National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-10-15
nEnRMANN AT TIE ASYLUM.


In response to the invitation OF the authori-
ties Prof Hermann appeared yesterday alter
uoOn In the great hall of the government hos.
pital for the insane before an audience mainly
composed Of the patients Of that institution.
Thcprofcssor was accompanied by Nine. Herr
mann, who took an active part in the enter
tninmcnt and among the guests were repre-
sentntivCs Of nearly all the Washington news
papers aud correspondents of some Of th5
greatest journals IN the country, with their
wives and other friends
When Hermann appeared on the stage at
about O'Clock he looked down upon
n crowd of faces stamped for the most
part with that peculiar and impressive sadness
which follows utmost every serious alteration
of human reason. There were. among the
hundreds of lnces in that audience many
which owed lite to nature aud nothing 10
art The dull, fixed eye, the hilfbOwel head,
the open mouth aud heavy Jaw, all added 70
the stopped shoulders and lisilcssair furnished
Il terrible contrast to the poets piclurt Of
man-"llow infinite IN faculty IN form and
moving how express and admirable in action
how Ike an angel in apprehension how ike
o God the beauty of the world the paragon
of animalsl" The defects were rough.hevn
upon the mems faces, but II required an oo.
servant eye 10 detect any symptoms OF
insanity upon the apparently resigned and
tranquil cOuntenances of the women. Faces
OF mad women manage to keep secrets more
successfully than do the tongues of more fl-
vorcd sisters one characteristic, however,
prevailed impartiDlly among both sexes. No
single face that could be easily seen bore upon
IL the yestige of n smile when the professor
opened the proceedings with n few friendly
phrases. When he had performed his first card
trick It seemed rs II the patients failed to com.
preherd the meaning OF the performance.
Humor, that great safeguard of the hum IN
mind, seemed TO have vanished, leaving the
souls dark cottage hopelessly battered and de.
cayed. But when Hermann went about
among the benches extracting dollars from
one mans hair whole packs of cards from au.
other mans inside packet, and pro lucing,
| from the mouth Of II servant, eggs which were
broken and tossed into a pan, where they were
boiled, baked, fried, and promptly trans
formed into beautiful doves-whGn few oil
such feats had been accomplished the pent.up
human feeling came forth Tor n summer holi.
day under the genial rays Of the artists skill
and good feeling. Hearts long frozen into
callousness thawed beneath the warmth oi
easy manners, pleasant words, and quick sue
cession of extraordinary events Dali faces
became radiant hard lines relaxed into bro ld
smiles which finally burst into loud ald
tumbling laughter
One young woman to whom the professor
had presented some candy, hurled 1t back
with force which said, in plain words, "Get
thee behind me, Satan," and a young man,
from whose left ear some dollars had been
evolved" said, deliberately. "Well, you're
the devil, sure enough - But such instances
were rare. Hcrrmann's influence was that oil
ministering angel, and II rolling away a
world of sadness from the human heart cOnsti'
tutes any claim upon the gratitude aud aftec
tlon OF ones fellows then Prof. Hermann and
his charming little wife have built unto them
selves pleasant monumen in many memories
not oveTburdened with grateful rcmlnis
ccnccs-which even time ana fate can never
utterly destroy.