The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-08-07
TERMS $500 PER ANNUMIN ADVANCE

that there is among criminals distinct and
lncurable criminal class, marked by peculiarv
low physical and mental characteristics: that
crime is hereditary in the families of crimi.
mails belonging to this class and that this he
reditary crime is disorder of mind having
close relations of nature and descent to epi-
lepsy, dipsomania, insanity, and other forms
OF fdegeneracy. Yet such persons go ON mar
rylng, and as laws at present exist no one can
interfere. At this moment thousands in this
city are the victims to disease destined to bear
fruit in such forms, which they are transmit
ting to future generations; but although peo-
pie think and talk so much about the value
of health and throw up their hands in horror
and despair when they read of dreadful
cases." these same do nothing whatever to
endeavor to arrest the maladies which in this
greatest OF sesports are sapping the constitu-
tons OF thousands OF men of all classes.
Dreadful indeed is it to reflect that all the
care IN the world, the best diet, the most able
medical advice; in word all the mnst favor
able adventurous aids, are almost as naught
when set against what a man has inherited
from profigate drunken father or grandfa-
ther
Look at that youth of eighteen with his
splendid natural muscle. his well-set figure,
his clear complexion. Contrast him with
the puny, ill-developed scar-necked lad be-
side him. 1t is simply that one derives from
healthy stock, the other from a degen-
crate. Well do such illustrate Horace's Est
in jurencis rirtus."
1t is miserable false delcacy which re-
fuses to look steadily in the face, and to dis
cuss this most deplorable of human ills, on
the plea that such subjects are out of place
in "a family paper.'' This question must
sooner or later assume in New York the i'm
portance which it has acquired in the great
naval-military centres of England. Be 1t re-
membered that it is not to such centres as
these that the evil is confined. Thence its
hideous influence permeates through the land,
and consumption, epilepsy, criminal insanity
are spread abroad. 1t is, indeed, high time
that this subject should meet with urgent at
tention here. Is the health of narions to be
undermined because a spade must not be
called spade, and many people are too re-
fined to consider how they can take means to
mitigate for others the miseries they and
those belonging to them are enduring?
The Times says, it is a common complaint
with Journalists at this season of the year that
subjects" are scarce, but that is an incon-
venience from which Democratic editors are
exempt. When there is nothing else to write
about, it is always possible to "pitch into"
the President. Last Friday one Of these jour
mails published paragraph, of which the fol-
lowing is a portion:
members of the Custom house Ring gave
Grant a private dnner-party in this City on the
arrival of the latter on his way to Overlook
Mountain. The principal subject of their con-
sultation was the failure to use Mayor Have
meyer as the Ring desired, and of getting him
to work all the time in its interest.
1t is much easier to invent this sort of thing
than to get up cholera plnic, or to persuade
the public that there is any vitality left in the
Democratic party. To be sure, every state
ment in the paragraph is untrue, but what
| does Boss Tweed's former advocate care for
| that? There was no Custom-house Ring din
ner given TO Gen. Grant-no dinner at all, In
fact. He passed through this City without
dinner, luncheon, or any other food and he
saw no cue. We fear the Custom-house Ring
neglected its duty, for no member of it even
| called upon tbs President, for which discour-
tesy the whole body ought to be put in Fort
| Lafayette