The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-26

ANAS W -
Barberism and Civilization Side by
side-Whers Il the Remedys
The appalling details Of the suferings of
Mary Rowland and the cruelty of the step
mother and stepsister, Mrs. Rowland and Miss
Baptist, In Philadelphia, as given by our cor
show what fend-like beings In
human form exist In the midst Of our civilized
society. Indeed, the catalogue of dreadful
crimes which the press has 10 record from day
to day il enough to startle the community and
to raise the question whether, with all our
boasted civilization, We are not retrograding.
Very often the vile and maddening stuff sold
for liquor at the numerous grogshops, corner
groceries and bars, sets the brain on fire and
arouses the worst passions, and then murder
follows. The crime in Carmine street is
another out of many cases in point Even
nights sleep did not cure Broderick OF the
effects of the poison he had taken as beverage.
Under its influence he felt no restraint, and
he nurderously attacked his own chill
dren, killing one son and dangerously
wounding another. how many crimes, alas J
have we to notice from the same cause
Sometimes, however, murder Is induced by
cupidity, or springs from an inherently wicked
and cruel nature. Such crime as that at
Philadelphia, which il almost q murder-a
sort Of slow murder by systematic cruelty
could only be perpetrated by those whose
hearts wore utterly hardened. We have read
of avaricious and cruel-hearted schoolmasters
Of the Squeers type, of unfeeling and unscru-
pulous administers, and not unfrequently Of
cruel fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law, but
never of such deliberate and persistent bru-
tally as that at Philadelphia.
1t seems, really, that tho moro pretence of
virtue there Is in some communities the more
appalling are the crimes committed In them.
Philadelphia claims the merit Of being very
moral and orderly place, and, weare willing to
admit large portion Of its population is
respectable. Still the revelations lately made
by our correspondents show that in no city is
there grosser immortality. though frequently
covered over by an outward show of decency
or by q veil being thrown over it. There Is
good deal of tho same Puritanical spirit in
Philadelphia as in Boston, which makes o
show of responsibility at the front door, while
the side or back door is open to vice and un-
cleanness. It Is just this sort of hypocrisy
which hardens and demoralizes q COM
munity and leads to such horrible
cruelty as that of Mrs. Rowland, as
well as to the frightful orgies in Phila-
delphia that have been exposed in this paper.
There Is in juxtaposition with our boosted
civilization. particularly in the large cities,
fearful amount of decentralization. Where is
the remedy? Better police regulations and
more vigilant police force would help to re-
move the evil But what is most needed Is q
more general and higher order of education
Then, those who assume to work for the morals
and salvation of the community, the minis
tiers Of religion and the churches, pay little
attention to the poorer classes. They, to-
gether with the wealthy, could do much more
to instruct and reclaim the vicious and to
break up the haunts of vice. 1t is o sad re-
Election that in the midst of our Christian
civilization. and where costly churches are
erected in almost every square of our cities,
crime should be so rampant and vice prevail
so much.
Nine-tenths of the murders and other crimes
Of violence in New York and other large cities
arise probably from drunkenness, and gener-
ally from that maddening drunkenness which
the poison of adulterated liquors induces. 1t
is unnecessary to go into the anatomy of
drunkenness to show how different into1i-
eating drinks affect individuals or how differ
emit natures are affected by them. Drunken
ness is bad enough from any kind of intoxi-
eating drink, from the best wines as we'll as
from the worst whiskey. Some natures, too,
are set on fire to madness and deeds Of vio-
lence by any intoxicating drink, and some
times by o small amount of it comparatively.
But every one knows that the poisonous COM
pounds sold at the numerous grogshops, cor
ner groceries and bars in this city have q
much worse effect than good wine or
pure liquor. They brutalize people and
make them crazy, and, even when
the fumes of excitement pass off,
leave the victims in morose condition. Men
become tigers first and bears afterwards, and
ore ready in both their savage conditions to
commit deeds of blood. The worst passions of
Broderick. as we have instanced, were exhib-
tied when in stupefed condition in the
morning after sleeping away to some extent
the drunkenness Of the night before In his
case, no doubt, as in many others, the poison
he imbibed operated after the first exciting
effect passed away. There Is murder in it all
the time, whether the brain is violently slim
ulated or subsidies into cruel moroseness. The
verdict Of the Coroner's jury in the case Of
Broderick, that the staying Of his son was