Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-09-01
OaTs.psodsars E y Ba-asa TFa'sllff
- Tnner Lafs q RaFis-eceses In ne Of
aos ofsh> Paris oommissaTy ofPolice-

ne Inner Itfo q Eafzs-sosaeS IN tnS "a
noe ofths Rsris oommissaFy ofPolice-
Ihsss spent THE week IN lhs eiice "fa Com
niszzry u Police. have often Eondered a.: IN
M wslk, / stambiei On the rsd iaatsrn suinsiag
10 sad iro Iufshs wind over the dDurs Of Cupuii--
sary Of Police, which are to BE- found In all parts
Of he city, what sort ofa placs the once conld
be.
Many an alleged "a. nee against the peace and
dignity Of the the Commonwealth expires IN ms
ofiee-cxposed for g,.undle-s. His district com
monty contains 1900 souls.
lie il one Of the fingers. the ftrchnser OF that
great hand Of government which in France en-.
comp .ssss everybody aud everything and with
out whose permission You cannot w..iic-wash your
house, change your steps, anil rcihve yenr iron
railing. AZ you may well suppose. lie has DO
slaecuie.
do not know any M ire humlliatins scene than
these piepouJre courts present. The aversion o.
tho French law from tlh-s exiibitis ut the iioDe
art of self Defence which in the United States
and England aids so frequently the adjustment d
minor differences, There being nothing which en-
dcnrs fellow creature to one more than to have
given him sound drabbing)-thc pr"ncncss of
the French administration to medlle in every con-
Germ of life--the custom ii living on Hats,
twelve or fifteen families being crowded into each
of these six and seven storied houses-and
the important part borne by women In the drama
Of life. tend to I'LL these lower halls Of justice with
numbers of parties. agitated by petty passions,
and with an unusual proportion ct women as
plaintiffs or defendants. whereof none Of our court
houses can present IN idea. | never before saw
human nature appear 30 despicabe rs it exhibits
itself here.
The Office consists of three rooms. The first is
the public room; behind the thick wooden barrier
sit three four inspectors OF police, who are al
Ways busy driving their quilts To record the grielo
OF compliments. A common bench stuffed with
hair runs around two sides Of the room on it the
parties sit waiting their turn. Beyond nlis is the
room where three clerks are engaged listening to
the grcfs of complainant. or defendants; these
clerks are the secretaries of the Commissarp. In
an adjoining room is the Cabinet. where thrones
in solitary grandeur Monsieur le Commissaire
himself These d fferent rooms are like the bolt
ing cloths Of -four mills the mere bran is quiet
ly but unceremo ninusly extruded in the first room
the ground wheat is again boted in the second
room, nothing but the Hour reaches Monsieur lie
Commissare.
There is something inexpressibly painful in the
insensibility produced on the Commissary and his
servants by the incessant attrition OF public
wrongs and private wrongs. They have become
accustomed to the same old story that they hear
it with the i,tess Indifference which the surgeon
pays to the anguish aud appeals Of the "sniJect'
writhng and bleeding under the knife IL IS
mere matter Of course, m every day occurrence.
1t is distressing to see the contrast between the
agony of some womeL, her blopd tingling with
indignation Mt some Infamous accnsa'i"" tlunded
on nothing but malcvolencc, her lips quiverng
with emotion, her eyes distcndcd from nervous
excitement. her face pale with the struggle OF
conflicting passions, and the oihccr as cold as II
marble statue, taking the woman's guilt rs apro-
we'd fact. going through the legal f"rm-. as milk
hnck PAGES his weary round, and when at last the
accused's innocence appears, dlsmlsses her with
little emotion a. the toll gatherer businesses the
toll payer. Whenever IN unusually stupid vcr-
dict land they frequently occur in actions sound
ing in damages) puts me out Ut humor with the
trial by iury and makes me wish for trial by
judges, reflection upon their sensibiliy their
freedom from this very callousress q" office, recon
Giles me to all the fnllies perpetraed in its name
Thissympathy with the accus d is indeed one OF the
hest virtues of that noble legacy we owe to our
English forcfathers.
have said it was strange to see how many wo-
men fitted through the Commissary's office. There
were mt least fifteen women To one man. And
they are the most difficult parties to deal WITH Go
into your lawyers Office and he will tell you the
same story.
There is no purCatory in the round of legal prac-
tice Mt all comparable with the pain endured in
settling nm estate of which widows and spinsters
are heirs. There is such thing as reasoning with
men-the stupidest fool can be made to compre-
hend that two added to two make four--the most
frIgid heart be reached by some sort of an APP
peal, generosity may be awakened and confidence
aroused but what can lie done with woman.
She meets arguments by tears and npreals by
tears SUSPICION keeps her internally afraid fwhat
seem 81; rvs, bu, which are in reality the beams
of light falling on the twilight shnes in which
she has env"loped herself. Besides, she is never
of the same mind four and wenty hours togcth-
err and when she has male her last" concession
lower deep suddenly opens anl asks to be
filed
Donot allow your mag nation To become excl
ted at the mention Of So many women, for they pos
nothing Of the charms Of their sex. Vice. and
that softer sister of vice, poverty, have NO stained
their bodies, their attire alone reveals them
speak of the majority of them. Their grieis are
quarreis arising ont of high words, petty jeal-
ousies. or slanders-quarrels which they arrange
with all the vulgar cri,hets of the Bilngs.nic fish
woman, joined to all the yivacity and hquacious-
ness of the French. They are all great brandy
drinkers and snuF takers. Their clothes are sor-
did and faded: they wear bandana haulkerchcGs
instead OF b nne;s ar caps IN their hca Is : their
shoes are heavily iiej.el. or they wear suhos
they seem to delight N ,inchlmck jowelry The
compilations is of the veil w vuu see in pli rarch-
ment, or in OH books; that f,ipl calayerou~,
wax-conrel yellow which is associated with th.
sadies' of all deeay-tAt decay arising from neg
lcct