, 1874-08-02
TENDENCIES CT THE TIMES.

There is great deal written and said about
'the signs Of tho tin1es," and the lhrase has all
inspiring ring and brayado cadence about it
which takes with tho public ear. 1t is supposed
to be verbal condensation OF all the modern
triumphs. It is understood to mean cvangeliza-
ton, scientific discoveries, mechanical inyen-
tions, social reforms, political progress. and
practical piety. Now, the e1poncnts Of the day
are
TIE NEWSPAPERS.
With what are their columns filed ? Scan
dals, Fircs Floods, Crimes. md Casualties,
These, tAen are the topics Of the day. How has
it como shout that the Public has such an insa-
tiab!e nav for scandal? 1t is said TINT eTen
the flesh Of that most oInniverous animal the pig
will be enangcd in color and texture by what 1t
feeds upon :; it il asserted That the lion and the
savage, when once they have eaten human flesh,
will disdaln commoner eating. Most Sovereign
Public would not dare to compare you to
swine and cannibals, but--. Certainly you must
allow that you do pa.roniZo Charles Ecade, and
that, OF all his books, you paid him best for IA
Terrible Temptation" Confess, Great Public,
that you went night aftor night to hear - Mon
sieur Aphonse," and gave it = brilliant run. !"
Acknowledge that the magazine-extracts which
went floating round the newspapers each month,
and found lodgment in all your families, we're
For the King BY Bret Harte, and another
sketch by the same autnor,-a story about that
fascinating gambler, Oakhurst; which story
everybody roai in the hope that it WAS the end
of him, but which, instead Of being his obituary,
Yas recital Of one Of his "amours," and bore
on that same old topic from which there is no
escape whether we read our periodicals
and dailies BY our fireaide, whether We aau,ter
out to tho theatre of an evening, or whether,
from idle curiosity, re go, on warm OIL
Sunday, to hear some popular preacher: HorKi-
bio as the assertion mar sound, it has become
relief to layo our minds diverted, even If 1t is
only to other lesser crimes. And yet In truth,
newspaper-readers arc so accustomed to lave all
crimes Of such magnitude that 1t seems almost
impossible to decide as to the comparative tur-
pitude Of any. Nobody stops to read little four
or tive-line items, or even short paragraphs,
wherein Jones killed Ills wife; or Smith shot his
neighbor or Brown culbczzlcd fow thousands
from the Government; or loblnsou's new build
ing fell, killing one man aud Wounding three
Others Jones and Smith may possibly be hung
If they kill one man or woman. and Brown may
70 to the Penitentiary it he stole fow hundred
thousands; but the murderer who wishes to be
read about must slaughter whole family, and
wind up with futile attempt to cut bis own
throat. How strange it is that these wholesale
murderers scarcely ever succeed IN becoming
suicides. They make sure work Of their victims,
but almost invariably fAll IN their own case. The
community is thrilled with horror over the bloody
tale. The murderer slowly conyalesces, ls tE1ed,
found to have hom1cidal mania, and either set
free or ipcarcerated for rear or 60, till the
public shall have forgotten him. It is only lately
that tho man who could steal half 8 million or
more stood in tile least danger. Society said
to the embezzler, ''Whi1o you're getting, get q
plenty" But tho fashion has changed, and the
man who would rob city with imPunity must
steal less tllan Tweed and more than mere COM