Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1874-11-19
PHILADELPHIA.
our SATURDAY LETTER.

HE U -A r. llhU-
o v r eATUR DAY LETTE r.
THE MEETING OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION
--MPoHTANT PBOcEEDINas s-INcREAsiNo LIBEk-
ALTTY or rHE MEDICAL. PRogEi,sIoN-MIss GUsM
MANS rARnwELL RNaAaEAENT THE PLEAsUREs
AND DIsArPoISrNErrs-cI.ARHA AND THE cENrkN-
NrAL-rNDEPENDENcE HALL kENovArioN-rHs
aERDENANN SCANDAL, ETC. U
Special Correspondence Of us Commercial.
r. En PHILADELPHIA, Nov. Is.
Following tire meeting Of the National Acsd
emy Of Scioncs, We have hal this week the
convention OF the American Public Health Asso.
ciation. This body Of learned men, while moi
seeking, in no many words, To "p0pularize'
science, have yet succeeded in making their
proceedings interesting to the general public,
for the reason that tho topics discussed, while
treated at times in technical way, yet relate to
the pLyaical well-being Of uH all. Such vital
questions "a ventilation, sewernge the proper
construction Of dwellings and hospitals, and the
proper modes Of preparing food and Of bringing
tho raw material to market, were debated, and it
will be seen were OF kind to interest every in
telligent porson. Among the most valuable essays
Of the week were one upon summer catarrh, or
"hay fever" by DR.. Beard. of New York, and
another upon the effect Of mountain climate
upon persons inclined to pulmonary complaints,
by DR.. Billings, of the U. b. Army. The use Of
poisons in agriculture, . subject introduced by
DR.. LeConte to the attention Of the National
Science Association, was also debated, the con-
clusion being the same - that arrived At in the
other body, that the use Of such agencies IL to
be Sternly deprecated. An immense amount Of
practical good must accrue from these eabora-
tions Of the experience OF our foremost medical
men, and it IL . good sign Of the intelligence of
the age that on the one hand the public take an
interest in such discussions, and on the other
that leaders in thought esteem II judciouu TO va
cate their customary exclusive place, and invite
all citizens to join them in the work OF making
men healthier and consequently happier. Science
is seen by this example to be mai,'s most efficient
helper, and not . dry abstraction in which he has
no practical concern.
Ono OF the most important actions taken by
the Association was the appointing OF = repre-
sentation committee, taken from various parts
Of the country, to investigate the condition Of
health in all the leading American cities, and to
report at the next annual meeting to BIO held
at Baltimore. This committee il to decide on
the relative hygenic condition OF our cities, ~
well as upon the causes which render some
communities more healthy than Others This is
surely great subject and one that is worthy the
best attention. Sardsnic people are heard won
dering why II is that Doctors are 30 willing to
inform the people Of the causes Of disease and
the best way Of remedying them That
does seem . rather curious thing, ut first sight,
but fancy it will be found that in propor,i ION
~ Education in such matters becomes more
general, the higher In esteem will r.se those
professional men who have had the courage to
throw of the mask Of infalhbility, and to invite
laymen to join the medical priesthood in the
endeavor 10 conquer disease and make
the world better place to live in. No doctor
yor 10 pf1a al fear ~ m
self Of tho effect Of such Education. Know
lodge never hurt anybody yet il is not in i's ma
tnre to. In hygienic matters, for one thing, the
more We know the more respect we haae for tho
opinion of those who know still more and the
effect OF the popularizing Of the facts of medi'
cal science will be only the blessed one Of show
ing people how to live. In this process only the
quacks will be discounted, and none but them
selves would bewail that turn Of fortune.
1t is perhaps not extravagant to rate NJ the
interest, to tho meeting Of the Health As-ocia-
ton, the engagement Of Miss. Charlotte Cusli-
man 1t tho Academy OF Music. This engage
ment ~ quite removed from the usual run OF
A.lNf sslIei ~ ,sss. Miss. CushInAns hold. not
only ON the admiration but on tho esteem and
affection OF the public, Is CT such character
that the announcement Of her farewell appear
ance caused an expression Of interest Of the
most intense kind. ltis doubtful II any th eat
rical occasion Of the generation has caused no
to zee her who never dream Of going
to the theatre at other times; many
indeed who have never been to the theatre he
fore, and do not expect to go again, but who
could not forego the satisfaction Of seeing the
great actress before her final retirement. There
IL double disappointment felt that the engage
ment is 10 brief and that Miss Cushnan plays so
few parts One Of these things is contingent on
the other, but il tue engagement had been ar
ranged to extend over at least three weeks, and
the actress had given some Of tie parts she ST
used to delight us with, the public would be
round Of Meg Merrilies, Lady Mac,.th, and
Queen kdlttrfne for years, and there
is something Of sAmeness in the business.
