The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-13

From Our own Correspondent.


regard to the question of beer or no beer will
suihciently excuse my recurrence to the subject
On sunday afternoon about three thousand of
these anti-Rechabites assembled in the Bowery
Iheatre for the purposesof hearing the question
discussed. The convocation was not numerous,
you viii say, considering the occasion; but then
you must remember that nearly every mau pre-
sent was representative of scorc of other
men, so that the real audience may be said to
have numbered about fifty thousand. The
speakers were Supervisor Andreas Willmann,
DIR. Hermann Muir, Mr.. Marcus Otterburg, the
Rev. Gottfried Scheibel and Mr.. Magnus Gross,
all OF whom of course were In favor of the pro-
posed amendments. Mr. Ouerburg Indignantly
combated the idea that the meeting was for the
purpose of obtaining ''free lager" Liberty, not
lager, he argued, was the real question of the
hour and his fellow-countrymen were quite as
willing to give eternal vigilance the price Of
the one, as five cents glass for the other. And
why this bitter opposition to beer3 Ginger
choctaw, spruce, and root beer, to say nothing of
cider, were pronounced to be innocent warmers
of the heart-cockles.
Why this ignorant hostility to lager : Cider
more particularly, contained quite as much
alcohol as this harmless beverage which the
tyranncal minority were trying to shut down
upon. Was it not, after all, result of bigoted
attempt to retain intact the American idea of
Sabbath That idea, II it were strictly carried
out, would interdict the printing or selling of
newspapers, the running of cars and all travel
ling conveyances, the keeping open of stores or
stalls for purposes of traffic, or the doing of o
thousand and one things which the necessities Of
higher plane of civilization have pronounced
harmless. The impression gained from the dis
courses of the various speakers was that they
had come primed with the best lager the season
could afford, and that the Germans, carrying out
In a way most consonant to their temperaments
the old Puritan idea demanded, not freedom to
worship God as they pleased, but freedom toswal
low as much beer as they desire on Sunday. The
beer movement occurs just in the nick of time,
now that the ''bock" season will so soon COM
mence. A few weeks will herald in the change
from the jung bier to the book bier; and those
who know what joyous season that is in the
Yateriand will feel twinge of charity for the
German artisan, who, through six weary work.
days. looks forward to enjoying one innocent
Sabbstical ''swin, surrounded by his family.
DR.. r. L. Parsons has been publishing his re-
port in regard to the New York City Asylum on
Blackwell's Island. 1t is not TO be expected that
any physician holding his position will father an
unfattering account. That would be expecting
too much from the candor of human nature and,
accordingly, we find that DIR. Parsons has drawn
to admit that the number of patients exceeds by
several hundred the means of accommodation;
but the attendants" are represented as miracles
Of suavity and sweetness. 10 Is they, he says,
and not the patients, who are visited with blows
and abusive language. am afraid DR.. Parsons
Is one of those commonplace men" whom Mr.
Reade so felicitousIy describes in his
novel of 'It is Never Too Late
to Mend" From lunatic asylums all
over the country have proceeded fiat contradic-
tions of his assertions that In nine hundred and
ninety-nine cases out of q thousand the horrible
deeds perpetrated in insane hospitals by keepers
upon patients exist only in the diseased imagi-
nations of the lunatics. In the asylum on
Blackwell's Island the inmates SO crowded as
TO be in constant peril one from another; and
only few weeks ago one female patient bat
tered the scull in and scooped the brains out of
another one In spite of this report, the asylum
Is in about as bad state as IL can be- The visits
of Legislative 3mmittees always known be-
forehand, any the Superintendents have plenty
of time to hustle their torture-implements out
of the way and put on their company" manners.
At the recent convention of Spiritualists at
Cooper Institute, Judge Edmonds was not pre-
sent and his absence gave occasion to much
scandal. In a letter three-quarters of column
long, addressed to one Of the daily papers, he
has quietly insinuated how obliged he should
feel il people would hold their tongues about
, himl and what he does or does not. His argu-
ment seems to be that the spiritualism of to-day
Is only continuation Of the history of the spi-
ritualism of the past and that the manifestation
will grow brighter and more trustworthy with
times flight hope so-or that 1t will speedily
die out altogether. The tipping of tables, and
the calligraphy of Planshette, and blood-colored
Initials are interesting phenomena, but they prove
no more spiritually than the rope-tying of the
Dayenports.
A M. Bruzessi, one OF the most accomplished
n teachers of horsemanship in New York, Is in
such despair at the ravages and ncursions of the
yelocipedes, that he has established a "Riding
Club" as the only rival amusement of the kind
likely to stand the least chance. The city and
1, suburbs are profusely sprinkled just now with
yelocipedromes, gymnacyclidiums, bicyclocur-
riculiums, and amphicyclotheatrons, and the
two-wheeled "Houyhnhnms" may be seen going
in every direction, while the horse champs and
paws uselessly in his stable. Central Park bids
fair to be deprived Of the most dashing and pic
turesque amusement of the season, viz, that of
horseback-riding. Meanwhile the Black Crook
element has been introduced at these places OF
public entertainment, where yelocipede-dramatic
performances are given and Irton, me Man at
me Wheel has been superseded by woman upon
tso0 wheels.
Last night Henry Ward Beecher, who has not
5Byet died of softening of the brain or throat
disease Cfrom both of which he was suffering at
8yoat fabricationsl appeared In q new role at the