Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-08-30
FIRST EDITION.
PHILAD DELPHlA.
our sATuRD LETTER.


made towards the selection of plans for the ES-
position Buildings, but otherwise the Centennial
has run itself for many months and new life
must be put into tho project now or never. 1t
will do no body any harm, l suppose, to con-
fess that the original plan for raising funds was
an entire failure. Books we're issued, and de-
positories for the receipt Of subscriptions were
assigned but scarcely any one walked up to the
captains Office. The sanguine Shoemaker, and
the other managers thought by this time to
have had the whole of the ten millions in hand.
while the fact is that the receipts outside Of
Pennsylvania have not paid the expense of put
ting the subject before the people, This being
the case in has been determined to set about
the work in a more direct manner. The Finance
Committee has been divided into number OF sub
Committees charged severally with the personal
canvassing of the different sections of the coun-
try. The States aud Territories have been divided
INTO districts. and proportion of the estimate
Centennial expense assigned to zach section, ac-
according to the population. This proportion is
further divided into individual sums, apportoned
among the different householders and well-to-do
citizens Of the various sections, and it is hoped
thus to make the appeal personal to every lndl-
vidual able to contribute. To attract the requl-
site attention it il further designed to hold pub
lie meetings at all prominent points, similar to
the adjnrations and COMPUTATIONS Of a political
campaign
This is the present plan, and it is live, Wig
orous one. But many practical persons will at
once make the point that it is also a very expen-
sive one. To put all this machinery in notion
to hold all these meetings. and to pay for the
printing rent, music and all other things neces-
sary, will make formidable hole in the sub
scriptiOns received. Even though large por-
tion of the services OF various kinds should DO
gratuitOus the expense, nevertheless, will be
great. The whole truth is that the National
and State Governments should take an
active interest in the Centennial. An
Exposition Of some kind will be held,
even if Pennsylvania has to bear the whole
expense, but without Government help, and even
If by tremendous labor the ten millions should
be raised by individual subscriptions, the affair
eau scarcely be made national, much less inter-
national. The history of other worlds fairs be-
ing considered this must be admitted. The SLOW
ness and reluctance of people distant from
Philadelphia to contribute is very easily under
stood. The States immediately about Pennsyl-
vania may catch something of the enthusiasm,
but 1t is scarcely reasonable to expect even these
near neighbors to feel about it just as We do
ourselves. And yet all are called upon to cen-
tribute in all equal proportion. 1t will not do,
nor will all the spread-easle talk from now until
the 4th OF july 1876 make 1t do. Congress must
take hold. and il the present energy was directed
| solidly against Washington instead OF being dl-
vsrted all over the country it would be produc
| tive OF more solid result.
The Mnnce Tragedy to which 1 alluded last
week-tho finding of the unfortunate farmer in
| pickle" waiting the pleasure OF the medical
stu.ients--has led to some startling develop-
ments. No doubt all the parties concerned, the
| University the COrouer's officials aud the Nor
| gus Administration would have been best
| pleased to have the matter drop without any dis
| ,reeable investigation, but the papers have
done their full duty in the matter, and de-
ferlnined feeling has been used, that the Of
icials dared not trlll3 with. Toe subject IL one
that every man and woman takes direct in
tsrest in for the sancty OF the grave ls matter
| that appeals to us all. We have eech OF us had
our breads upon the subject, and the case OF MIR.
| Munce Is agtated in the conviction that his fate
| may be that OF any one under certain circum-
stances
There is a danger, however, that the popular
Indignation is drifting out of it's proper channel.
Frou the first inclination to search the records
i OF the IN )rgue and learn the method OF these
/ shocking procedures, attention IS mostly dl-
| rected ut present to the state OF things at the
medical schools, and to rather vague protests
| against the enOrmites, they are termed, prac-
| ticed in the cause of science But the prime COM
| plant, it seems to me, should be against the dead
house rather than the colleges. The morgue ~
/ by law bound TO place at public view all unknown
L bodies and to Offer prolonged opportunity for
Il their Identification. There is every reason to
believe that their regulations have been syste-
matlcay evsded, and that bOdle have been
hurried through without the publicity demanded
i by law. II We sift the matter down, this is-in
| the light of the recent testimony of DIR. Hodge
| Demongtrator of Anatomy at the University Of
| Pennsylvania, of nearly all that can be said
| against the morguo and the cnroners Office
| There is All act OF assembly providing for the
| disposal of such remains for dlssecting pur-
posse. but it il vital matter that they sould be
| first exposed q sufficient time for Identification.
| II the provisions Of the Law had been complied
| with, Mr.. Munce's remains would doubtless have
been claimed by his relatives without going
through the shocking formula to which they
| we're submitted This is what mean by saying
| tI .,na ind at u aliphty off the rack
| People have bon horrided by the description OF
the dead pits at the University, (and the condi-
| ton of things there does, indeed, seem to be
| without excuse) and have run to the extreme
conclusion that any disposition of the poor ten
| ants OF the morgue, other than their lnterment
in the earth, is criminal
In point Of fact, however, the Schools pre-
sent an irrefutable case TO all persons intell-
gent aud unprejudiced enough to look at the
matter IN its true light. Subjects must be had;
the whole Science OF Medicine, and all that the
study of that Science involves for the help OF
| mankind, depends upon it. What is to dc done
Nobody wants to be made a subject" OF, con-
seuuently subjects must be had against the
| will or else doctors-and especially surgeons
cannot be educated Even il there was law
donating tine bodies of executed malefactors to
| the dissecting ROOM the supply would be insult
fct mt. 1t is truly difficult question, and the
more earnest and liberal 4 man may b5, the
harder he finds it to answer. II there was any
, | considerable portion of man and woman KIND
l
induce them to will their bodies to the knife the
trouble would be over but we rarely hear OF
such instances of generosity. The surgeon
. saws. then it is admitted that we must have
| the material, and as a choice must be made 1t ID
: the least irving to select it from the element
which has the least claim upon society. the
, | rogues, the Migrants, and the unknown. Rec
ognIzing tho difficulty, the Legislature of tnil
, | Slate passed the act referred to Ihe best We
7 can do is to keep out of the Morgue, and thinl
| as little about the whole matter as possible.
: case has been made public, this week, which
may serve as a warning to the builders OF inse
! cure houses. Bonus" houses, contractors cal
them, though "bogus" is the term plain peop
prefer to use have before now related to yor
| instances OF the deterioration of real estate
. | caused by the wholesale erection OF these worth
. less tenements. The method of procedure il
this. The principal contracts with number o
: | mechanics, - carpenters brickayers, masons
plumbers, painters, &C., = TO do all the work il
| their respective lines for the entire row 0
}, houses it is proposed to build They are t.
= take their pay in one or more houses, each, &C
3. cording to the extent of work done. The build
y ing materials are obtained on credit, and as noth
10 ing is paid for labor a smart operator pays n
money at the outset to speak of. When th
h houses are well under way tine contractt
!, mortgages his portion of the row an
a | thus paws for the material When a
/. is done he OWLS perhaps half of the gross IT
7 sut, with no greater expenditure than the doin
l m n