Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-11-03

RIoHTs-THE HOWL OVER THE cENsus-THE
| LECTURE sEAsoN-MRs. LANDERs READINa-THE
SOCIAL SCIENCE CONVENTION.
/ Special Correspondence Of tie Commercial.
PHILADELPHIA, October 2s.
The acquittal of Police Officer Max was not
surprising. The case was really one of marked
interest and the officer had the sympathy OF
nearly everybody, including numerous viragoa
who gave the strongest testimony in his behalf.
was especially struck with the out and out man
ner and speech Of Mrs. Ann Cheney on the
witness stand. 1t was, if you will believe me,
Richnlond-up and down. Those who know that
| favored locality are aware of the fshwoman
flavor that pervades it. 1t is not to say that !
| should like Mrs. Cheney for my friend when
| declare that should not care to have her for a
foe. But no matter for that. Her talk, and
that OF other homely witnesses like her was rough,
| but it was very much to the point. It showed
very clearly that the officer was doing no more
than his duty and that he had exhibited in fact
| q greater forbearance than most men would have
shown under the same circumstances. The young
| rnffians knocked him down and walked over him
twice, and were about attacking him q third time
when he fred the shot that proved fatal.
This case was important not only as deciding
the limits Of Police officers authority but as
| showing how far drunkenness can be accepted
as an excuse for lawlessness, or rather from the
penalty Of lawlessness. With such precedent
as this there is some ground to hope that the
tyranny of the drunken man in our courts may
be abated. The plea in his behalf is as absurd
as it is wicked How often do we hear-tah,
poor fellow--it is very sad of course--but he
should not be punished-he did not know what
he was doing !" Beautiful logic, that. will
admit it's coherence only where the wretched
party is 80 mentally imperfect as not to know
the demoralizing effect of strong drink. Such
parties should not be abroad at all, and 80 we
would be safe in any event.
This venerable imbecility was once more used
as an argument in the Max case. Judge Ludlow
summarily disposed Of it however. He charged
the jury that IL Welsh was sane enough to
commit the offence he was sane enough to stand
the consequence. If man is absolutely drunk
rolling and snorting like his fellow-hog--he is
incapable of mischief and the plea that he ''does
not know what he is doing" has some truth in
it but when he, with all his wits (such as they
are) about him, deliberately transforms himself
from man to fiend, and then proceeds to run
q muck among his law abiding fellow citizens
his senses not deadened but infuriated by the
vile stuff he has gorged himself with then let
him do it with the assurance that he runs the
frightful risk Of being treated like the wild
animal he is. That was the point. put here in
language not strictly judicial perhaps, of Judge
Ludow's charge to the jury. And the jury sus-
tanned him after barely leaving the box.
There is wonderful pother here to be sure
about the census. The dignity of Philadelphia
is fearfuly hurt. Instead of rolling up at least
800, 600, it seems that we are credited with only
659-and something over but " the hapenny to
be dem'd," as Mantalini says. IN. B. Always
credit your profanity to somebody else--you thus
produce your effect and save your reputation.)
OF course we don't believe it. The statement is
preposterous on it's very face. What! that over
grown braggart, that self-styled metropolis,
New York, to increase ITO, 600 since the last
enumeration, and the Quaker City, the hope Of
the country. when it gets fenced in, and has its
Paid Fire Department, and suppresses Fox's
Immoral show-the Quaker City to count only
80, 900 additional in the same time The idea is
t.x11 l.l.. ~ a. I,,,,aI
delphia virtuously indignant, has worked herself
into firm conviction that " some one has blum
dered" Marshall Gregory is the most abused
man at tais minute you ever saw. The more
earnest citizens anathemize Lin in the manner
of the elder Shandy-in the roots of his hair. in
his joints, and in the sockets of his eyes. The
more liberal, deprecating such violence as this,
affirm at least that the Marshall has no head for
figures. The very children pooh-pooh him.
Now why-oh WHY'S this? Enthusiasm is
sometimes a beautiful thing, but when it makes
us lose our head it is not SO beautiful. There is
no such wonderful disparity in the proportion of
increase between New York and Philadelphia.
