrePressible conflict" printed ii. double sized
double loaded letters TO soc that was enough.