New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-19
POPTL1R FdLLdCIES.

EnCland's Laureate wrote, many years ago.
that knowledge grows, but Wisdom fingers"
# is. however. open to doubt whether Know
edge is not quite a, much given to lingering
- Wisdom. The popular beliefs which still
hold their ground in defiance of educational
proccsscs are often nothing less than amazing,
and Of this the daily papers from time to time
afford proof For instance, an c. ccmcd con-
temporary Yesterday published rs especial
. story aboui man suffering from lNlng makes
IN his stomach. the narrative was circum-
,tantial and specific. The man was supposed
10 have swallowed the eggs Of these snakes
hrce ycars age. They were hatchcd in his
stomach. They lived there, two OF them Tor
wD wears and the third for three years, and
hey gave the poor nan a great deal OF pam
and trouble All the particulars were sci forth
IS soLcrly and apparently in rs good faith as
houoh we were all still III the Middle Ages,
and ~ though the science OF physiology had
not emerged from a crude and infanulc state.
No doubt thousands Of people read that
story without QUO stIOning It's truth, and ii Is
caually certain that the ma Orty OF them lock
upon such "A narrative as III no way making
m undue demand upon their cIcdullty. That
F, man should swallow a young snake or a
,nal., 5 egg, and tina, it should develop and
6yc in his omach is Of course the Kind Of yarn
which nobody coalI accept who h d the smallest
knowledge Of phys olosy, because such know
lclgc " ould convince them that the alleged fact
vas an imposS bili,y; hat the snakes eggs it
swallowed. " ould not lie halchcd, but dlgcsiel !;
hat a young reptile. if it should or could find
IS way into human stomach, would lncOn-
.incntly die there and that all stories Of 1--we
snakes harhorcd in people insdc> are ncccs-
,arly inventions OF the crudcSt description.
sui Trough every schOolboy ought to know
his It IS only too evident that IA great many
peOplc do not know it. and that these continue
. put faith in ictiOns the fundamental alb
-urdlfy OF which nigh; commend them TO the
inplr abOIielncs. in he story OF the snakes
head, referred to it Is efaycy stated that one
4 gc ccc.cd Ihdians was a garter snake.
rhc story would ha e been just as true if an
anaconda had lccn selected to figure in it.
The newspapers that PRINT ridiculous lies Of
MS kind ave not altogether bianelcss, for
hough they Il, no. directly indursc me staic-
ncnts they give currency to them, and no doubt
there arc many comiding folks who sill lchcVc
hing, lccausc they md them III the papers
iut considering the immense revenues spent
N popular education IN lhis country It is not
nnI .asO.atiC 20 expect, al the ciCsc of the nin"
ccnih century IA emancipation. from a. leas,
he mnc c.u1, lopLsr iaacics which gao
ance formerly fosicIcd, ard when such gro
csqrc cases Of crcduliiy as the Mercer County
Ohiol story o. Tie man Icing converted inso
rcd-hol statue ocCuu. and the dissemination
md growth OF the stories show how wide is
he area q Egyptian dmkness which fayors h,
yolution oil such iulli.!,, IL becomes clcaI THAI
. great deal Of Woih--and even pioneer work
" lAat-icln...us ~ W done. Inc pcop.e whv