The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-07-22
TIE MURDERous CONTRACTION.


gion and exacting its deadly tribute from
every class and community. The seeds
of vice which have been sown under the
surface Of society are ripening fast, and
crime succeeds crime with appalling ra-
pidity. Every day seems to bring forth
some fresh murder of unusual .atrocity,
fresh evidence Of the wickedneSs OF the
unrestrained passions OF the human heart
The foundations of all social and domes'
tic confidence have become 50 shaken by
the multitude and enOrmity Of the sins
that are upon us-murders, suicides, for
geries, etc, In such paraiyzing succession
that man knows not whence the next
shaft may come, nor where to turn to es-
cane the bosom Of destruction that Is
sweeping over the land. Surely We hear
rs of old, tue pathetic lament
Ut is not an open enemy that hath done
this thing, for then / could hdB borne ii /:
neither NB IL mine GiUerSary that did rise
updgainSt me, for then perGdUeRtlire IWOuId
hduShM mySel + from him; butt lOGS ODeR
then my companion, my guide, and my OsH
familiar friend. We took street counsel
tQgsthsr, and 1dLEeG Ogethsr as friends"
It is positively dreadful to think how
lorclblo an illustration of this kind ofepi-
lemic Is afforded us by the history of the
last lew months Wsseem, indeed, 70 be
taking resume OF the worlds follies and
crimes. .....,
All history is full OF examples Of the
tendency OF opinion when once promul-
gated to run into epidemic form. In
thought, motion, expression, and action,
mind has q powerful action upon mind
nothing is too absurd to assume this col
lectiVe character. The mass Is acted
upon by suggcstlon-the mass reacts
upon the individual by intensifying every
development Of emotion. In this man
ner indiDidnI crime operates, and pro-
duCes great numbers Of limitations; and
then, horrible crimes become epidemic on
popular-homicide, inhnticide, suicide,
poisoning, and every other diabollcal hu.
man Conce ption. One murder OF great
atrocily Is constantly followed by others,
vieing with It in horror. Hence, De
Qulncy's remark in bis brilliant chapter
entitled Murder considered rs one oil the
Fine Arts" with regard to crime, that ut
never rains but IL pours."
In certain countries crime Of various
kinds appears 70 be endemic, and even 10
DO Incorporated In the forms of religion
peculiar To them. Assassination was one
ofthe principal ObserMnces among the Old
Man OF the Mountain, sect which lasted
nearly two centuries, and carried dismay
and terror into every court In Europe.
Iniahticide is the religion Of the llindOosi
and 1t Is stated upon good authority that
tho number of infants Killed in one year
In the two provinces Of Clutch and Guze.
rat was thirty thousand. In China II Is
also endemic, and the number Of children
slain In PGkin alone Is about nine thou.
sand annually. In the South Sea Ishnds,
the Sandwich lslands, and Ceylon the
same character Of bntChery Is as extern
sively practiCed. In HindOOstan many
hundreds lay violent hands on themselves
each year, three fourths being women.
Robbery is endemic IL Italy, inCendlarism
and murder in Ireland. But while these
seem to be the favored habttdtS ofthe special
crimes mentioned, yet aaytohere are the
seeds Of evil sown deep under the surface
of society and are yielding large har-
vest Of bitter fruits.
Now n brothers hand is raised against
his brother, u sons against his father
now II is tic mother who forgets even
her natural instincts and lifts u murder.
GUS hand upon her child; and again the
nearest and dearest relation OF life Is vic.
cntly seyered by tho administration Of
secret poison. Here IL isa suicide, the
consequence and selEimposed penalty for
other crimes-mainly drunkenness; then a
forgery, bringing ruin upon thousands Al
another tune religious controversy falsely
sNCHlled) will arouse the most feroCious
passions, provoking mutual prosecutions
bloOd.shel, and wars; at another, resist.
anco 10 constituted authority will spread
over half u world las in the year 1913,
which IN its rapid and simultaneous
march, resembles the most violent bodily
disorder. ..
And why oil these sad penaltlesS The
philosopher recognizes no accident; there
Is no phenomenon without u cause; nc
cause hui such as Is reducible to law and
upon this stable foundation he interrogates
the startling problems Of sociology which
are everywhere pressing themselves for
consideration. In this study the wisest
statesmen and the most experienced phi
lantlGroplSts are engaged. EDUCATrON-
not instruction l-secuar and religious is
the first remedy. "a little knowledge Is a
dangerous thing" and encourages the
commission Of crime. Mr.. Hill, in his
work on "Crime," places bad training and
Ignorance at the head Of his list ofcatses
He says 1.-THE great majority of those
tcrmihals) that have come under my OBJ
servation have been found TO bav6 beer
either greatly neglected In childhood, and