Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1883-07-20
A Cruel Practice.

One Of the most cruel and dangerous
practices which thoughtless people in
du!ge IN is that OF purposely frlghten-
ing each other. This habit, although
largely confined to children, is We re-
gret 10 say too frequently encouraged
and perpetrat,d by older ones. Most
hpliS thakeo ~ .h4me m tinff. inff. witt"fp947sterd Wit
tIce and have learned that II is too dam
gerous to attempt.
Children as IA rule are afraid in the
dark. Occasionally chic is found,
who being OF morbid, thick headed,
sluggish temperament is not vlsibly
affected by the ylslous which come
tlying through the mind of more
sensitive, Imaginative child. A child
with quick Wit and a lively imagin
alton Will scramble up the stairs from
dark cellar, two steps at a time, lm-
pelled by the vision of some thing or
some body who seems to be in hot pur
suit of it, while the other child, per-
haps Of the same family will 60 into
the same cellar, and See nothing but
potatoes, apples and canned fruit and
ginger snaps. y child is not to be
blamed for this exhibition of fear, and
many parents thinking to break them
OF 1t, make matters ten times worse by
compelling them to so, alone into dark
rooms and streets, when their fright
amounts to little less than actual tor
lures.
To play practical jokes upon one OF
these sensitive persons for the purpose
of hearing them scream and witness,
| ing their terror is the meanest KIND OF
finn. and hundreds Of Cases might be
cited where such fun has been attend
| ed with most serious results. We
will give only one case, which was
Civ, n us by one who was acquainted
With the parties and knows the CIR
cumstauces to be true. And in Civ
ing it we sincerely hope that if any OF
orr ,readers a-e addicted to this
tnourhtless habit, this sad circum-
stance may show them the iolly
of it and make them once and forever
abandon it.
Two young men were converslh 6
upon the subject of fright and Its Ell
rects upon different individuals, when
one remarked that nobody could
fric hen his sister whom he ayerred
had more nerve than any person ne
ever saw. The other man, who was
medical student, said he could trlghten
| her. and wager was made Immediate
ly.
The young doctor secured huma n
skeleton and the two men placed 1t IN
the Young lady's bed, and drawing
the covering over it, left IN there, ana
awaited developments
At night they secreted themselves
in room adjoining the young lady
and after a while she was heard to Ell
ter the room Alter waiting long
time for some demonstration, the men
became alarmed at the long silence
and called the young lady by name.
Receiving no answer other members OF
the family were called and an investlga-
ton revealed the young lady seated
uron the bed toying with the human
bones. Ulon being addressed she
greeted her visitors with a wild ma,
niacal laugh which told too plainly
that reason had given way and thai
she was maniac, teyond recovery.
Some ladies might have been differ
emily affected by such shock, anc
with a scream of terror followed by {
few minutes swoon would have come
out OF it, but to deeply sensitive, re
fined nature the strain proved too
great and reason could not resist the
shock. We will not enlarge upor
this theme more but leave it here
hoping that it may have the desired
effect of causing some at least to aban
don this cowardly and dangerous prac
tice.