Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-11-24
PHILADELPHIA.

1nl4AOCAIh Ill.,
END OF THE HANLoN TnIAL-How FAR SHOULD
THE DETAILS OF CRIMINAL TRIALS BE MADE
PUBLIC s-ANoTHER BOOK STORE 6oNE-THE
NEW METHODIST TEMpLE-LArTER DAY CHURCH
ARcHITEcTURE-cATHEDRA AND MEETING
HOUSES.
Special Correspondence Of he Commercial.
PHILADELPHIA, November IS.
The terrible Hanlon trial is over and everybody
feels relieved. For three weeks this wretched
thing hung like nightmare over the town. Day
after day were its vile details spread out before
the people until one almost grew to question the
propriety Of open trials Of criminal cases. and
most decidedly did condemn the publication Of
such awful evidence as was laid before the
Court in this trial.
The absolute freedom of the citizen to go, and
see, and hear, and perfectly unfettered Press
cannot, I am we'll aware, be too jealously guard
ed, but there is certainly another side to the
question. Innocence has its rights. Properly, a
moral, religious and law-abding community
should make itself the especial guardian of the
Innocent. 1t should strive to throw every hedge
and safeguard around that Gt is to be feared)
decreasing element in our society. What, in
btehu VI tuiot 10 tuo ioai Bitb Vi thou6htiOnn
and careless social policy? Is it not to break
down all restrictions3 To not merely rub the
bloom from the peach, but to make the fruit
rotten to the very core?
1t is not saying too much to affirm that the
revolving details of this case have made the
possibilities for Human Nature for wickedness
known to thousands of young people, who, with
out this information, might have remained for
ever in ignorance of things which, it can donopos-
sible good to know-on the contrary, which it is a
positive disadvantage to know. If it were notfor
one consideration, this thought would be quite
intolerable. If it were demonstrated that our en-
tire youth were irrecoverably corrupted by read
ing such things, there would be rising en- mdsse,
to put such publication down. There ought to
be as 1t is, and in that case it would be assured.
1t is however, blessed provision that the inno-
cent are slow to zee wickedness. They hear and
read tales of crime, without really understanding.
So, though every young girl in Philadelphia
know, thanks to the newspapers, what Hanlon
did, it is fair to suppose that small proportion
of the number appreciate the enormity of his
crime. If their feelings could be analyzed. they
would be found to consist more of fright than
anything else. But while this is so-and thank
heaven that it is !-the fact remains that meal
culabe harm is done by the detailed and displayed
accounts of such barbarities. They are demor-
alizng. and no community was ever yet 30 vir-
tuous, or so well grounded, but that such read
ing would have pernicious result.
Regarding Hanlons conviction suppose there
are not twenty people in delphia-outside
Of the Peace Socety-who do not rejoice thereat.
The belief in his guilt IL universal, but the
opinion that he would be acquitted was almost
as general. The known unwillingness of Juries
to convict upon circumstantal evidence was re-
membered to the prisoners favor. And il Mr..
Brewster had not reopened the case at the last
moment. the result might have been different.
The defence sought to introduce testimony to
invalidate that Of the convict Dunn, but they
could furnish nothing better to that end than
the evidence of some of his fellow prisoners,
men even more dsreputable than himself.
Dunn, on the other hand, was corroborated by
number of respectable people. But this action
Of the defence prevented Counsel from attacking
Dunn's evidence on the score of the worthless
ness of the Witness because they had themselves
introduced witnesses of the same kind. Much
was expected-feared mean-of Mr. Brewster
on this head, and such is his persuasive power
with a jury that 1t is impossible to say what the
verdict might have been, supposing the other
case. That is all over now, however, and the
only question is, will the wretch be hung "Man
never u.s." &c, you know. But If we thought
his man never was to be hung we should ali of
ue be un-blest.
People were rather taken aback on Thursday,
by notice that the prominent book publishing
firm of T. B. Peterson 4 Bros, was to retire
from business, except so far rs relates to the
selling of their own publications. The notice
was thought by many, to mean that the house
was about to finally wind up its affairs. 1t was
at once made known, however, that nothing Of
this sort was intended and that only its miscel-
laneous trade was to be relinquished. The house,
in fact is too far down town for a retail trade.
/ imagined this circumstance to have more to do
with the recent determination than any other.
As to the firm giving its entire attention to its
own publications it may be doubted If their ex-
tent requires such close application to business
Certainly, houses of at least equal extent
Fields 0sgood & Co, in Boston, and Harpers and
Appleton's. in New York. find tune and space
for general business apart from their own pub
lication lists. The Petersons have long cata-
logue, but Dickens novels and few other works
are the only books upon it for which there is
steady demand. The shutting up OF Petersons +
retail rooms, however, makes one less in what
was at the best our limited number of fine book
stores. Philadelphia has always been singularly
il-supplied in this respect, and we shall now be
worse off than ever.
have mentioned in these letters the building
of the magnificent Methodist church at Broad
and Arch streets. After long toll and anxious
waiting the temple has been at last finished, and
last night it was formally dedicated. 1t is some
what pretentiously claimed for this edifce that
| it is, with one exception, the only specimen of
pure gothic, in white marble, in exstence--the
exception being the famous cathedral at Milan.
Whether this is 80 or not, it is none the less a
noble pile, undoubtedly Except our own cathe-
draD the finest church in Philadelphia, and a
genuine ornament to the city. Wilmington has
claimed for Grace Church. believe, the dis
i tinction of being the finest Methodist establish
ment in America, but Grace must now, with what
| grace it can, take comparative back seat.
The erection of this splendid editce suggests
a thought upon the great difference between
| Methodist church building now and what it was
| years back. In old times the Methodists were
nearly as plain as the Quakers. In dress and
speech they were almost as demure as the
Friends and their churches were Injecting
houses" in appearance as well as in name. What
would Wesley and his immediate followers have
thought of the temple at Broad and Arch They
would have deemed it fit only for the Pope and
his ANGELS we may be sure; and If told that il
was a Methodist meeting, they would have
thought that Beelzebub, Baal, and all the othei
old worthless, whose very names young Methodistt
have forgotten, had got close grip upon the
simple church.
This change in church architecture s more Of
less noticeable i'll all the sects, and perhaps M
more among Methodists than with Presbyterian
and Baptists The latter were, in their inception
almost as undemonstrative as the Methodists ant
Quakers. Now, however, they hang out thei
banners gaily, and not only on the outer WALL
but within as we'll. To distinguish different sect
by their styles of building, Except with the
Catholics and to some extent the Episcopalian,
is quite out of the question. Those two splendit
structures at Broad and Arch the Baptis
Brown-stone being opposite the new Methods
church, you will remember-might as read
belong to Universalist or Mormon az to the de
nominations owning and occupying them.
There seems to be a special unfitness ii
Methodism giving itself to these extreme forms
For Methodism was started as protest agains
such things. It was q g come OUT from vanit
and extravaganza in matters temporal as we'll a
spiritual. Wesley found the spirit, as Richelie
did the law, when he commenced to rule for
nerveless king" rotting away in antiqu
sheathes." As a reform,-to give simple men
chance to breathe, tho great Methodist move
ment was started. But how the world ha
swung us around 1t would not become me t
say anything of the spirit Of the church in ou
time, but in form it copies the severest of il
masters of old days. What is the meaning of i,
: As Tennyson says
"Sure within US and without
C0nld our dark wisdom find 1t out
Q There must be answer to our doubt"
But then the trouble is, that our dark wisdom
!, at least that my dark wisdom can't find it ou
= Your readers may be wiser. INDEX.
4 Railroads.