New-York tribune., 1868-02-03
FREAKS or FdNATTCISM

FREAKS or FANATICISM
We wish that DR.. WinslOw, or some other
equally able writer on special forms of insanity,
would give us the rationale of that dciu'ion
which prompts certain maniacs to diyest them
selves, and to appear before tie world in n
condition of nature; and especially we should
like scientific explanation of the fact that
this inconvenient propensity Is so often the
accompaniment of religious alteration. There
never, perhaps, were purer minded cOnfessors
than the primitive Quakers; yet George Fox
saws in his Journal: "SOme have been moved
"to go naked in the streets in the other powers
"days G. e., days of the Commonwealth and
"since as signs of their nakedness, and
have declared amongst them that God
"'would strip them OF their hypocritieal profess
'sions and make them as bare and naked as
they were.r (Ihe Works Of George For, H.,
63) The founder of tho Society of Friends
complains that this enthusiastic devotion was
taken in such i'll part 10y the public aHthOri-
ties, that tho nude apostles were " frequently
whipped, or otherwise abused, and sometimes
Imprisoned.p We are inclined to believe that
this form of devotional extravaganza, which
may be observed frequently IN the history of
religious fauaticism, came from the East (; and
that among u people accustomed to scanty
raiment it was not regarded as in the least de-
gree indecent. When Jonathan made a cove
nant with David. we are told that " he stripped
" himself OF tho robe that was on him, and
" gave it to David and his garments" So, too,
we read that David danced before the Lord
with all his might, and girded with linen
"ephod = and we all know what happened to
Miss Micha the daughter of Saul, for laugh
ing at him.
The trial of McEwen, which has been
for some days pending in Newark, l,as de-
yeloped degree of morbid deprayity which
demonstrates that human nature is in all ages
the same. We spare our readers and ourselves
q repetition of the details, which are both ridic
ulous and shocking. 1t is sufficient to say that
McEwen, having arrived as he believed at a
primeval state of innocency not only discarded
his own clothes, but persuaded a couple of fool
ish women to do the same We have never. in
our life read anything more painful than the
testimony of Miss Althea Reeves, who is de-
scribed by the reporter as possessing calm
"and modest demeanor" She participated in
the frightful ceremony, and she gave the par
tculars of it in Court as if it had been an
ordinary occurrence. Nothing improper she
urged, twas said.' Neither" she continued,
90 did we make any immodest gestures "Noth-
/" ing she testiles, "was done from wanton-
"neSs All We did was 10 strip ourselves
and | do not,' she continued, "remem-
Der seeing an indecent act" This is fol-
lowed by confession that she, with her
mother, frequently shared McEwens bed, and
once without the presence of her mother. She
declares that she felt no shame, and that all
was "pure and proper
Asking pardon of the reader for the repeti-
ton of these unpleasant details, we hasten to
inquire how far these poor people were mad
and how far they were responsible for their
madness The testimony of Miss McEwen that
nothing Improper" was done or said ap-
pears TO us to be precisely the very worst
feature of the case; for it seems to take
the horrible folly ont of the category
of ordinary human error, aud to put 1t
positively into that of demonac posses
ion. OF course if We trace this disease of the
mind closely up to its origin, we shall find that
it begins with an indulgence of morbid pas
sions and an unbridled Imagination. Under the
abnormal influence of these, the mind soon
reaches that point at which it prefers theo-
retical to practical crime and takes a singu-
lar pleasure in proving itself pure by acts of
mquestionable mpurity. Had there been no
appettes which society has agreed to restrain
for the common good, the unfortunate persons
who desire to make an ostentatous exhibition of
thelrpeculiar superiority to those appettes would
never have thought of such an unnecessary
demonstration. In spite of all their professions
oil inspired and heaven-dofended purity, we
may he sure that there is an unnatural fever
raging i'll the cerebellum of any man or woman
who thus delies the modesty of nature and the
universally accepted customs of mankind.
There is an incontinency of the imagination
which is sufficiently satisfactory sometimes to
those who cultivate it, and are content to rake
reilgiously while they make their faith respon-
slble for their folly. Yet it will be evident to
all that in its effects upon charactoy, this ab-