The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-22
THE VENEER OF CIVILIZATION


1T will be bigger thing for the great ex.
position than the liberty bell, at all events
it would Draw more people" said Mr.. Shee-
dy OF the proposed fOht between Sullivan
and Ryan. in gigantic tent holding twen-
ty-fve thousand people at New Orleans
about Easter Monday. 1t is by no means
certain that Mr.. Sheedy's boast is over
strained. 1t ia altogether probable that the
attraction of nose-mashing, eye.blacking
engagement between two OF the most noted
champions of the ring alive would be strong
er than any influence emanating from his
toricsl Or patriotic associations con-
nected with the bell, whose sound,
like the shot at Concord, was "hesrd
round the world" After al our
boast our civilization will not bear very deep
probing over very large surface OF popular
feeling. Scratch Russian" said the first
Napoleon. ard you find Tartar Scratch
off the surface civilization OF half of every
civilized people on the earth and you'll find
stratum of savagery close below. So close,
sometimes, as to show through the outside
gloss and betray the original animal with
out uncovering him. Looked at abstractly
there can be nothing more repulsive to
manly or human feeling than the sight OF
two big burly masculine animals beating the
blood out of each others faces; the teeth
out of each others jaws; the breath
out of each others bodies; bloody, dirty,
disfgured, painting with furious exertion,
glaring with murderous revelry. And yet a
thousand men viii stand about and watch
such an exhibition by the hour with unhsg-
cling interest. What better are we than tie
savages who make an entertainment of muir
der? We talk of the barbarism of the
Romans who built amphitheatsrs. seating
10000 or $4,000 spectators for the butcherly
performances of glsdiators. We wonder at
the Marcias and Portals and Cornelas OF
Roman high life, who could watch the
deadly conflicts OF the Flavian Amphi-
theater with applause for the fatal stab that
let q scarlet stream of blood squirt
out upon the sand and with
callous down-turning of the thumbs
to condemn TO death The unlucky gladiator
who happened to displease their fastidi-
business In murder. But how are we more
refined or human when we watcn our pugil-
istic gladiators in contests as brutal and
cruel? The Spanish who troop by the town
/ to see outright where frightened horses
! are ripped open and wheeled about the ring
with their bowels dragging in the dirt, and
where the work OF slaughter house and a
beef butcher is done as the best of popular
enjoyments, are rather better and more re-
fined than a'large part of our mroe boastful
people. They see nothing worse than the
torture Of dumb brutes. We see torture as
cruel inflicted with brutal ferocity
aud borne with brutal stolidity by
men who may be supposed to have brains
and feelingand some sense of humanity con-
siderstion for suffering and yet see no man.
Hesitation OF disgust or pain or offense in any.
body. OF course we are not all OF that kind.
There are men and women by thousands
who would not go to prize fight If it were
free and in q church, just as there were Ro-
mans who could not endure the perform
ances of the"Beprixes and n obiliors' of the
arnea, and Spaniards who don't enjoy bull
fight. But the majority of Us Americans
will take prize fight with a fair share of
satisfaction, and q sent down
with "a flush hit on the nose,n
with strong disposition to applaud.
In short, there is very much more barba-
rism in the world than we like to admit.
We have contrived to cover il closer and
conceal it better than the people OF ancient
times, or modern people of less moral and
intellectual pretension, but we have not
done more in the way of extirpating it than
Others. A big fight will do more to help the
defective attendance at great industrial
exhibition than any display OF patriotic rel
les or any force OF sentiment. A great ma
iional enterprise can be helped by the aid of
Influences that touch the baser elements oil
life and human nature. So saysMr Shesdy,
in effect, and there are not many close OBJ
servers of the ways of the world who will
not concsde that he is about half right. The
pessimist has good deal to encourage him
yet.