New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-09-17


forclbly depicts the scenes of horror and
despair occasioned by the fever in Phlladel-
phia in 1893 In that curious book, Grant
Thorburn's "FOrty Years Residence in America
will be found graphic record of the yellow
fever which was epidemic in New York in l79S.
When everybody else ran away, the old
ScOtchman refused to fly, but kept steadily to
his nailmaking. The pestilence began about
the middle of July, and by the 18th OF
August it was raging with great fury'
"My chief employment" says Thorburn,
grimly "was to sell nails for collins"
The city contained population of $4,000
souls-of these, 10000. it was estimated ran
away to Albany or to Bergen, Brooklyn, and
other neighboring towns and villages. Thor
burn mentions it as curious fact, proving,
he thinks, the nOn-infectious character OF the
disease, that though hundreds of the fugitives
died. not single inhab.tant of the above
named towns was seized. The sturdy Scotch
man remained to nurse the sick, putting his
trust in Divine Providence and marvel
lousy escaping. He gives Rembrandt
ish sort of picture of one OF the
scenes which he witnessed. was
returning" be says. cat IL p. m. from Wis
citing my patients; the night was dark; a
chick weltering mist was falling-the lamps
"twiDkled just enough to show darkness ylsl-
"ble. Descending the hill, from the corner OF
"Dover-st. into Pearl, | met two hearses
with the dead one was issuing out OF
"Peck-slip, the other coming out from Ferry
est. They turned up Pearl toward Chatham
"st on their way to POtter's Field. Each
"hearse had a driver and assistant with
"lanthorn between their feet, sitting in front
Being heavily laden they drove slowly up
" the hiil-the wheels and springs creaked
"and groaned under the weight of dead NOR
"tality. The drivers sat dumb as mutes, the
"pale light of their lanthorns Pickering across
"ther stupid, unmeaning countenances-thers
Cooked as white az dld the face of Samuel
"just peering ont of the grave wien
called by the Witch of EndOr from the
mansions of the dead. / thought what fine
"subicct this, for such pencil as Vests, to
make a second edition of Death on the Pale
"Horse.n
This is pretty good description for an Hitter
ate Scotch nailmaker. OF course, IN literary
way, it is rude in comparison with the terri
bic picture Of the plague in the bagnlo OF
Constantinople which the reader of Hopes
4" Anastasiusn will remember. for that cannot
be easily forgotten. Indeed. there is quite
literature of pestilence, If one had but the
patience to look it up. The Great Plague in
London furnished many of the most interest
ing memoranda in the diaries of Pepys and
of Evelyn. De Foes History of the Plague
in London-it was in 1665-is one OF the
most remarkable of literary feats. IL
processes to be the narrative of an
eyewitness, yet DeFOe was not born until
1861, and was therefore only four years old
when the pestllence was raging. lie must,
however, have heard il much talked about
There is curious story told by an English
traveller Captain Alexander, who was in
New Orleans about fifty years ago, during the
prevalence of the fever; and it may be re-
told as evidence of the force of will.
steamboat captain, sick of the fever IN the room
next to that of the Englshman, was IN
formed by the doctor that he must die.
He immediately and loudly swore that
he would not die, got out Of bed still
swearing at the doctor, dressed himself. and
was convalescent from that moment. Some
times those dying Of the fever are for
moment endowed with remarkable strength,
and a sudden abatement of the worst symp-
toms. This was the case OF a man in Provi-
dence, r. l., when the yellow fever prevailed
there many years ago. He dressed himself,
went out at his street door, and died upon
the sidewalk.
To the literature of pestilcnce may be added
the great number of sermons for which 1t
usually affords occasion. When the Asatic
cholera came to us on its fell mission, by the
way of Quebec, in 1892, the Governors of
most Of the States ordered a day of humili-
alton, fasting and prayer, which was gencr-
ally observed. There are large printed col
lections of the dscourses on this occasion; and
IL is a fact creditable to the clergy, that
while none of them neglected the weightier
matter of religious reflection and TesOlu-
ton and repentance. many urged the
duty of cleanliness, careful diet, temperance,
and the free use OF deodOrizers and
dsinfectants. And is not this the lesson of
the present calamity affecting certain portions
of the country7 What Is disease but the re-
suit of violation of natural laws-in many
cases not unknown, but demonstrated in
annals full of agony, terror and death I
Pain and sickness and dissolution are no
longer mysteries. If we sin against the sani-
tary laws which science has demonstrated,
the inevitable penalty awaits us. There
is no fatality except that of our own way
ward negligence. But sometimes experience
teaches us slowly, and sometimes we sin
against light. 1t is something of a consola-
ton that human suffering, born of human
folly, still touches the human heart that dis
tress and sorrow still arouse our sympathies
and that we have not forgotten-thOugh we
have forgotten much-hOw well God loves the
cheerful gIver.
In the first years of the eighteenth century great