Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-07-12

of social fraternity among the French |
was to raise money for the
construction of a hospital. A consider
able sum must have been realized.
In the last letter, it will be remem-
bered, something was said about the
mystery of accidents. 1t is not for the
purpose of fostering feeling of super
stition that the subject is recalled but
the loss, this week of the beautiful
steamer Seawanhaka, with an unknown
number of passengers, aggregating forty
to fifty, offers another illustration of the
very strange fatality through which
succession of accidents of similar
character, always seem to follow each
other in rapid succession. During the
last sixteen days the Narragansett was
destroyed, the Anchoria and Queen COL
lided within one hundred and fifty miles
of Sandy Hook, the Adelaide was sunk
off Leroy street in the Hudson, the
Long Branch, laden with happy Sunday
school children, had her stem stove in
and was obliged to promptly land her
passengers to prevent worse disaster.
Truly there appears to be malignant
influence moving on the face of the
waters. The destruction of the Sea-
wanhaka was an especially sad event.
The steamer was general favorite on
account of her graceful model and great
speed; and she was used to carry pas
sengers to and fro between New York
and the many charming villages, re-
sorts. and Summer homes along the
southern shore Of Long Island Sound.
Yet she took fire, almost Immediately
on leaving her pier, and in six minutes
she lay blazing wreck on Randall
Island, while her passengers to the num-
Der of hundreds, were either bufetins
the waters of He'll Gate, or meeting a
horrible death in the roaring flames.
1t was a sad spectacle, but, unfortu.
nately, it suggests too many terrible
possibilities of the near future to permit
us to draw veil over the scene anc
forget it. What if it had been one o.
the numerous excursion steamers abou
New York, that 60 laden with thous
ands instead of hundreds of passengers
That is the thought that will Away.
come uppermost when we hear of sucI
an event; and one begins to think o
the propriety of inventing some sort o
life-preserver drill, to which all pas
sengers shall be initiated the momen
they step on the deck of a steamer
Calmness and self-possession are neces
sary; and when everybody has bee
taught to take to the water with conf
dence, we may turn our steamboat acci
dents into bathing pastime. But a
present there is not much entertainment
in these events.
One of the results of the recent a.
tacks on the higher departments of gu
, public school system, made IN this state
was seen in Brooklyn, few days agc
where twenty-seven thousand dollar
q was withheld from the appropriation fl
. the support of the High School. Til
is one Of the most dangerous, becaul
I most covert attempts yet made to cril
q pie our public school system. To low,
q the standard of the schools would be IL
most certain means of destroying the
influence and utility in the community
: and all true friends of popular educ
ton must be on the alert to meet I'll
h new changes. The movement is mad
of course. IN the name of economy; b.
10 it is false plea, though one very We
. calculated to capture the unwarv. 1t
movement only meant for the graft
y cation of the opponents of the publ
schools, and it is yelled under fal
4 pretenses. RADIx.