Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-01-06
A LIVING DEATH.
PECULIAR OUTCOME or THE ENN-
RoNMeNTs OF OUR GREAT CITIES.

Victims of Paralysis Dragging Their Feet
Along the Observation-Disclosures Who Are
a, Helpless as New Born Insants-sad
Case Of n Journalist.
On these sunny mornings, when the
atmosphere is cool and bracing, one sees
here and there on the streets man crawl
ing along aided by crutch or a cane.
He is usually bent forward. his progress
is slow, difficult and painful. His feet
drag with a shuttle on the surface Of the
pavement. His hair is gray, although
his couatenance may not indicate more
than middle are. There are evidences of
pain i'll his features. There are wrinkles
and eontr:.etions that are the cicatrices of
wounds iDcaFTed in fierce life struggles.
The eyes express q conmingliny of weak
ness and despair His shoulders droop,
and his entire figure has bagginess sug
gestive OF a collapse. On his shrunken
lirs are hints Of a pleading helplessness.
When he speaks it IL with hesitation
and a muiied tone. His utterances come
with difficulty; they are low, choked,
broken. His speech halts at short inter
walls a. If at loss for the proper word.
Often he cannot find it, and frequently an
unwanted ard strange term, wholly with
out meaning, will thrust itself in the
hiatus. Possibly one arm bangles at his
side. loose and limp as rope. Possibly one
leg Is dragged along as If it were a foreign
body. Perhaps one side or the other of
his mouth is drawn up with line that
spreads ont fan shaped into a series of
scar like slIriukages. His glance, like his
gait, is wabbiing and uncertain. Over
his face is spread an expression that is a
combination of imbecility and hope. He
= an object with qualities so peculiar, SO
individualiZed that one easily recognizes
uim as the victim of some one of the nu
mcrous forms OF paralysis.
These specimens taking the morning
air, assisted by cane or crutch and shut
ding along the sidewalk, are getting TO be
q frequent exhi Dition. Whether or not
characteristic of other points, they are
getting to be an increasing feature of Chi
cagO.
The men who no longer crawl ont to
catch the glow and warmth Of the sum
mer sun are neryeless rs new born chill
drcn. Their limbs are inert us masses of
gelatine. They are rowerless to move
their muscles, and have TO be lifted,
turned, taken up and down like babes
They must be fed, and the wants of
nature cared for as if they were pulling
infants ia the nurses arms.
This new disease is peculiar outcome
If the environment Of orr great cities.
The atmosphere Of this region is ii.led with
1t malaria which exhausts, prostrates
paralyzes those whose overworked Lodies
are forced to inhale it. Its victims are
not the old who have reached the allotted
If hai lnI
age or hcredity bot the men with active
brains, intense energy, boundless ambi-
ton and restless effort. 1t is in the
nasure Of rot which affects not the
green, the immature, but the ripened
fruit. 1t attacks the men who labor by
day and dream of work by night; it is
sting which pierces not the drones, but
ths workers in the hHnln hives.
The idlcr slowly d,-iutegrates and dis
appears. He passes from II lethargic life
into death with us littlc consciousness and
suffering as attend the natural demise of
u mollu5k. He ii an implement that ruSts
frori disuSe; the tsreless brain worker is
a machine, driven at IA high rate Of speed,
with no stoppages for repairs, which car
.ieS tremendous pressure, and some day
* IlodcS and is blown into fragments.
OVER II qGtrter OF n century ago there
came Il youn.. man from mn eastern state,
Sho in time located in Chicago. He was
timely educated. ambitious. Industrious,
energetic and ready and willing to devote
himself to any honorable employment
tie soon secured n situation as principal
# one Of the public schools.
.'urther on he gave up teaching and
connected himself with Journaiism.' He
was for several years valued attache of
this Journal, during V hici, time he showed
himself capable, interchangeable. prompt,
sod the possessor Of high or,le. of intel
,ect. OF religions nature, lie later ac-
cepted an offer to take charge Of promi-
nent denominatiOnal weekly issued in this
tiy, and became its chief writer and man
aerial assistant, and for many years
fllcd his place with credit to himself and
the periodical with which he was con
Nccted.
;uch was Leander Stone, principal of a
public school, reporter on The Chicago
Times and afterward one OF the powers
that controlled the great Methodist jour
nal, The Northwestern Christian Advo-
cate The face and figure of no man In
CHICAGO were better known than those of
leander Stone during all these years.
a few months ago, having just passed
INTO ripe HluuIe age ana III tne very
height of his popularity and usefulness,
he felt one day n numbncss in one Of his
arms. 1t extended slowly Till the whole
arm was involved, and then it crept into
the ther arm, and so on and on, II little
at Il time tai it had permeated and pos
sessed his entire limbs and torso. His
heal alone escaped. The last time | saw
him, all below his neck was dead mass
80 far rs motion is concerned.
like one of Dante's damned, he was
Imprisoned in ice to his chin. And yet
the savage destiny that has thus impris=
oned him did not have the mercy to de
prive the Enclosed ilass OF sensation
Along its nerves travel incessant poignant
pains, which are beyond reach and beyond
remedy. Strangely enough, in this gro
tesquc, unparalleled infection his head
and face remain untouched His brain is
rs clear rs in his palmiest intellectual
day, and he reads with his old avidity
and thinks and reasons with his old time
clearness -"Poliuto'' in Chicago Times.
Why DeUanof Was Deposed.
To what extent panslavsm makes bold
to beard the autocrat of all the Russias is
Oh I,-,