Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-03-14
Alefan0ria 0axette
THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH IA.
Local Government Is q DeluslOn.

Local Government Is q DeluslOn.
! Henry Ward Beechcr appeared last uigh'
upon the platform of the Academy OF Music
New York, and delivered an addition to hi
repertoire, entitled The Age OF the Common
People,
In every department Of life," said the lee
turer, "in every realm Of thought. in inius'r's
society and the moral sphere, great change Is
fast being wrought By the Introduction into the
globe ola larger amount Of braia force than has
ever existed before. Formerly few did the
| thinking for the mass. 1t was Monarchy,
Aristocracy and Democracy, the latter at the
| bottom. Perhaps it was good thlng that thcy
had men who could lead them, but to day. To-.
stead of the thinking being done by class,
| there is az ocean OF thought as long and as
broad as the universe. Sill, for all this, tho
| reign OF the commo1 people. which began long
ago, is really now only begun.
| I'VE are just beginning to experience one OF
those great waves of distrust which are running
| rouud the slobc-wavcs which have their only
origin in this iucrcas, Of braia activity. There
is great amount of distrust in public affairs,
and VIC arc beginoing to learn that tho present
products Of self government are not favorable
to the better government Of the people. 1t
does not seem logical that a vast and cumbcr
some community is the best to select its officers
from.
"You can rcaz, this when you look at the
legislators of 10 daY. Why the men who are
sent by the people to represent them arc DOto!
ously incompetent and equally far from respect
able. People have talked O! the foolshncSs of
preachers since the days of ST. Paul, but the
fooshncss Of our legislators puts them out OF
sight. Ii man wants to know anything OF
cooking he must keep out of the kitchen, and
if he wants to know anything Of morality no
must keep away from the legislature and tho
caucus.
"Wu have our time OF excitement here. For
three years the ma ioriy Of our business people
arc torpid. Then they suddenly wake up and
indulge in six months excitement, aud plunge
into politics like fanatics. When this is over
it IS nothing wonderful that they should want to
wash the filth Of their business and politics OF
their fingers Sometimes they do, and the
process employed is generally known as KeVl'
walls of Religion.
You must expect that il every nation ther,
must be periods prolific OF evil. Oae comfort
have in Eoglish history il to sec how bad the
English people have beer aud how good they
are now. This gives Me hope for US. We are
now ln q stage when man is not ashamed to
become o bankrupt, and the time will soon
come when a residence 10 the p2nltenlary
will be the best passport and qualification Tor
publio positions We are living IN 40 age OF
dishouor and mora! delinquency. We live IN
States who do not hesitate to rcpullatc their
debts, and we nix with men who have even
Jess scruplcs in following their example. -
Phil. Record
CATCHING ELECTRIC EEI.s.-rhc gymuotu5,
or electrical eel, is rather moro scrpcntlne 10
form than the common eel, and frequently at
aus great siz? 1t is found in the rivers and
marshes of Sonth America, where the natives
fish for it in singular maGGcr. NJ. Bonplanu
describes z scene witnessed by him in one oil the
marshy pools of Venezuela. About thirty
horses and mules were driven into the water by
number of IoGians, who, armed with long
canes and harpoons, prevented them from re-
turning TO the banks untii he obj cct OF the bat.
tue was attained. The trampling Of the horses
aud the shouts of the Indians sOOn produced
scene of wild excitement. WrIthlng on the
surface Of the water, and gliding uoder the
bellies Of the animals, the gymnol discharged
through them repeated shocks from their cleo
trio batteries, while the poor hcwdcrcd bruca
ccpyulsed and terrified, their names erect and
their eyes starting with pain and anguish. made
uuavaing efforts to escape.
The GELS, from four to six feet 10 length, and
livid 10 color, had the appearance OF great wat.
cr scrpeDts, and one in particular was observed
which discharged the whole power OF KS bat
terry along the belly Of g horse. la lesc thaa
quarter OF an hour the electrical energy OF the
cells became exhausted, and though some OF
the horses and mules had been bcnumbed and
drowned the greater number scrambled ashore
recovered.
The cells in their exhausted state were easily
captured. The extraordinary power CT the
gymuotu5 was placed beyond doubt ie" years
ago. when llVing specimens OF .hI5 llIh were cX
hibltcd 10 the Adelaide Gallery and polytechnic
Institution. The u5trious Faraday took the
opportunity Of experimenting upon 1t. and cs:
tablishcd to his owa satisfaction the identity OF
its peculiar power with that Of voItalc cIccrlci.
ly OF peculiar intensity The eel be expert
meuted with was only forty inches long, yet it
produced succession OF shocks at short inter.
walls, affected the gaiganomctcr. and impaired
| magnetism to ron.-"1hc ||Orlh W Won.
| dcrS.
"IT YOU want to keep your boy at home,
make it plcaScntcr for him than the street.
Certainly. Chalk horscotch in the hall, put
hcgshcad Of molas5cs ou tap in the kitchen,
have dogfight in the back yard, make "bul-
~ slide" on the cellar door, have q hand organ
and monkey in the reception room and Ger
man band on the stairs Hire "Gecvus' 10
be chaffed. Let the boy chalk callers backs
on the first OF April. throw his base bail through
the windows, ring the bells and run away, and
| ~ ,ool, ;tb bal, On IN or