St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-16
THE BIRCHALLS.

BIRCHALI is hung, as he ought to be,
and his fate will furnish text for nu-
merous pulpit sermons to-day. Moral
lists will hold him up as a horrible ex-
ample to young men who imagine that
the world owes them living and who
aim to get their living without earning
1t. The moral has a good application.
The man who expects to live by an
9ther'S labor must be a scoundrel
There is no evasion of the primal curse
except III vilainy. The young man
who starts into life depending entirely
on his wits to rob others of their Just
possessions has already entered upon a
career of crime. If he does not wind up
on the gallowS or in the penitentiary it
will simply be because of the laws mis-
carriage, not because he does not de-
serve to have tie felon'S brand placed
upon him.
And yet poor BIRCHALL merits SYM
pathy in his sad fate. He was more the
victim of the false system of education
which prevails in this age than of any
inherent badness. He was the son of
an English clergyman vino had big,
fat salary and could afford TO be liberal
with his children. The fathers time
was so much occupied with the over
sight of his parish, and with making
provision for his luxurious living, that
he neglected to take the time and pa
thence to guide the steps of his hayward
boy Alright. He imagined that when he
had employed tutor for the child, ard
afterwards sent him to college With his
pocket full Of money, he had completed
the sum Of parental duty. The world is
full Of just such fathers as young BIR-
CHALL had. And the wonder is that
more boys do not have their characters
wrecked before they reach mature man.
hood. In holding BRCHALL I'D as a
horrible example to young men. the pull
pits might perform an equally good
service by holding BIRCHALL's father
up as an example to parents.
1t IS misfortune that all the BIRCU-
ALLs do not reach the gallows. There
are thousands of them in this country
to-day who re holding high positions in
society and business circles. and who
are held up as eXemplars to the rising
generation. Some years ago there was
young man in certain American citv
who made up his mind to do lust as
BIRCHALL did, to get his living without
working for it. He had friend who
had money, and he inveigled that
friend into business transaction
whereby he robbed his friend of all his
possessions. The defrauded man had a
wife and three young children who were
dependent on him. The sudden reduc-
ton 10 poverty of himself and family
was so great shock to his constitution
that he died from the effect of if. leav-
ing his family penniless. The other
fellow who got his money, precisely as
bIRCHALL got BENwELL's money.
III time gained reputation as
great financier, and is TODAY at
the mead of big corporation.
he is often quoted as one of Americas
successful men, and is held up as an
example of how an American youth can
rise from obscurity to prominence. And
yet, morally, there is not the shadow of
degree between his crime and BIR-
CHALL's. He robbed man and killed
him. That is what BIRcHALI. was hung
for.
When we reach period in our civil
izatlon that all the BIRcHALIs shall
pay the penalty of their crime, we shall
have established standard of national
honesty to be proud of. And yet we
fear that when such happy conclusion
is reached, the following census will
show a considerable decrease in popu-
latiOn. The unhung scaundreIs make