The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-12-20
MEN VINO ARE LIKE GUITEAU.


Shave / need of madmen, that ye
have brought this man to play mailman
in my presence?" was the text that Dr.
Talnage selected the other morning for
his sermon on "The Plague of Guiteau-
ism" The words were uttered by King
Ashish, the preacher said, when, in order
to escape capital punishment, David was
Stimulating insanity.
"David was never less insane, s1id DIR.
Talmage, than on the day he personated
dementia The fact that he ran his hand
up and down the gate like an idiot, and
had an uncleanly beard did not hinder
King Ashish from jerking off the mask
and saying: "Do l need q madman,
that ye have brought this fellow to play
the mailman in my presence Pr
"There is something sublimely sad in
the alteration Of King Lear, frenzied by
his daughters attempt to have their sis
ter Cordelia disiRherited. There is some
thing thrilling in the bewitchment of Meg
Merrillies as sic goes shivering in great
horror through Walter SCOTS Guy Man
nering.' There is something weird in the
mental arrangement of Gethe's Mig
non.' There is something tremendous in
the insanity of Lycurgus or of Ulysses.
But there is no emotion excited by this
feigned idiocy of David except that of
disgust. And to-day that event has Its
echo in the great room in Washington
where now the iendish assassin of our
former President is initiating the stark
fool.
al had during the past week an oppOr-
tunity of confirming, by observation in
Washington, my theory of that gigantic
crime. There was nothing new about 1t.
It was simply bad mans nature allowed
to run loose in every direction. Instead
of putting on the curb he put on the
whip. This Mazeppa consented to be
fastened to wild courser, not caring into
what deep morass or across what dark
desert the unbridled fool dashed with
him. There is no mystery about it All
young men may come to the same result
by just allowing their evil natures to de-
velop and trample out tine good.
"There is no need to charge that the
crime was due to Satanic possession. 1t
was merely an ebullition of the mans
bad nature. Such q man needs no devil
to tempt him. He is his own devil He
has planted nightshade and nux yomicA
There is nothing more graphic or pictnr-
esque in nomenclature that bears such q
warning and illustration, and shall call
it Guiteauism or scoundrelism reduced to
. science.
In the frat place Guiteauism is able
bodied beggary. There is large class of
persons in all communities who live by
begging living. They often do it under
the name Of borrowing. The assassin
now on trial had plenty of capacity, bat
refused to do what he could do, and gave
himself for that for which he had no ca
pacity. There are, as near as can tell,
in this country, about one hundred thou
sand of what are called dead beats. Many
Of them have q smattering of learning,
and think they are called to edit news
papers or to write books, or TO take the
lecture platform. One would think that
after ten or fifteen years failure they
would take the hint and 90 back to earn
. livelihood by just as honorable and
just as respectable toll of hand OF foot.
No, they will not do that. They borrow.
Guiteau borrowed all he could. first in
Freeport, then in Chicago, then in New
York, Boston anil Washington. He Dor
rowed the pistol to commit the crime. He
borrowed the clothes be wore He is Dor
rowing the time of his counsel, and the
government to defend him. You and |.
If we are taxpayers, must pay the bill
My friends, it seems to me that it is high
time that we men and women who work
should cease paying taxes to support the
lazy scoundrels of America. [Applause.l
With the sick, the decrepit, the helpless,
and hopeless let Us share; but for the
wandering vagabonds who have been put
like leeches on the arm Of honest industry
until they have sucked out the blood
who crawl into the prisons and crawl into
court rooms, and crawl into the church,
and crawl into lecture rooms-fhey are
fit for nothing but extirpstion.
"Mosf of these men who live by borrow
ing could find occupation if they were
not too proud to take certain kinds of
work. A man with ten children wanted
to borrow SIS of me. told him would
give him 1l5 If be would set up . news
stand and try and support himself He
thought of il over night, and then said that
il would not be B business worthy Of
him. / said; Please don't bother me
any more. have work 20 do Good !
morning.
Washington is full of these sbls-bod-
led beggars to-day. All the trees around
the White House were filed with these |
osoWs when Garfield VS. shot That |
shot ffikhtened them Oh their roossA /
Bnt they Nrs baok again and thick and