New-York tribune., 1875-02-11


If the surplus of prosperous years were sure
to be held as o fund for the security OF In
surers. there would be little objection to
continuance of high rates for longer period;
but if it is simply to go to swell the dividends
of stockholders, the time must have nearly
passed during which those worthy individuals
should have been recouped for their previous
losses. In the latter case, there ought soon
to be a tumble in the rates OF fire Insurance.
- -
That was a mournful confession which was made
by a prominent witness during trial still pending
in letter put in evidence. He was sick of " great
men-public men--famous men," Is hero-worshlp
then only tho weakness of callow youth and OF
Trusting inexperiencee Is there nothing then
religious in the chronological sense Of the word, IN
hero-worsbipl Do we all find familiarity breeding
contempt at last discovering at last what was
known to the ra,e dc chambre of our idol from the
frsti In our first days how we reverenced man
who had written a book saying over and over how
great and good, or at any rate, how great be must
bel Since them maybe we have written books
ourselves and know how little is implied by that
distinction. As our reading specially of biography,
grows moro general we become acquainted with
the very neck of Alexander with the sensualtles or
Cesar with Cicero's trimming and the venality OF
Marlborough. with WashingtOn's hot temper, the
vanity of Adams and the foibes of Hamilton. AS
biography is written there are no secrets after
death and burial, while in these days OF gossip OBJ
scurty is positively delicious. Happy he who has
done nothing to make himself famous. Happy she
too. for that matter. We hope that many school
boy wise beyond his years. il saying to himself:
These great men, public mon, famous men-what
are they to mei Give me my books, my home. and
no mo m n Self whom i
ashamed Give me'a peaceful, useful life Of hOmely
ioys and quiet labors aud for the jade Fame let
her gow Yes, lad let her go. At any rate wait for
her to come to you The hot pursuit the hankering
to be talked of, the oagerness to be printed, the
relish for pulery the passion for literary reputation
and for an immortality of q few months-all these
bring fever and falsehood, and final weariness of
soul. He orders his life the most wisely who Is con-
tent with intellectual acquisition for its own sake
and to whom no paudits are so sweet as the appro-
baton Of his own better nature. The distance be-
tween the greatest man and the smallest is at some
points 80 small as to be well nigh imperceptible;
ard the best which the famous acquire may be the
fortune Of the obscure also
cotemporary makes mistake in saying: 1t
was remarked at the great trial of Prof Webster in
Boston that Rufus ChOate who stood head and
shoulders above any other advocate in America
with the possible exception of Daniel Webster,
seemed incapable of coping with the Attorney
General, Clifford" Mr. Choate was not in the
of Commonwealth agt. Webster at all. 1t has been
understood that he declined retainer for private
reasons. DR.. Webster was defended by Mr. Pliny
Merrck, with Mr Bemis for his junior, and the
for the prisoner would have been admirably man
aged if the evidence for the Government had not
been overwhelming. Those familiar with the trial
r,,I1..
put in, and young lawyers who want to know how
to make up case cannot do better than study the
report of the trial. When the case for the prisoner
was called it was found that with the exception of
some testimony to character, he had almost lite
rally nothing to Offer There were those who
thought. from his great reputation, that if the de-
fense had been conducted by Mr.. Choate the issue
would have been different; but this was un-
doubtedly mistake.
Messrs. McDivitt, Campbell & Co., law pub
lshers of No. Ill Nassau-st., in this city, have
now issued in three separate parts Of about 100
pages each the entire proceedings in the Titon-
Beecher trial down to and including much of Mr.
Iiltons cross-examination. With great good sense
these publishers have selected The TRIBUNEs
verbatim report of the proceedings as the only
authentic and satisfactory record and have also
taken IHE lIlBUNES anu dccOuulS OF
Courtroom incidents as furnishing the best daily
history of the trial. Having ample time, however
they have corrected the occasional typographical
slips which are inseparable from the publication of
such a mass of matter in daily newspaper, and
have made record which is alike of absorbing in
terest to the general reader and of permanent value
to the lawyer. 1t will undoubtedly be the univer-
sally accepted report of the trial. The parts now
issued sold at fifty cents each, and they aggre
gate 800 pages Evidently the completed report will
make two if not three royal octave volumes Of about
500 pages each, being of the most bulky we'll
most noted trials in the records of jurisprudence.
We printed yesterday some account of a scheme
for laying porcelain tubes under the streets, to
tain the telegraph wires which disigure so
many of main thoroughfares. In other city
in the world Of equal pretensions would the out
rageous conduct of the telegraph companies in this
particular be permitted. and it is worth the while of
our Legislature at this session to determine whether
il should longer continue. Within few weeks the
Western Union Company, as If desirous of show
ing how far 1t could impose upon good
nature. has posted line Of very larg
poles directly up Parkrow going indeed to the need
less indecency of planting the trunk Of consider
able tree almost directly in front of the Franklin
statue. Why should not these telegraph companies
DC forced to put their wires out of the wayf They