Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-04-19

There are certain forms Of mania which
are positively useful. Some persons
have an insane propensity to explore
strange and dangerous regions, not 20
much for the fame of the thing, or be.
cause OF any strong desire to benefit the
world; they are the victims of an irresti-
bic impulse to penetrate the ice-bound
shores Of the Arctic. or to hunt ostriches
In Patagonia. or to rub noses with the sa-
BILE kings OF Central Africa. In carrying
out their schemes, these men will expend
any amount of money and endure any
amount Of suffering, and the world at
large gets the benefit Of their travelling
mania.
We are much indebted for the Increase
j OF our knowledge to naturalists, who also
endure much fatigue in hunting but
terfiles and birds. and collecting shells
and snakes and sea-weeds, and sorting
out the rocks of which the earth is made;
all which they would not have been like
ly to do if they had not had mania in
that direction
Then there are others who have an
Unsuitable appetite for ferreting out and
collecting old books and pamphlets
and manuscripts-not that they ever e1-
pect to read them, but simply for the
pleasure of the hunt. They rummage
garrets and about book-stalls day after
day, and dig into all sorts of crannies and
holes, and attend every library sale, not
always for any special love of literature
but because they have mania for col
lecting; and if they can get hold of an
old book which nobody else has, their
cup Is full to overfowins.
Rich treasures have thus been brought
to light, for which scholars have great
cause to be thankful-rare gems are
sometimes found am Jng the rubbish
which these men rake together.
The coin collector is one of the most
indefstigable of human beings. The in.
trinsic value of coin is not q matter
of the slightest account, and its histori-
cal value may not be especially regarded
il he can only beat everybody else in
the size and rarity of his collection.
The autograph mania is still more
general, and when it develops itself, not
merely in accumulating the signatures
of ordinary men and women, but rath-
er authentic documents in the hand
writing of the great personages who
have figured in history. it is a very re.
spectacle hobby.
The mania for collecting postage
stamps, which OF course Is quite modern
cannot be regarded as OF so high an or
der, the ikenessness of great people
with which they are adorned have not
much attraction as works of art. and the
main charm depends upon the compiet-
ness of the collection; if one or two
stamps are wanting in tho Austrian or
any other list, its value is very much
impaired.
There is, to besure, q certain degree
of interest in studying the style in which
he taste Of different nations manifests
itself In their postage stamps; for even
here the peculiarities of the several por-
tions of the earth can be more or less
traced.
Structures are sometimes made te |
grow upon the top Of the head, archi-
tectural, botanical, chronological, or
otherwise, that are very suggestive Of
the insane asylum.
1t is q very ancient mania that mani
tests itself in this way, and. it is found
all over the world-savages often treat
ing their heads and hair after q more
elaborate style than anything We are
capable of doing.
Different people are marked by ma
mia for some particular kind of game
lawn-tennis, polo, or perhaps |
the Scotch golf
Manias of one sort or another break |
out in a very mysterious way. They
cannot be explained, but we are carried
away by them none the less for this.
The infection of example is irresistible.
we run after certain things simply |
because OR nsighbors do; and they run
after the same because we do. If there |
is melancholy in the air, We feel it. If
there il any mania abroad We are in
danger Of catching it