Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-30
BEAST AND MAN,

BEAST AND MAN.
Fifteen thousand men crowded Mechanics
Hall in Boston, last Monday evening, to wit
ness the most gigantic public disgrace which
which was ever permitted to stain the fair
fame If New England city. Men of all
grades in society ihronged, like herd of
crazcd beasts, down the streets toward the
building where John l.. Sullivan's grand
bcucft' was to be given, Members of the
city government, men of wealth and men OF
culture, lawyers, teachers, merchants, hust-
led and surged with the vast tide of rufllans
and blackguards and scoundrels, which flow
ed in ut the main entrance of the hall like
black, angry stream. If ever the relative
position of man and beast is changed by cir
clmstances the crowd at the entrance OF
Mechanics Hall, whcn the doors were final
ly opened excmpliied that degradation.
SAYS the Boston Globe reporter:
The writer cimcd up !amp-post near the
gateway and surveyed the surging mass OF
peOpl below aud around him. A perfect
babel of sounds arose, the sudden dimming
of the electric light causing an extra loud eX-
preston of discomfort and evaporation.
When the light bluzed up again the howl was
still greater As the police raised their clubs
at the top of the steps the crowd fell back
and swayed one way and another like field
of wheat.
Inside the building every available
inch of space was utilized. On the stage
we're the reserved seats of the members OF
the city government and the Somerset Club
on their invited guests. Hundreds of tick
ct holders were turned away simply because
the last man possible had been squeezed into
the building The large platform, in the
centre of the nall, where the encounters were
to take place, was covered to the very edge
of the ring, with young men from the higher
walks of life-one-third of whom, at least,
were Harvard students The Boston Globe
publishes long list of names of wcll-known
and respectable citizens who were present.
Among members of the city government
were j. j. Flynn, president of the Common
Council, and Councilmcn Henry Pariman,
Godfrey, Morse, Nelson S. Wakefield, Bar
ry, Frazier and Boyle, Aldermen O'Brien,
Sladc, Brock, Kcndricken, Devlin, Walsh,
Hqldeman and Hall. Elsewhere in the audi
ence were Hon. Hugh Toland, supcrintend-
ent of lamps Mr.. George Babbitt of the
Board of Health L. b. Daley, assistant as
SCISSOR; DR.. Thomas l.. jerks and General
Nat Wales of the Board OF Police Commits
sioncrs, l.. 5. Tobey, Jr., secretary to the
postmaster, and hundreds more of Boston's
most prominent citizens.
Aud what was the fascination which drew
together this vast and eager crowd :! Nine
or ten notorious prize-iightcrs were to engage
in a sparrng match for the benefit OF the
leading prize-dghter in America-this in the
city of Boston, guardian of New England
manners and morals and capital OF the Puri-
tan States. Fifteen thousand citizens OF
Boston paid their money to witness an eXhi-
bition of brutality and vice such as was new
or before heard of in this great Eldorado of
the worlds runanism. If it had been New
York or Chicago, we would not have wonder
cd-but Boston. o Temporal ! o mores
The exhibition was pleasantly termed one
Of "scicnce." If there is a science in pugil-
ism there is science in dos-fights. Exactly
the same brutal qualities are required-ticrce,
thirstful, bcast,likc tcnacity, brute strength,
hateful persistence and degrading love OF
contention that comes to imprint itself upon
the very form and features of man. A
slugger looks very much like bulldog, and
no wonder, for he always feels and acts like
one. The stamp of the beast is upon him
There is something subtly vile and low about
this battcring with fists. A man with con
science IN his nose Gun sniff the faint OF 6
prize-fght long way oil. The good either
feels ashamed and degraded as he sneak'
away from such an exhibition. lie
can visit with comparative moral COM
| fort wrestling match or foot-ract
or an exhibition of purely physica
strength and skill in tine gymna
SUM or the ring, but to encourage
two fellow-beings to pound each other cithe
| with gloves or bare knuckles, till one o.
other is completely used up or mutiated
savors too strongly of the lowest bestial pas
sion to sit easily in the little courtroom o
conscience. We doubt not that there hav
been some exceedingly sore citizens, as wei
as pugilists in the good city of Boston since
that disgraccful exhibition in Mechanic
Hail. Joseph Cook ought to take the subjcc
| for Il prelude to one of his MONDAY lectures
If he should catch one of Sullivans audience
in fremont Temple, he would make it cx
cecdingly uncomfortable for Inn for tn
SPACE Of about fifteen minutes.
But may we not hope that such exhibitions
as this Sullivan "beneft" will produce
strong public reaction, ere longI The peopl
will wake to the fact that they have bee
patroni2ing the vilcst and most dcbasing Gle
ment in modern civilization, the elcmcr
which makes beasts of men, and elevate
passion and the lowest form of physical fore
to the place of reason and mental power.
few more of these gigantic outragcs on pull
lie decency and public respect, and III
''sluggcrs' and scientific" pugilists wi
come to that slippery place in the path OF IL
wicked which will promptly place their fct
where they belong-higher that their heads
and send them unsracefully sliding down Il
inclined plane to oblivion.
DISPUTED CASE.