Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-04-29
NUMBER Is.
The Insanity of Cain.

Inc following are tue Closing para
graphs of a remarkable article in SCRB-
YER's for May, on "The Insanity of Cain :"
In Judging of Cain, look at the situa'
ton. On The one hand, Il terrible family
mystery, no schools. nochurches, no lee.
lures. no society, no amusements' ~
apples On the other hand. the whole
burden of humanity borne for the first
time; patelnal discipline undue phren-
illogical developments; monotonous en-
/ ployment; antediluvian monsters; ante
diluyian parents, and al antediluvian
good brother in whose mouth butter
would have remained inact for ages.
Undoubtedly that brother had m oX'
asrerating smile. lie was happy be
cause he Was yrtuous. lie had n way
Of loIgiving and forgetting that for
time would deprive the offender ol rea'
son itself; above all, he had a cool. coll
lecled manner of his own. added to a
chronic desire to be an angel. His offer.
ings always fulfilled the conditions. His
fires needed only to be lighted, and the
smoke was sure 20 ascend with q satisfied,
confident curl far into the sky.
Gains, on the contrary, refused to
burn. We can see II all. The smoke
struggled and Topped. 1t crept along
the ground, and, cliuging to his feet.
wound about him like serpent. ltgrew
black and angry, shot sideways into his
eyes, binding and strangling him
And there stood Abel beside his pile,
radiant, satisfied, wanting to be an an
gel!
II was but the work OF n moment
The pentup, disorganizing influences ot
life. time found vent in one wild mo-
ment OF emotional insanity. Abel was
no more !
Why dwell upon the tragedy? Tho
world is familiar with its sickening de.
tails. We shall not repeat them here,
nor shall we question the justice OF the
punishment that came to Cain. the re-
morse, the desolation, the sense OF being
n fugitive and vagabond on the face OF
the earth. He had killed his brother,
and The penalty must be paid. SAEe Or
insane, terrible relribution must have
overtakcn him. But how abou; his
guilt Would it have been the same in
either case ? Are hereditary organism,
temperamental excitabiity, emotional
phrenzy not to be considered No.
thousand times 40. Wat competent
Juror" would acquesce in such PROPOSE
ton !
Friends, the time has come when this
case must be taken up. It's mighty l..
sues can no longer be set aside. Ii Cain
was not sane at the moment OF the killing,
the stain OF murder must be wiped from
his brow now and forever. This tardy
justice may at least be done him. Our
children and our children's children must
be taught to speak OF Cam the man.
slaughtcrer; Cain the mentally eXcitable;
Cain the peculiarly circumstanced. Bu
Cain the murderer? Never.
A mans own testimony shall not con.
yict or acquit him. But arc we not to
take into account. A. indicative OF hi-
state of mind, actions and declarations
coiucidenL with the commission OF the
crime alleged against him? II ut or
about the time of the fatal deed. there
was positive evidence of ipccherence
what then? Witness the last recorded
words of Cain:
EVERY ONE THAT FINDErH ME- SHALL
sLAY Me,
Is this the utterance of sane mind?
Ecerv one that findeth me shall slay me
Gentlemen Cain, at this point, was not
only crazy-he was the craziest man that
ever existed. No ordinary lunatic, how
ever preposterous his terrors, expects to
be killed more than once. But to this
poor creature retribution suddenly as
sumed hydra. headed form. His dis
tracted brain, unconscious that Adam
was the only other man in the wide
world, instantly created an immense
population. lie saw himself falling
again and again by the strokes ot sue
cessiye assassins, even rs Abel had fall
en- under hi. hand His first dazcd
glimpse of death expanded and intensi
fed into a horror never since conceived
by mind OF man. His happiness over
thrown; his reas on wreck: prey TO.
fears that stretched before him forever,
with no possible hope of final destruction,
the only consolation is that he could
not foreknow the merciless verdict OF
posterity. lie did not recognize in him
self The First Murderer. Rather than
dream of such ignominy rs this, was II
not better that he should cry in rawlings:
Every one that lindeth me shall slay me
We leave the question to the intelii.
gence and the justice OF this faithful
enlightened century.
JEWS IN PALESTINE. There are now
about sixteen thousand Jews in Pales.