The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1880-07-09
rr,oAe Good Ola rirnea.

Those Good Old Times
How often do we hear the remark
Times are so different now from what
Aey were twenty or thirty years ago.
Why, when was youngster, boys were
taught to know their places, and keep them.
too aud girls wern't young women. and
galavanted round with long dresses. Mt
ten and twelve years. No, sir. Society
has become terribly demoralized of late
years, and seems to be going from bad to
worse. You can't pick up a paper that
isn't filed with accounts of all kinds and
shades of wickedness-murtlers. arson, rob-
berry, etc. etc. Judging from the history
of those good old times - so often and af-
fectionately, apparently, referred to, as
furnished us by the few newspapers of
those days, we are inclined to the opinion
often went unwhipt OF Justice then as at
the present day. One reason why there
is apparently more crime committed to-
day than thirty years ago." is In the
fact that facilities for communicating in
telligcnce Of all kinds TO all classes of go
ciety has increased thousand fold and
again, small communities have, by tmmi-
grafton and the natural Increase, grown
into large and wealthy commonwealth:
and yesterday where the community
could be numbered BY twenties, to-day we
have thousands. But then we don't pro-
pose to argue the question: ii 1t is any
satisfact'o on for our elders to hold to the
opinion that in the t'good old times''
virtue WAS always rewarded and wicked
meas punished, so be it; we only propose
| to publish. in this connection, a paragraph
or two, taken from an old newspaper,
yellow with age and much worn with often
handling. published in 1S27-fifty-ihree
years ago-in Concord, New Hampshire.
The first paragra ph is headed .1Gouging''
and the editor prefaces the article by say
ing that It is the most jnstifable act of
the kind which has eyer come to his
| knowledge:
A kentUckian belonging to surveying
party under an officer of United States
Engineers. swimming in St. Johns River
was seized by large alligator and taken
| under water. In a short time the Ken
tnckian and the alligator rose to the sur
face. the latter having the right leg OF the
former in his mouth. the former having
his thumbs IN the eyes of his antagonist.
The officer Immediately gave orders to
his party. who were in the boat. few
yards from the comhatants. TO go to the
relief of their comratie. but the Kentucki-
an pcremptOriIly forbade any intrrfer-
ence. saying ''give the fellow fair play"
It is needless TO add that the gougeP Oh
tained complete victory. Having taken
ont one of the eyes of his adversary, the
latter. in order TO save his other eye. relin-
quishrd his hold npon the Kentuckian's
leg. who returned to the shore in triumph.
A paragraph is devoted to a celebrated
''quack DOCTOR Thompson. and his fol-
lowers. The editor reports them as s'prac-
Using in adjacent counties with very con
siderable fatality. Their cure for com
plants OF the eyes Is an extract of red
pepper, or in gases of much Inflammation
pulverized pepper, blown into the eyes
dry, with goose quill.''
Attempts at incendiarism are reported
as having been frequent of late.
And so we might continue to quote, the
inference to be drawn being that the world
is at least no worse now. ii Indeed it Is as
bad as 1t was even half century ago.
We believe The world is becoming year by
year more intelligent and more tolerant of
the opinions ot others, and that the '1gold-
en- days'' viii, in due time, settle down
upon this fair earth of ours.