New-York tribune., 1879-01-30

litigatiOnS, prolonged ana expensive, 10 "bICH ~"
ventons give rise. The question of priority Is not
always easy to settle, especially in the matter OF
scientific discoveries. II is natural that there shonld
be doubt, when many clever minds have been seek
ing to supply single acknowledged want
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We DO not remember time when the notion OF
curing all evils by special and, in some instances,
paternal legislation seemed to be in higher favor
than it now is. Congress Is to remedy all evils,
with only the occasional assistance of some new
bureau. The Chinese are to be kept out, or
maintained at O minimum by limiting the
number which may be brought over IN
single ship. Settlers the public lands
are to receive pretty little loan OF
money from the Government. The freedmen are
to bo huddIed together within the limits OF some
special territory the government and cultivation OF
which il to be abandoned to them. There IS TO be
Bureau to take special charge Of labor problems,
and to furnish information needed for laws regulat-
ing the employment OF muscle and machinery.
Other new aud sanatiye projects may be IN hand. Oh
which the details have not reached u.s. 1hls fath
in acts of Congress remedies for all Ills the Dody
polite is heir to, ~ natural enough IN n land rued
by representative government; but it is remark
able that should have 80 little jealousy OF busy
intermeddlng with private Affairs. The moment
"a
causes ofhis dissatisfaction shall be removed by stat
ute We are in such not haste always that we cannot
wait for the trial of one experiment; nothing will
satisfy us but the beginning of new one. Inc
same impatIence when the times are hard demands
that the public money shall be put at the service OF
everybody who is hard UP. But this fancy leglsla-
ton rarely gets beyond a motion or resolution
made for buncOmbe. Otherwise there would be no
end of the messes in which we should ind our
selves.
Our neghbors in Brooklyn arc making, 1t seems,
an honest but feeble effort to check the spread OF
scarlet fever aud diphnera in that city. Attend
ance at school Of children from infected houses is
forbidden. and conductors recommended to dis
continue the carrying of soed clothes and bedding
on the strcet-cars. similar precautions have been
attempted here, but to little effect they are not
backed by any legal penalty. The TRIBUNE
two weeks ago called attention TO the neces-
sity of strict municipal preventive regula-
tiOns, such as are enforced in the ma
jority of English and Scottish towns 1t is through
the careessness of ignorant hOuseh0ldcrs and
parents that disease is spread and mild recon-
mendations" to such people are of no elect
whatever. They usually regard precautions
about drainage, contagiOn, or ventilation as
the idle whims of educated people; but fine
or a policeman is q verltable fact, an argument
which never fails to convince their reason
Here is something which reminds us of the re-
markable hegira from Dotheboy's Han. Many and
many a time lads have run away from school slngy
or in pairs, but not in battaliOns Innumerable
Young gentlemen have yearned to abScOnd but
could not muster courage for the start. Now tele
gram announces-and 1t was as well worthy of the
wire IA a good many things which are sent over
that 200 boarding scholars have revOlted, and have
made good their escape from an establishment III
Piedmont. One is curious to AnOw what grievances
fred these iuyenile bosoms and strengthened these
juvenile legs as well as how this small army of
little fellows Jared 4; but upon these points we get
no information. The fugitlves may have been lost
in the mountains, safely reached Turin or No
vara only to be marched back weeping to the
hated seminary; but since the Children's Crusade
fever there was one, there has been nothing like
this boyish bolt.
From all parts of the country come accounts Of
the celebration of the CXXth anniversary on Fri
day last of the birthday of Robert Burns. Most of
these observances were of festive character: the
national haggs was discussed and good deal Of the
national beverage was swallowed. These Scotch
men. as Mr.. Thackeray long ago observed, are
CHEEKY always in their cups. After all
the sorrows of his life. what good
fortnne Is that of Burns! We would
say that this fame would have been a
great consolation to hlm could be have fOreseen it,
only perhaps he did. No man of such a genius
his can be unconscious of it. And. after all, can a
life which has borne such fruit be called failure
Ii Is surely something TO pass absolutely and for
ever into the minds of mankind. and to have ones
words incorporated into the daily speech of mil
lions
The demand for THE TRIBUNE ALMANAC for 1870
has outrun our expectations The large edition which
was issued early this month has been exhausted
and for a few davs we have been backward in
filing some of the larger orders with which we have
been favored. The presses running on the new edi-
tion have now caught up. and all orders are again
receiving immediate attention.
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POLITICAL NOTES.
ia coparcener abhOrs anything il is "surrep-
ton"
Even Tilden would condone fraud before surrep-
titiOn.
NoSes l. sure that no gentleman would translate