New York gains III. 900, but It was on popula-
90, 900 on population of less than 100000. In
effect Philadelphia is ahead. But we mourn
because the magical numeral is not reached.
The old story you will observe. New York
we touched the figure 8 We doubtless would
think it ought to be 8. There is an old song
that says, (or n,isht.)
Go to Canton thou ninDy.
Consider its size and be wise =
or Pekin, or London and then brag no more
Of your little cities OF million or 30. Philadel-
phia will doubtless have million some of these
days, and the citizen of the period will then
claim that she has 1,2O0,0 900 at the very least
1t ia pleasing sometimes to acknowledge your
self to have been in error. am very glad to
admit that was wrong in my estimate of the
cananitv Of phila1alphia for taking in lart11rpl
1t seems that We have plenty of stomach for
three week. Pugh is beginning to be sorry
that he let up on the public 30 easily, and that
he did not announce his lectures daily afternoon
and evening, after the old Barnum and Circus
plan. The season has been, taking its ayerage,a a
splendid one. The Academy of Music has been
brilliant with the very best people in the city.
Mrs. Lander, however, on the occasion of her
reading of "a Midsummer-Night's Dream" gave
her audience little more than it bargained for.
A reading Of three hours and quarter is nov
city no matter what else we call it. At 81
O'Clock the lady made halt, with the significant
words "End of the First Act" Immediately
there was ''break" in all parts of the Academy.
The staid folks, quiet Quaker bodies and the
like, who had reconciled themselves to hearing
an actress read stage play, because the enter
| tainment WAS on Lecture Course thought they
] had heard enough, and that it was the time that
| lectures generally ended; and those oven who
| entirely enjoyed and appreciated Mrs. Lander's
| fine reading looked forward to the prob.
| able termination of the entertainment with
| dsmay. Such pace could not be kept up
however, and tho remaining acts were read in
another hour and half. The time, and the al
| lowance for the interspeised music had evident
ly not been well considered. 1t is little surpri
| sing that 10 experienced person as Mrs. Lam
der should have made such mistake. She had
| evidently intended toread even more than she did
| In giving this play great prominence il always
| awarded the clowns tile strongfested men OF
Athens" They make the most entertaining
part of the performance for most people. And
their strong scene il at the very end of the play
when the Lamentable Tragedy of "Pyramut
| and Thisbe" is performed by Nick Bottom ant
his companions. Without doubt Mrs. Lander
had especially prepared herself for this scene
But it is long and by the time it was reached
it was already II O'clock 30 with the lame
announcements play is then perform
ed"-the Reader gave the few closing
speeches and ended. 1t must have been painful
and mortifying to the artist, and to add to the
awkwardness of the situation, people were leav
ing the house continually. She will know bette
next time.
The number of people interested in socia
Science" is probably not large in any communi
ty-outside of Boston. Still, the utter failure
Of the convention lately held is little strange
1t might be supposed from the space that TIN
doings of the convention took up in the paper
that the meetings were attracting great deal o
attention. But in fact the show was all in tn
papers. The speeches were furnished to tn
|
ali. The convention last year, held in one Of tn
western cities, was largely successful, and it wa
thought that i'll deciding upon Philadelphia 70
the late sesson--a place noted for its college
and professional men, that exactly the righ
thing had been done. But it seems not. Whethe
. the matter was badly managed, or whether, II,
matter, how brightly administered, the peopl
cannot be got to show an interest in matters 8
far beneath the surface.-does not appear
would seem though, that If there had been les
of set speech making, and more time had bee
, devoted to general debate, inviting free ex
preston of opinion from all thinkers, the resul
might have been different. But the manager
had number of (real or fanciedD big guns OIL
, their hands, and when opportunity had been give
them all to express their views, there was
+ chance for debate. Some of the speeches how
!, ever, were admirable. Notably impressive wa
that of Mr.. Hare, on minority Representation.
But enough for once. INDEX.
The Centreville Observer Oemocratic) navel
says: 1.-THE entire negro vote Of the First Con
gressional District is 10,6S6. The Democrat
majority in 1868 was S,112. The reader will sc
at glance that something must be DONE" We
yes, We think it might be safely inferred that th
, reader would see that, and that going further