The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-11
MINOR MENTION.

visited upon the children unto the third and
fourth generation" None know better than
physicians how often and how terribly the
ancient Hebrew utteran CO is verified It is true
in more senses than one that the evil that men
do lives after them. 1t often reappsars in the
deformed figures. the poisoned blood, and the
defective physical and moral faculties of their
children and their children's children.
Thus mans sins scourge not only
him but his posterty. and innocent and unborn
generations made to suffer the penalty of
his fathers vices and crimes. A large part of
the diseases around Us. and still
larger part of the tendencies to disease are in
herlted. mo fact of nature" says recent
writer s'is more pregnant with awful meaning
than the fact of the inheritance of disease. It
meets the physician his daily rounds, para
lying his art and filing him with sadness. The
legend of the ancient Greeks pictured the rnalig
nant Fur;es pursuing families from generation
to generation, and rendering them desolate. The
Furies stll ply their work of terror aud death;
but we have stripped them of the garb which
superstition threw around them, and they
now appear to eyes in the more Ineligible
but not less awfnl form of hereditary disease"
Nature is memorable. and exacts the penalty for
the violated laws from the rich well as the
poor, from prince and peasant alike. Neither
wealth power can purchase immunity from
her impartial edicts and the blood of the imper-
ial family once poisoned is hard to purify as
that of the squalid beggar. There is moral in
this that ought to make men pause and reflect
before they engage in a course of wanton viola
ton of the laws of nature. The cancerous
disease of the Crown Prince and the deafness
and deformity of his are part of natures
punishment for the vices of some of their remote
ancestors.
THE New York Herald publishes new poem,
so-called, by Walt Whitman, follows
A PRAIRIE SUNSET.
Shot gold maroon and velvet dazzling silver en1er
The earth's whole amplitude and natures multiform
power consigned for once to colors;
The light the genial air possessed by them-colors
till now unknown,
No limit. confne-not the Western sky alone-the
high meridian-North, South, all,
Pure luminous color fighting the silent shadows to
the last.
We fear the gifted poet has laid himself open
to the charge of imitation. if not of plagiarism.
The foregoing is evidently after the following
by an anonymous writer. not poet, and which
now appears in print for the first time:
THE CYCLONE.
Black funnel-shaped cloud, portentous. contorted,
hurting through the air,
The earth's whole amplitude raked and scraped by
circumgyrations comprehensive and absolute
Kaleidoscope view of men, CATTLE trees, ox-bows,
spring wagons, log-chans poultry, kitchen utensils
out-houses, barbed-wre fences, ascending, descend
ing interrnnglingly, coalescing.
The light the genial air possessed by them, complex
forms till now unknown,
No holding it, stopping, guiding controlling
also helpless barn-ooors-
Nothing left but refuge in cellars with inert cabbages
aud potatoes powerfess to protect.
A RECENT proceeding at Evansville has some
very disgusting features. The disturbance of
corpse after fifteen years of burial. in search of
will, would, under any circumstances be snf-
fciently shocking. and nothing but strong
combination of circumstances would justify it.
In this case it was done on the representation of
interested parties, not relatives of the deceased,
who claimed to have received a communication
through "a spiritual medium" to the effecS that
the dead mans will was concealed in his coffin.
On the unsupported petition of these parties,
representing a spiritualist society local court
issued an order for the exhuming of the remains.
This scandalous proceeding took place in the
presence of promiscuous crowd of several
hundred people. attracted by various motives to
witness the horrible inquest. The pages of
fiction record nothing repusive than this
probing among the decayiug bones and clammy
remains OF decomposng corpse in search of a
long since been destroyed and the only presump-
ton Of whose existence was based on alleged
communication from the spirit world OF course,
will was found. but the gaping crowd enjoyed
the morbid pleasure of seeing dead mans bones
raked sover like an ash-heap to crafty the mer-
cenary within of few superstitious cranks.
OF all the wild propositions begotten in this
age of vaRaries is that of Mr.. Powderly that the
government should own, control and work the
anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania for the
welfare of the whole people 1.-THE coal" says
Mr.. Powderly, should be dug and sent to mar
ket at a fair price; it should be placed at the
door of every man who desired it; it should be
within the reach of all, and there could be tons.
dug where pounds brought forth now. -
But why is the suggestion confined to the an
thracite coal fields7 Why not also the bitumin-
GUS coal fields the block coal fields and all 9th
ersa And if the government should control and
operate the coal beds why not the natural gas
wells also. and if it is going to undertake sup
ply the people with fuel why not feed and clothe
them alsol This would be socialism with
vengeance, and in the end more vengeance than
socialism.
The House OF Representatives has passed a
bill appropriatine $4,000 for the purchase of
TWO SWORDS presented TO the late Oeneral James
Shields by the States of Illinois and South Car
DINA. This is big price for twolswords which
the government did not need. but doubtless 1t
was roundabout way of extending relief to
General Shieldss family. He. by the way, had
a remarkable career and enjoyed the singular
distinction of having represented three different
States in the United States Senate For about
fifteen years he resided in Illinois, and besides
holding other important positions he represented
Illinois in the Senate from l849 TO 1855, Mime
sofa from 1857 to 1859. and Missouri from jan
uary to March, 1879 In the interim he had filed
the gubernatorial chair of Oregon Territory
ANTHONY CoMsrocK is going to see LA
Tosca," and If the play isn't just what he thinks
it should be he will take steps have it sup