New-York tribune., 1881-12-15

cison of a man who knew Of what ne was 'aiA-
ing; but we desire particularly to can attei.io"
10 one which he gave in response 10 I'LL in'oi
rogatory of the Court. 1t covers the "Holc
uroblem. The Court inquired: a." Is 1t not Il lac'
. that in some Gnsane) patients there Is very
great wickedness p DIR. Barker, with il clear
ness and accuracy which do him honor re-
sponded: Yes InsSne people may be very
wicked and are responsible for such wickedness
. rs they can restrain themselves from doing. II
= they can find a motive for doing or not dong
an act of Wickcdnoss, it shows that insanity mas
"not destroyed their power OF VIII"
These are words which deserve to be per
petuated in any future treatise OF medlcaI
Jurisprudence. The same may be sara OF Dr'
Barker's distinction between INSANE ueiu.
SONS I" and absurd and extrayagant opinions
We ,ught to be obliged to him for pclnting OUT
that where there are no deluslons there may oe
- peryerseness OF the morals" Again. Dr'
Rarl,er cleared away a great deal OF mysClcal
ropsense when he said " do not THINK thaI
" there is such thing as moral INSANITY l
shave no faith in its existence. Moral insanity
- i simnlv wIckedness.n And again: UncOn-
trollable impulse may exist III a perlecCiy Sano
"person, as the result of bad habits or pas
. sions.D Again, in regard to eccentIlcltles:
"They are exhibitions OF character, III lah-
guagc, dress, modes of expression or cOhducI'
different from the ordinary standard OF the
"world and are usually the result OF vanity OF
"self-lovc.n Finally, and best OF all lhele
l." is no such disease known to medical science as
- hereditary insanity. There is undoubtedly
"bereditary tendency to insanity Because
" Grandmother or grandfather has been insane
ait does not prove that descendant Is liable
" to insanity; and man "cannot inherit
tendency to insanity from MS Drothers VI
sisters or aunts or cousins
We are Of opinion that the whole testimony
of Dr. Fordyce Barker, apart from Its bearing
upun the case, will tend to further better
order of things in medical Jurisprudence.
We do not remember a medical expert
who has so admirably, in giving his tes-
timony, pointed ont these vital distlnc-
tions between human deprayity and intel
lrctual alteration. 1t is a melancholy TACT that
the plea of insanity, which has more than once
intcrfcrcd in our Courts to save perfectly re-
sponsible murderer from the galloWs, might
have brcn inst aS successfully il rterposcd to
re,cue from the state Prison thief, a torger
or a swindlcr From n certain point OF view
any man who commits any crime Is mtcllcc-
ually at sea; If anything is well settled 1t Is
that any violation OF the law is foolish; yet
men, otherwise specially sharp, hccdlessly
tumble into wrong doing, under the notion that
they viii escape the penalty. SO far they are
mentally wrong, but no more so than one who
permits himself to engage in wild money
speculation or even to publish "a foolish book.
The truth is, that insanity, under certain deVel-
opmchts might keep man out of Wall Street
or prcvcnt him from printing. Cnqncstlonably
there comes a time TO some men when lmme-
diatr responsibility ceases and they are lett at
the mercy OF brain which has abdicatcd Its
sovereignty. 1t is an unpleasant reflection that
for even this they may be responsible Oh the
ground tLat their condition is ;he result
of shameless surrender to base passions.
If Guitcau, for example, were really IN
sane, which we do not for moment suppose
him 10 be, he would only have to thank him
self for his pitiablc condition, the result of his
own self-indulgence. As the thing stands, he
is the responsible victim of passions which he
has all his life pctted. and Of moral perverse-
ness i'm which he has found an exceeding COM
fort. He is simply wicked. If he is not, then
all notion of Gods moral order is n supersti-
ton and there is, and can be. no distinction
between right and wrong in this uul,-tunate
world.