Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1885-10-01

claim personal acquaintance and even
intimacy with distinguished individuals.
His friends laughed at him so much for
this weakness that when he heard of
the establishment of the Infrmary he
came here like a sensible man, and put
himself under our care. He is doing
splendidly. When he found that his
"reminiscences of Beaconsheld and Bis
marck and Victor Hugo created no
sensation here, but were, on the con-
trary, at once matched and capped by
still more remarkable experiences mar
rated by other inmates, he was at first
little staggered. But the habit is so
strong. and the peculiar vanity that
Graves admiration on this score is so ex-
acting, that he began to extend his ac
quaintance, gradually and cautiously,
back into the past Soon we had him
giving "reminiscences of Talleyrand, of
Thomas Jefferson and of Lord Corn
wallis. Observe the psychologist effect
of our system. The ordinary checks on
the performances of such a liar being
removed and, no doubt, suspicion, nor
even wonder being expressed at any of
his anecdotes he has gone back through
Voltaire and William the Silent to
Charlemagne, and so on. There hap
pens to be in the Institution another
patient with precisely the same trouble.
They are, therefore, in active competi-
ton, and each serves to force the other
back more rapidly. Not long ago l
heard our friend in here describing one
of Heliogabalus's banquets, which he
had attended as an honored guest.
why, l was there, too cried the other
liar. 1T was the night they gave us the
boar's head stuffed with goose giblets,
and that delicious dry Opimian mus
cadine."
We'll" Iasked, what is ycar prog
nosis in this case?
Just now the two personal reminis-
cence liars are driving each other back
through ancient history at the rate of
three centuries week. The flood isn't
likely to stop them. Before long they
VIII be matching "reminiscences of the
antediluyian patriarchs, and then they'll
bring up square on Adam. They can't
GO any further than Adam. BY that
time they will be ready for the truth
cure process; and after a few weeks
spent in an atmosphere of strict veraci-
ty in the other wing of the Intirmary,
they'll go out into the world again per-
fectly cured, and much more useful citi-
zens than before they came to U.s..
We went upstairs and saw the scru-
pulOusly neat bedrooms which the pa
tients occupy; through the separate
wards where the isolated classes are
treated across to the right wing of the
building and into a lecture-room where
the convalescent liars were gathered to
hear most interesting dissertation on
1.-The Inexpediency of Falsehood from
the Legal Point of View l was not
surprised to recognize in the lecturer
my railroad acquaintance, the Boston
lawyer, Merkle.
On our way back to the reception
room, or Office, we met pleasant-look-
ing gentleman about forty years Old.
''He is well-known society man." the
Assistant Superintendent whispered as
the inmate approached, land he was
formerly the most politely insincere per-
son in America. Nobody could tell when
he was uttering the truth, Or, indeed,
when he ever did utter the truth. His
habit became so exaggerated that his
relatives induced him; to come to
Lugville for treatment l am glad to
have you see him. for he is a good ex-
ample of radical cure. We shall be
ready to discharge him by the first of
next week"
The cured lar was about to pass us,
but the Assistant superintendent
stopped him. MIR. Van Ransevoort,"
he said, ''let me make you acquainted
with this gentleman, who has been in
speeding our system"
81 am glad to meet you, Mr. Van
RansevoOrt." said.
He raised his hat and made me an
bow. ''And L." he re-
piled, with smile of charming cour-
tesy, lam neither glad nor sorry to
meet you, sir. l simply don't care
rap"
The somewhat startling candor of his
words was SO much at variance with
the perfect politeness of his manner that
l was taken aback. l stammered some
thing about not desiring to intrude.
But as he still stood there as if expect
ing the conversation to be continued, l
added:
81 suppose you are looking forward
to your release next week?'
''Yes, SIR he replied. Il shall be
rather glad to get out again, but my
wife will be sorry"
l looked at the Assistant Superin-
tendent He returned glance full of
professional pride. ''Well, good-by,
Mr.. Van Ranscvoort," 1 said. per
haps shall have the pleasure of meet
ing you again."
Il hope not, sir; it's rather bore"
said he, shaking my hand most cordial
ly, and giving the Assistant Superin-
tendent a friendly nod as he passed on.
l could fill many more pages than l
have to write with descriptions of what
l saw in the Infirmary. Intelligence
and thoroughness were apparent in all
of the arrangements. | encountered
and conversed with liars of more varie-
ties and degrees of mendacity than you
would believe had distinct existence.
The majority of the cases were common
place enough. Liars of real genius
seem to be as rare inside the establish
ment as they are outside. [ became
convinced from my observations during
the profitable afternoon which l spent
at Lugville that chronic mendacity is a
disease, as the Assistant Superintendent
said, and that it is amenable, in a great
number of cases, to proper treatment.
On the importance of the experiment
that is being carried on at Lugville with
so much energy and apparent success.
it is not necessary to dilate.