New-York tribune., 1873-02-15

|
IL WILL doubtless be remembered that Vce-Presi-
dent Colfax was Frustrated with sudden and alarm
ing illness two years ago, causing his friends
| throughout the country serious anxiety. The at
tack in the nature of partial paralysis, and was
believed both by himself and his physician to have
been brought on by excessive smoking. With the
frankness of manner which has always been MIR.
Cofax's leading characteristic and has contributed
so largely to his popularity he publicly stated his
belief that this was the cause of his illness, and
| Herewith his decision to abandon 80 injurious a
habit. He has not, are credibly informed IN
| dulged in the of tobacco since that time; but
there is impression among his most intimate
friends that no has never entirely recovered
from tho prostration caused by that attack.
Indeed some of his friends who in positions to
know do not hesitate to express the opinion that the
unpleasant entanglements into which he has been
led in connection with the Oakes Ames disclosures
are directly related to the impairment OF his facul-
ties by disease two years ago. This theory, though
covering unpleasant intelligence. will yet be received
by thousands Of warm friends of the Nice-President
throughout the country with something like gratii-
cation Offering a perfectly satisfactory expana-
tion of what was beginning to be considered in a
light preiudcal his character for truthfulness. 1t
is said TO be the belief of the Presidents family
| among Others, that Mr.. COlfaxs memory i'm
paired at the time of the attack referred to- and that
his repeated denials of facts asserted by Mr. Ames
and corroborated by record evidence only be
accounted for upon the ground that all knowledge
of the transaction has passed from his memory.
There could not be a more melancholy instance of
the injurious effects of the excessive Of tobacco
1--WE are happy to know that the people Of his
own district have not been mised by the cormo-
| aofW oh; Ma. -Ynrk nd
is what his own local newspaper says of tho immac
ulate Cakes Ames It's a very neat thing to say, but
| what in the name of common sense, does it mean
Why cOrmoTantsT So far we can see, it is 1T
| by any means the cormOrants who are finding fault
with o. A. And why should those who merely state
facts and comment upon them be called "mercenary
writers |" They have MT had any Credit Mober
stock or any of 0akes's little dividends, have
they And is MT this rather drolli mo eff
fort has been left untried to sully his (Oakes
| Ames's) name, break down his reputation, and
destroy him and his business reputation
But the suddenness with which the shafts of abuse
have been turned away from him, aud leveled at
those who sought to crush him and only fell into the
pit they dug themselves, would be amusing, if it
were not for painful commentary upon our Ameri-
can customs" Would be amusing! Well if Oakes
Ames and his defenders can be amused by the turn
which affairs have taken, and entertained by revela
tions which would make sensitive scamps cut their
| throats, we have another proof of the wonderful
elasticity of human nature well as of its unspeak
! able powers of endurance. But why snub
American customs :" Should it be American
custom when man is caught bribing lawmakers,
and afterward lying about it, to assert that he is all
that il pure and honorable and veracious Mr..
Ames is in too tight place to be extricated by such
hdde-fadde generalitles as these. They had better
be dropped.
| What were the windows in public halls made for
For what use were the ventilators in railway cars
intended Certainly not to give afr 10 the wretched
beings who gasp within those ornamental precincts.
Stenway Hall, for Instance-which has sufficient
means of ventilations when filled by large audi
| ence. a kind of mild Black-Hole. The confined air
is bad enough, but still worse is the aggravating
| knowledge that it is entirely unnecessary, and is
only caused by ignorance and carelessness On some
of tho railway lines about NewYork the ventlators
scarcely ever found open and violent headache
| is the almost inevitable consequence of an hours
ride. On the New-Haven and Harlem Roads it is
said that travel is quite without exception rendered
delightful by hot stoves and closed ventiatOrs and
no appeals to conductors sufficient to open those
windows which are small enough at best. No one
expects that lecture-roOm ushers and train officials
will understand hygiene but why shouldn't the
people who know better and have the power make
rules for ventilation which the men they employ can
comprehend and be forced to executei This is not
by any means a small matter to those who travel OF
go to lectures and concerts in cold weather.
| Mr. Lucas wooed Mrs Markham in Middletown,
| Conn. He alleges that he spent $500 in cOurting
! her. and that in consideration thereof she promised
TO join herself unto him. but though often requested,
now refuses to do, and in fact cannot do it, for
| the plain and simple reason that she has married
| Markham, who might make objection to her becOm-
| ing Lucas. We mention the case because it is
one of those rare breach of-promise suits in which
tho plaintiff is a man. We don't know that we
| blame Lucas. Six hundred dollars is good deal of
| money to waste upon woman who doesn't know
her own mind and perhaps has no mind to know.
In beautiful contrast let record the fact that
Atho Mass, gentleman who has been long living
in California has, after courtship of 25 years,
turned to the home of his childhood to DO married
to the lady of his youthful love. Ten years ago he
tried to do it, but was waylaid and robbed Forth
! with he went back to the Golden State in still
single state, where he gained another fortune; and
now at last his touching fidelity, we hope, is to be
| rewarded.
| The Cambridge Museum. though not finished is
said TO be q better working institution than the jar
| din des Plantes or the British Museum. According
to Prof Agassz, it is better museum than Cuyier
ever saw. Its collection of fishes exceeds those of
the French aud English Museums put together, and
DR.. Steindachner of Vienna, who is arranging
il. is one of the best chthyologists in the
| world The greatest living entomologist, DR..
| Hagar, has charge of the insects and the
| eight laboratories have prominent natu-
rast at the head of each. OF the amount of
Al tt,,f;o