The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-02-17

high degree gratifying. may reier TO
such illustrations of this success as are
found in Mrs. Peet, wife of the professor
of that name at the Washington Heights
institution, and also in Mrs Morse. wife of
the inventor of the telegraph. Both of
these women attained high degree OF use
funess. In fact the care OF the general
family of unfortunates is now more freely
exercised than ever before, with encour-
aging results.
now NEAR INSANITY.
Having spoken thus in reference to the
deranged and defective portion of our pop
ulation, we may properly refer to the mar
row line which separates the sound and the
disordered intellect. The question has
been suggested, who of us is not insane?
BY some it is affirmed that at very best
every man is crazy on some point, and the
sharper his mind the greater the risk.
Even the very acuteness of an intellect
may suggest danger of turning its edge;
as Polonias says of Hamlet, "How preg-
nant sometimes his replies area happiness
that madness oft hits on, which reason and
sanity could not so prosperously be deliv-
cred of"
TUE BROOKLYN INSANE.
Speaking of the narrow boundary, it
opens too wide n range of thought, and yet
| may say there is many lunatic whose
vagaries are no worse than the conduct re-
vcaled in the Brooklyn trial. Mr.. Tilton
in his love matters with Mrs. Woodruff,
vcrifies the language of an old poet, ~
sigh, l sorrow, l do play the fool" Of
such character are the boatings on the Har-
lem river, and the excursion to Lon Island,
while his neglected wife is at home pref
ty fellow this to come into court for dam
ages. Mr.. Titon is now ready to confess
his delusion but his language hardly does
justice to his position. AS he has been
through midsummer nights dream, he
might now adopt the words of Bottom. 81
have had most rare vision. Methought
| was-there is no man can tell what. Me.
thought l was and methought l had. l
will get Peter Ounce to write a ballad of
this dream. 1t shall be called Bottoms
dream, because it hath no bottom" So also
this ridiculous consultation between Tilton
and Jerry Robinson and Frank Woodruff
(the two latter being members of the great
house of Woodruff, Robinson & Coz in
reference to Tilton's letter to Bowen, as
though it were moro than one mans work
to write note from discharged employe
to his former master.
MORE MODERN SHAKESPEARE.
This review of so important a subject
among the magnates of salt, cod and mac
kerel, suggests that the whole thing hath
an ancient and fish-like smell. The entire
group, indeed, reminds us of the Athenian
performance, to which allu>ion has been
made:
Bottom-Are we all met?
Ounce Pat, pat and here's a marvel
lous green place for our rehearsal. Well
do it in action as we'll do it before the
duke.
Bottom-There are things in this comedy
which will never please. How answer you
that?
Snout-By our lady parious fear!
BCttom-I have device to make at will.
Write me prologue, and let the prologue
seem TO say that Pyramus is not killed in
deed, and for better assurance tell them
Il at l, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Bot
tom, the weaver.
Now all this is very well in Shakespear-
ian medley for an evening, but when you
see it performed for two months in Brook
Ign court, it becomes farce beneath the
dignity of ordinary insanity. The plaintiff
in this farce shows us that Tilton, the po
etc leader of opinion, was but mere per-
former. 1t was not himself really, for af-
ter all he is only free love Tilton the talker.
Tilton admits his errors in the Woodruff
attachment, for it is impossible to deny it,
but he evidently gives it full extenuation.
If he had proper sense of his misconduct
he would ask forgiveness of society in n
tone very different from that of one who
calls himself an injured husband. The
man who so readily goes off pleasuring
with Mrs. Woodruff, can be no novice in
Irritation. He was ripe and waiting when
this fascinating adventures crossed his
path. All that was necessary for an in
triguc on his part, was opportunity, and
this one was not lost upon him. As the po-
ct says:
"But when to sin our biased nature leans,
The careful devil is still at hand with means
And proyidently pmp5 with Ill DESIRES etc.,
OTHER LUNATICs OF NOTE.
Among those distinguished lunatics, who
haye never been thrown into Bedlam, may
be numbered Beecher himself, whose va
carries in this whole matter assuming his
innocencc) are as ridiculous as any ordin-
airy symptoms of insanity. Another is Mrs.
Stowe, whose attack on Byron was sheer
freak of lunacy, and after she had recOv-
cred her senses it must have appeared so to
herself. Napoleon the First's invasion of
Russia was the work of a crazy man, and
little better can be said of the last Napo-
Icons invasion of Prussia. The poet Shell
ley was insane in his atheism, as his adj
mirers now freely admit. Commodore Van
derbilt is a little crazy in watering railway
stock. Count Joannes is a legal lunatic
Jay Cooke was insane on the Northern Pa.
cifc railroad folly, and Edgar A. Poe was
a lunatic of genius. Hence maintain that
Beccher is of this sort, and l believe he
will not deny it. Indeed as he seems to
stand inviting us to Friday evening talk, "
his conduct and words are like those of
| Prospero
| "Bear with my weakness my old brain Is
veXed:
| Be not disturbed With my iniirmity;
| II you be pleased retire Into my CELL"
How forciby does such scene remind
us of Dryden's pithy lines:
| "Great wit TO madness closely allied,
| And thin partitions do their bounds divide"
And in view of this, the question who OF
us is not insane, comes home with renewed
Importance to
TIE HERMIT IN New YORK.