True, she has grown too old for many of hes
parts, such as Rosaiind and Beat' icc, but Lady
Macbeth In not supposed to be Nh old woman
and the actress who does not offend likelihood
in that part can still play Queen CDnstancs, Ri
ancd,s in "FAzio, and many other roles. M,ss
CushmAn should also act Hamha, which she
used to do 20 famousy. She looks no older
ciently we'll. She should also appear ss Wolsey.
and she could certainly do Nancy
Skies ~ effectively ~ ever She doet
not round her career sufficiently with the parts
she elects to act Many people now SEQ her for
the first time and do not know tle great range
Of parts she wxs accustomed TO cover.
Her acting is ~ fine - ever it " ", but "Mao-
beth " ia the only attractive play 10 presents
Henry VIII cannot be made good Acting
piece, and ka0.erine. grandly ~ she does it, has
10 little to do that tile performn oe some how
does not satisfy-not that the aotIi, Ii at fault,
but because the part IL not enough in itself.
"Guy Mannering" is ~ stupid and dreAry play
~ was ever acted-almost- Meg is bat flashing
meteor over . waste Of dullness. The pie ce
should have been reconstructed and the part
made more Of, long ago, but it is now too 1ate.
It is not the fashion to talk in this way but in
telligent p'aygosrs will bear me out in what has
been said. 50 will Miss CushmAns managers
in the conviction that they make queer blum
der in not working this gold mine 10 better ad.
vantage. Three weeks in the present state Of
public feeling would have been 81 sure ~ one.
Other matters must be treated more sum mar
ily. MIR. J. L. Clarke, the comedian, WHO hiss
just arrived from England, has long head for
such o round-faced mirth- maker. 1Iia gift Of
$1,000 to the Centennial does him quite NJ much
good a. it does the Exposition prol ,ct the
amount Of free advertising it brings him in eau
not be easily computed. Clarke showed that
long head in another matter. He was To have
opened this week At the Walnut, but .eeing
that we were all for Cushman, he gently withdrew
for spell, and until he could have tile town to
himself. But these are the things which explain
his success,--A success he entirely deserves
He Ia the best comic actor since Burton.
The renovation Of the State House front prom
ises to be as heightened job N was the laying
Of tho famous State House pavement Thoie e
hope at the same time that tue leisurely
manner OF doing the work may result in
better effect than was at irst sntici-
pated. repainted brick front, with the m1f
tar marked in white We all know To be q de-
structive process, and as applied To Independ.
ence Hall 1t would have been little short oi III
| dsliBm. In this work, the surface In gone over,
| foot by foot, with the brazier. The weather
and time eaten part Of the brick tI,'is harmed,
sand paper is applied, and . new Int genuine
| surface is obtained. Then the morilris fresh
s'pointed' II is expected that the reuovsting
thus done will be satisfactory, and that the old
Hall will be in becoming shape for the Centsa
niAl, and yet in no wise changed
The disappearance OF the Priest Gerdsmann
with q young woman Of his congregation, ar
with q large sum Of money belonging to his cou.
gregation, Ia still surrounded with mystery and
continues the exciting topic in Roman Catholic
circles. 1t 10 now believed that the runAwa,
couple were married In New York and that they
have gone to Europe. It is impossible 70 ascer
tain the amount Of money Of which derdemAnn
appropriated for he has the church records viii
him. unless they have been destroyed which |,
perhaps most probable. This money Comprised
among other Gums the savings OF poor people o
the church, who had entrusted it TO thsil
Priest. believing it safer in his hands than ii
any bank. This confidence was ahamofully be
trsyed and Gerdemann IL proclaimed villain o
the mesnost kind.
The official local vote does not vary greati,
form tile first statements, showing only som,
arithmetical errors, but no frauds or mistAke
Of Importance. Tho new system Of counting ant
conclusive, but II 10 also very SLOW, as compare.
with the former process. II was ten days be
fore the vote WAS officially announced, Will
heretofore 1t has been given not lAter than tn
third day after the election. The highest ma
jority on the State ticket, Olmstead for Lieut.