The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-07-03

by fire recalls the fact that
american cities are peculiarly subject to
his calamity. How seldom one hears of
UGH catastrophes in Great Britain or on
he continent In America, such places In
edition to those above mentioned) as AL
,any, Troy, Boston, San Francisco, Port
and, New York, Chicago, aud some others,
rave been fearfully devastated, beside the
ncessant record of smaller fires. do not,
however. remember hearing that Edin-
nurgh, Glasgow. Dublin, Liverpool, Paris,
Dresden, Berlin, Vienna and other Euro
pean towns have suffered even one-tenth
Of such an extent. Perhaps it may pay, in
D pecunary view, to build cheaply and
be IT the repeated loes, but 1t is a terrible
rick to which we Americans expose our.
selves.
INSURANCE FACTS.
Notwithstanding the great fires the insur.
ance business continues remunerative
There are SIS companies in this city and
Brooklyn, and the average sales of theil
stock, at the last report, was 124l. When
the aggregate capital of more than twenty.
three millions stands at such an average, il
is certainly very remarkable. The lowest
quotation is so, and only 20 Of the com
panies are under par The most fortunate
OF the number isthe Pacific. whose surplu'
Ia ao large that shares whose face value |,
300 are now worth on its books $305
rhis is very wonderful degree of prosper
ity, and the sales of this stock at $50 shows
the opinion of investors. Another rict
stock is the Peter Cooper, which has sold
as high as 200. | mention these facts Il
show that class of stocks which have 81
long been viewed as "fancies," is doinl
much better than the REGULARS" of thu
stock exchange. Fire stocks are EXCLUDED
from the latter, aud are generally cold al
auction. The real "fancies" at present ar,
the railroad and coal companies, who's
quotations have sunk, in some instances
almost out of sight.
PUBLISHERS AND AUTHORS.
The death of Robert Dale Owen close
that trio of remarkable men Gather an
two scns( who not only bore the same name
but held the same opinions. Robert Owe
died in 1858, being then in his eighty
seventh year, and his son David died i
1860, aged SO. He was the most practices
of the family, and became eminent as a g.
ologist. The last three years of his LII
were devoted to a work on this subject, en-
bracing a survey of several of the wester
states. He owned a very fine museum, an
laboratory, and had he lived would probi
bly, have taken very high rank among th
scientists of the age. The Owens wei
men OF lofty purpose, but, as their schem'
of reform did not recognize chrislianit,
there could be little hope of success sa
the senior Oven In this city many yea
ago, the occasion being convention whiC
he had called to discuss this subject. Mar
plans were proposed by the various mer
Ders, and Owen, who presided, did all
could to favor free utterance of opinion
The propositions offered were in many II
stances highly ridiculous, and none
| them were practical. The only point
which they harmonized was the rejectlC
| of christianity, which is the fatal error
all this class of philanthropists.
CURIOUS INCONSISTENCY.
1t is very remarkable that these Over
who were, as they claimed, too clear-hea
ed to accept what they called the inco
sistencies of the Bible aud of christianit
should 30 readily yield conviction to sp
itualism. Having abandoned Moses a
the prophets, they accepted the gospel
materialized furniture. Chairs and tab
became witnesses of progressive though
They communed with the mighty dead
means of raps and knockings, and in Il
manner Robert Owen, sr.. held conver
ZION with Ben. franklin. Robert d
Owen went further, and displayed 81
greater folly. His credulity was stlmu
ted to such degree that the projectors
the Katy King imposture found him
most facile of dupes. He held commuDl
with a young woman who lived 10 Lond
two centuries ago, and he had view
: he person as well as a knowledge of
history. Having been absorbed by I
mysterious acquaintance to such deg
that his whole nature was enlisted in
pursuit, he suddenly discovered that
whole thing was fraud. The shock v
so sudden as to lead TO insanity, and ?
hsps it fastened his end.
THAT BOOK.
Robert Dale Owen was for many ye
deeply interested in spiritual and psycol
ical phenomena, and having rejected
Bible, could only pursue his Investigate
under the dim light of nature. He ga
cred during long course OF reading a v
} array of facts and anecdoie bearing III
this subject, which Unpublished with
title Of "Footfalls of Another World"
gulibility of the avowed skeptics led hin
print much trash, but the book contain
some interesting facts providing that
There are more things In heaven and ear
, Than are dreamed OF in Jour philosophy.
, Its chief interest lies in illustrating
credulity of uubelief, but its records
8 marvels lie certainly very surprising. 81
oil these are very strongly proven, and |
haps the story of the haunted houte of
Wesleys had the clearest testimony. I
: pose TO give sketch of this strange af
a to the readers of the Times es soon as /
a condense 1t into proper shape. The Lii
, ton ghost story Is another strange incid
worth recalling when time permits.
PASSING AWAY.
The death of Robert Dale Owen rec
: the recent unusual mortality In the litel
b world. During the past three moi
: such publishers as Robert M. De "
is William Seymour of Scrbner, Armstr
:, & Co., and Fletcher Harper have gon,
The grave. The ranks of authorship h
70 also suffered In similar manner 9
3. Motley, Abbott and Owen are include
70 the dead of the same period. To thei
a. to be added the name of Charles f. Bri
= who was the oldest working Journalist
as the day. There are some interes
IS points In the career of even 80 humb