The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-12


London wehave news of the exciting and alarm
ing fact that His Majesty Emperor William Of
Germany was shot at by an assassin whils
he was engaged in reviewing the Russian
troops in st. Petersburg. He had .
narrow escape from death. The ball
passed through the helmet which he wore,
and wounded, even after its transit through
the plates of steel, one of the adju-
tants of the royal staff who was
serving near the Kaiser. The officer suffered
severely. The assassin was evidently intent
on his work. 1t is said that he is priest.
The Gar Alexander of Russia ordered a Sc
ries of military parades in honor of his impe-
rial visiting brother from Prussia. Fifty
thousand troops were manoeuvred on the
ground at st. Petersburg on one of these occa-
sions, and it may have been on that day that
the assassin made his attempt to accomplish
an act of the most dastardly character
in ITSELF and which, if successfully
accomplished against the life of the
venerable parsonage who now Yields the scep-
tire of the German Empire, might have pro-
duced the most extraordinary and wonderful
consequences on the governmental system in
Europe-not only in Berlin, but on the
banks of the Danube, the Bosphorus, the
Vistula, the Neva and the Tiber and else-
where The Prussian Prince now Emperor
William, was assailed by an assassin in the
year 1849, and our readers have not forgotten
the attempt which was made a few years since
against the life Of the Gar of Russia in Paris.
London journals in their issue this morning
vary the location Of the place Of the commits
sion of the crime, but all agree that the Kaiser
| was fired upon, and by priest.
The Man with Wings.
| He is found at last Let us kiss the hem Of
Darwin's overcoat, and discern in Lord Lyt-
tons Coming Race" deeper mea4ins than
we found there before. N. Harnois- Conda-
mine, professor Of physiology, publishes, in
the "R6vue DIES Merveilles Scientifques,'
description of an abnormal family living al
Auvergne. We are not told whether each
member of the family possesses these anatom-
ical peculiarities, but in those that do the
muscles Of the trunk and upper extremities
are greatly enlarged, the clavicles and scapula
are abnormally large, and the breast is pigeon
shaped A post-mortem examination of one
member of the family showed the clavicle to
be one-third larger in diameter than the cor
responding bones Of the largest men. The
scapula or shoulder blade was nearly twice as
long as the average scapula, and was bounded
by layers and bundles of large muscles. The
sternum descended to within two inches of the
uroh;I;o,,C ocd woo mora fhop vroport, lxy
widened, and the pectoral and intercostal mus
cles were enormously developed. M. Harnois-
Condamine, or whoever wells himself beneath
that signature, argues that in this frightening
of the clavicle and scapula, and this very great
enlargement Of the pectoral, dorsal and abb
dominal muscles a change from the human to
the bird type is indicated. He examined q
young son of the deceased and found him to
be the counterpart Of his father-only more
SO. The boy triumphantly approached nearer
the bird type than his papa, and even dis
played new abnormalities in the shape of third
eyelids and rudimentary wings, the latter con-
sisting of. triangular flap of the skin forming
continuous connection between the upper
portion Of the arms and back.
We can imagine the delight with which the
worshippers of Mr.. Darwin will greet every
argument which tends to prove that new
departure has been made toward another type
of man, and that q new human species, fur
nished with wings, is about to be evolved. We
are not so sanguine as M. Harnois- Condamine
that the perfectly winged man will make his
appearance within generation. Our heartiest
sympathies with him and his Investigations
scarcely warrant us in expecting more than o
few feeble and broken futterings on the part
of the stray members of the winged
dispensation, who will, Of course. now
begin to make their appearance at
intervals during the next half century.
But, in common with all who take an interest
in the theory of evolution and in the ultimate
destiny Of the human race, we shall look with
deep concern upon those more advanced
members of the human family whose pigeon
breastedness ignorance brands as deformity,
and we shall cherish secret curiosity to
know the diameters OF the clavicles of all our
intimate friends 1t is pleasant to know that
humanity for six thousand years has been en-
tertaining in itself an angel unawares Only
the wings were wanting, and we are as much
obliged to M. -Condamine for telling
us what we are going to become as to Mr.. OAR
win for informing us what we have been. The
emblem of humanity is crescent, with
monkey at the lower cusp and q bird at the
upper one. All that lies between is the swell
from beginning to centre, and refinement
dwindles up to consummation. Less than
angel, more than ape, is our present condi-
ton, and NJ. Harnois- Condamine is the kindly
mediator who reconciles Darwin with David,
the descent of Man. with the fifth verse Of