New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-25
The Deteriorated Breed of Ghosts.

The Deter1Ofated bree0 OF OhOstos
The last number of the London !Specta.a
laments what it styles 1.-THE deter;o-atec
breed of ghosts.' and attributes i: 70 the
democratic tendency of the age l. says
with free sprnkling of French words:
TIE ghosts OF q century, o. even half a
century ago-the GHOSTS Of the old school
as they have been cslled-used 20 feel i, a
solemn privilege to be ghosts. They &C
knowledged something grand, something o.
obligation. in their state. 1hev seemed to
say. Uystere oLiiSe, as the nobility used to
say. Nottesse otl'ge. 1t wac not everybody
who could be a gnost. and those who could
were bound to keep up the influence and
dignity Of the order. IN those days
ghosts fed their souls on solitude
and were visible chiefly % the
solitary. They flashed upon taat !arard
eye which WAS the curse OF solitude. .. if
now and then, like the celebrated .,'to.t Of
Mr.. Wynyard, who appeared to ;rrth Sir
John Sherbroke and General Wy.Ts.! Oh
the island of Cape Breton. ON tho fifteenth
of October, 1875, it proved itself to ~ no
illusion by being seen by two per sons a: he
same time. Il would Vet stalk no.se.es,iy
through the room, like :.e ghost OF III.
royal Dane across the platform, and vanish
without a sound. Ghos:.iness used to be a
distln2ue sort OF quality. One felt !: kind
Of reno~n to have ghost in :he family.
To be al apparition was 20 be something
lofty and awful. and though perhaps too
dreag a function TO stimulate ordinary am.
btion, still one honorable after its fashion.
AID tending to keep noisy. and familiar
and yul gar minded generation under some.
thing like awe tOs the world OF the super.
Natural.
But such has been the progress OF Demo.
cratic ideas that a.! this seems TO have
ri 4 hail call
we'll met. not only with human beings, bu.
with each other. il We are not mistaken
they not long ago declared it would be
Clark TO bring Mrs. GSppy through the
al: from her house in Highbury to Lambs
Conduit street. Certainly there was. &C.
cording 20 the authentic accoun: Of the
story, much spiritual yiggiing among the
pretty natural agencies engaged in ,ha:
naneuvre before they accomplished il. The
ghost sometimes called Katie King. who
processes. we believe. to be the daughter of
. buccaEeer of Elizabeth'e or James lis |
reign. permitted Mr.. CroOkee to take |
her provisional and temporary body |
round the waist and kiss her. and !
then, according both to his evidence |
and that of Mrs. Ross Church. temporary |
human heart was felt beating beneath the |
temporary ghOstly organization. There are !
stories in myriads Of the extreme matter-of.
factness and even vulgarity Of the modern |
ghosts. Some of them insist on aspirating /
unaspirated novels. and show by violent !
raps their objection to the authorized and
moro polite mode Of spelling. Others of !
them delight in pinching your knees or
Seck like child who is playing at blind
mans buff. A ghost who was indebted to
Mrs. Guppy, We believe. for the power to
manifest himself in this world. was un.
pleasant enough to hurl two living Holsters
on the table during Ozark seance'' in Rus
sell square twas neighboring tishmonger.
we wonder, short by two Holsters OF his
rightful stock in trade, or did the ghost pay
the money before abstractirg the Holsters.
Or did it catch the Holsters itself at sea- with |
or without the aid OF lobster-pot ?! while
the most common Of all the freaks Of modern
ghosts are those in which they play violent
games with heavy pieces of furniture.
They have not only given up the grand
style. they have mostly given up solitude.
and can do much more with lot Of people
round table than they can with solitary
watcher by moonlight. They revisit not
ike glimpses Of the MOON but the flicker
OF the gas lamp. They delight in playing
TIE accordeons in shouting through trur4.
pets. in knocking hard on the roofs Of cabs
and railway carriages. in whirling about
dining tables, in getting themselves photo.
sraphed, and in manufacturing inexpensive
pearls and rubies. The only thing in the
least pOetical they seem to effect much |
IS the production of flowers. II the
modern authorities may be trusted. they
really do deal in flowers to an extent very
creditable to their taste: but this is an ex.
ception to their ordinary demeanor. which !
10, for the most part, not fowery a. )
all. but exceedingly prosy. and of kind !
almost expressly intended, it would seem. !
20 rub OIL the awe which the supernatural :
world used to inspire. In one word. it our
modern ghosts are trustworthy. the world Z
D. spirits is now like our own in the hands !
If 1.-The residuum." The angels, demons,
saints and penitents manifest themselves no
onger. We have in their places ghosts of
'uigar rhetOricians. who make speeches on
matters they do not understand: of bucca.
leers or pugilists who show great muscular
Qualities with only temporary muscles. and z
hout audibly with provisional lungs. and
II underlined shop-boys or young women s
lot too ghostly to tiirt and romp. who trea. S
lie their speech with vulgar and somewhat
,reasy expressions of universal love. The a
hange is great. but we can not say i, is one h
calculated TO increase the reverence of men a
or the world that is unseen and eternal. "a