The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-04-03
The Value of Human Life.


The Value of Human Life.
! We are getting to be utterly regardless
of human life in this country. We do not
now refer to- the acts of violence which
daily stain the streets of our cities, towns
and villages with human blood, but to the
loss of life throughout the country from
what are called accidents on railroads and
steamboats,, bridges and canals, factories
and workshops, etc. A railroad car is turn
ed over, some portion of n bridge falls
through, something gives way, and eight
or ten people are killed, thirty or forty
more or less wounded, and it is called an
accident. Perhaps it is an accident that
human forethought could not have calcula-
ted Old, and therefore could not reasonably
have been prepared for. But, perhaps it is
not an accident. It may have been the
legitimate result of a want of thought. in
difference to proper sense of duty, or to
positive neglect on the part of some one
of those to whose care the management, or
superintendent of the road, or the bridge,
or the car has been entrusted. But there
is no judicial inquiry, nobody is arrested,
there seems to be no responsibility any
where, and nobody liable to blame. So it
is in the case of steamboats, when they
blow up or take fire, and hundreds of lives
are lost. They are all accidents, and no.
body liable to blame. Even sometimes
the few that escape are induced to sign
their names to documents rejecting the
highest credit on the captain, master or
clerk, for their attention to the passengers
remaining after the accident.
Singularly enough too, notwithstanding
all the experience that one would suppose
might be derived from them, these acct
dents continue to happen just as frequent
~ and just fatally they used to do
when railroads and steamboats, were but ex-
periments. Railroad bridges get out of
order, iron rails get loose, car machinery
gives way, steamboat boilers burst, or fire
is communicated to the boat, and in nearly
every instance human life is sacrificed, and
the number of lives lost all over the coun-
try during the year is really fearful. Yet
scarce an effort is made to prevent their
recurrence, Or to make proper inquiry into
the causes that led to them.
/ In comparing the number of accidents of
the kind referred to that happen among US
with those that occur in Europe, we find
that the latter are fewer and farther be-
tween. In England they are not so fire.
quent, on the continent they are of still
more rare occurrence. Why is this so 2
The reason is obvious. They entertain a
higher regard for human life than we do
here. They make every one of those acct
dents a case for strict judicial inquiry.
They look upon them all with suspicion,
| and believe that in most of them some
body is liable to blame. Consequently
when an accident occurs accompanied by
loss of life, the persons directly in charge
are arrested and held responsible for it.
All the circumstances are closely inquired
into, scientific and experienced men are ex-
amined as to the causes that led to it, and,
if it should prove that it was the result of
causes that those in charge could not rea-
sonably have anticipated or prevented, of
course the parties arrested are discharged.
But if it should appear that it was the re-
suit of n neglect or a want of proper atten-
ton to duty, they are subject to be tried for
manslaughter. In those countries they
have very little sympathy for people who
have no regard for human life, and, if, after
II careful examination into all the circum-
stances, wilful carelessness, or neglect is
found to be at the bottom, they are very
apt to get the full penalty of the law. This
strict inquiry, and this enforcement of the
law protecting human life, which is, OF
should be, the first great object of all civil
lized governments, make men in those old
countries more cautious and careful in the
performance of duty, even if not from any
regard for human life, at least to avoid get
ting into trouble themselves.
If the same careful supervision in such
cases were exercised in this country as is
usual in the old, the accidents which star
tie us nearly every day would become less
frequent and less fatal, and there would be
"a great saving of human life throughout
the land. w.
A philosopher says, "The longer live
the more find out, and am rapidly COM
ing to the conclusion that the more l ii nd