The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-02-28


arranged? Are the windows easy of accessa
These are simple questions, but upon their
answer depends the safety of nine-ten.hs of
all who attend the sanctuary to-day for the
worship of God. Nothing is more easily
caused in large body of men and women
than panic. An unusual noise, lightning
fash, a puff of smoke from censor, the
sudden springing of bolt or plank, cry
of alarm, any of these incidents might lead to
such q result in any of our churches as that
seen in Duane street on Thursday evening
Therefore the duty of our city oficials-of
our tardy inspectors and our patient Mayor
is at once to rigidly examine every church and
theatre and place of resort Let them be ex-
amined with o view of their safety in the event
of panic or q fire or any other real
danger Let some wise rules be adopted as
to the opening and closing of doors and win
dows. Such an examination would be of
great value, and might prevent untold misery
in the future. We print this morning report
upon the exact condition of many of our
churches which will assist His Honor in
carrying out this inquiry. If the Mayor
finds any embarrassment in enforcing the
ordinances calculated to secure safety--if
his labors are arrested by the apathy or self
ishness Of the owners-he has only to signify
that certain church or certain theatre is
unsafe, and the people will protect themselves.
Passage OF the Civil Rights Bill.
The passage of the Civil Rights bill by the
Senate yesterday completes it so far as Con-
gress is concerned, and it is now left to the
President to say whether it shall become law.
Upon this point we presume there is no
doubt. Though it was confidently expected
disapprove OF the bill, the events which
occurred while it was pending in Congress
and the change Of the Presidents attitude
toward the South, render his sanction almost
a certainty. In the shape in which it finally
passed the House and has now also received
the Endorsement of the Senate it is shorn of
its most offensive features. Practically it is
little more than reassertion in the form of a.
law of undoubted rights belonging to every
citizen. Legally, railroad companies and inn
keepers and possibly theatrical managers
were bound to afford equal accommodations
to all who were willing to pay for them
before Mr.. Sumner began to urge the pas
sage of his bill. We cannot doubt
that these rights SO strenuously denied
before will continue to be refused. The
manager of theatre will run the risk of
verdict for damages before seating black men
by the side of white ones in the parquet and
dress circle. 1t will be some years before the
&ristocratic denizens of Sullivan and Thomp-
son streets will be allowed to occupy the boxes
at Wallack's or Booths or Days. In reality
the bill is pretence, not measure, and it
results in pleasing nobody. Mr.. Sumner
would have spurned it from him with cor
tempt In omittirs the school clause every
thing that was vital in it is destroyed No
body supposed, sven in it's most radical form,
that it was bill to make white man marry
his daughter to negro but its great pur-
pose in Mr.. Summers hands was 10 open all
the public schools to black and white alike.
This being refused it was stripped of every
thing which the law, in so far as it was
operative, did not guarantee already. Even
the negroes are not likely to be deceived by
so lame and impotent conclusion, and we
doubt not that the Civil Rights bill, which
occasioned 80 much angry comment while it
was under consideration, now that it is out of
the way, will be forgotten in a shorter space
of time than was required to pass it.