Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-12-06
Our New York Letter.
SALLIE JOY WHITE.

HIGH PRESSURE RrFoRM-FRANcIs MURPHY's
WORK THOSE MARVELLOUS ToRrEDoEs-A
BOAT WITHOUT A cREw-TnE MUTUAL AND
ITS ENEMIES.
New YORK, Nov. 25th, 1878.
Francis Murphy, the wellknown temper
ance agitator, is in the midst of a season here
in New York. Like most of the modern pop |
ular speakers in the cause of morality or re-
lgion, the Moodys, Hammonds, Kimballs,
&c, Murphy is "high-pressure" worker
He seems to believe with them that reform,
moral or spiritual, is n thing to be accom-
plished in moment that it consists in a
word or act of the person to be influenced,
and consequently that success in his work
consists in wringing from his auditor that
word or that act by any means or under any
circumstances whatsoever. SO he calls to his
mid all that is feverish and sensational. He
sings and prays and exhorts and tells blood
curdling anecdotes, till he gets his hearers
wrought up to the necessary pitch of excite
ment and nervous tension, and then bursts
upon them with dramatic appeal to come
forward and sign the pledge. More or less
response is received, according to the more or
less favorable conditions of the meeting
certain number of men, women and chllureh
rush ndiscriminately up to the platform to
affix their signatures, and be wept and reJoced
over by Mr.. Murphy as so many brands
plucked from the burning.
As | said before il seems TO make no dlt-
ference what the circumstances of case are,
for during his labors here quite number OF
Mr. Nurphy's converts have signed their
names while almost too drunk to stand, and
altogether too much so TO know what they
were about. But it is all one to the reformer.
These. equally with the rest, become broth
ers" and sisters" the moment the pen drops
from their uncertain grasp, and are pointed
at, at least by implication, as shining exam
pies for the less impressionable Of the audi
fence to initiate.
Temperance reform is a good thing and is
sadly needed, and do Mr.. Murphy and his
kind the Justice of believing them to be earn
| est men; but what pity it is that their Ter
vor cannot be kept under the guidance OF
common sense How much better would 1t
not be to have fewer signatures to the pledge
and to obtain them in such manner that It's
obligations should more seldom prove rope
of sand. the breaking of which only drives to
| deeper degradation scores of victims to TINS
factitious and involuntary enthusiasm.
This city is again the principal battlefield
of another life insurance war, differing in
character but hardly less in importance than
that of year ago. The present discussion
arises mainly from combined attack on the
old Mutual by number of other life institu-
tions on account of the formers reduction OF
its premium rates. Now the MUTUAL iS not
only the largest life insurance company IN the
world but the richest financial co rporaton IN
the world, as well, having over eighty-slA
millions of assets or twenty million more than
the combined capital of all the banks in New
York. OF course, therefore, its course affects
that of nearly all the other companies. Equal
ly of course, the latter dislike to have to cu'
down their profits and hence the bitter at
tack. An attempt has lately been made, by
the authority of some Boston lawyers, TO as
sail the right of the company to make the re
bate md even to represent its new pollcie
ms not good but these efforts have utterl!
failed the highest legal authorities in New
| England, Judges Foster and Chandler, havlnl
emphatically declared the plan legal and tn
! nolicies so issued "iron-cla The officer
Of the Mutual have thus far paid but little at
l tention to their maligners. During thel
= twenty-five years administration MIR. winston
. and his associates have built up this impree
, uable financial structure, and If they canno
now be trusted to wisely administer the al
| "
Q ponents can claim to be competent to correc
3 their errors
+ Some weeks ago 1 ma de passing menuo
i in one of my letters of certain torpedo e'
h periments which were in progress in our ha
y Dor, for the purpose of providing means
:. effective offense and defense in case of a fo
$ eign war. At that time such thing as WI
e seemed too absurdly improbable to talk abou
g but the somewhat acid turn which was sui
} seauently taken by the correspondence b.
& tween Uncle Sam and John Bull over IL
y Canadian fishery troubles shows that there
s. always possibility, at least, of such contli
lie pencv, and invests defensive preparation
As with reasonable interest. Two successf
* exhibitions in the torpedo line have just bee
,e given in the harbor, displaying great ingen
Of ity and demonstrating that if the machin
O. involved will work in the hour Of need as pc
t, fectly as on these occasions, we need have I
fear of attack by water even by the terrib
Or ironclads which Europe has recently been pc
IA fecting.
10 One of these inventions is torpedo bo
re MANNED by Captain Ericsson, who built Il
es once famous Monitor" and called the I'D
n stroyer" This wonderful affair is thu
,e sharp, low-lying iron craft, adapted to n
"A during action almost entirely under watt
:" thus defying the heaviest missiles that can
III projected against it. The most remarkal
n feature of it is deep cigar-shaped recess
es the bow (also under water), which holds
is powerful torpedo At the proper nome
y. this torpedo can be thrown forward by col
. pressed air at almost cannonban speed, a
'e- with force enough TO send it through the "
of ter for several hundred yards if need
IL. The conclusion of the torpedo against the h
mt of the ironclad to be destroyed would eXplo
n, the charge, and before this unseen, alm'
:, noiseless and wholly unavoidable attack,
hu miphtiest vessel that ever was launched,
is monster upon whose armored sides the hel
ed lest cannonballs might fall with no more
asst feet than patterng rain would go to the
ere tom as helplessly and as surely as thou
-, smtten by all Joves thunderbolts.
n" The other device exhibited for the sa
of nurpose is a torpedo which propels itself a
)rk travels through the water hither and thitl
md without a soul on board. 1t is an iron sh
,to cipar-like in form, and tapering at both el
10 n point. In the shell are three chambt
'i' The chamber in the bow is prepared to b
dynamite, which will be exploded either
md nercussion or an electric spark. The cent
up chamber of the shell contains tanks OF {
you bonic acid and the engine which propels
it torpedo. This engine is driven by the exp
Nv siye force of carbonic acid gas generated
nBs der pressure in the tanks, and drives SCI
nal, propeller. In the chamber in the stern OF
en-, shell is reel of insulated wire connected v
am. a battery on shore. BY touching differ
mo KEYS of this battery the torpedo is put in
,I tion. turned to the right or left backed
riu' stopped, as desired. A spark from this
lion tery can also be used to explode the torpt
With II explosion by contact is not found to be
Kets better method. The length OF the she