Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-06-26

N> ~ this: Cur Q
for pessimism
"a dose of the last century,
Ibelieve it; but it is hard to COM
press the last century into a con-
yenient dose for the healing OF a sick
and discouraged soul. 1t is not diff
cult to learn many bad things ofthat
century. Bad things, such rs crimes
and disasters, being exceptional, are
apt to he recorded and repeated,
while virtuous deeds and orderly liv-
ing, being the rule all over the world
and in every age, escape notice and
pass into oblivion. In the middle of
Africa, despite the savagery OF which
we hear so much, there must be long
intervals of comparative peace and
tolerable behavior; else children
could be reared and the race preserv-
ed.
In some particulars all the centu-
ries are much alike. even in features
supposed to be peculiar to our time.
Always, for example, there have been
what we now call labor troubles, j. e.
sharp contentious between those who
pay wages and those who receive
them. From the pyramids to
the Eiffel tower, we can not
find a century free from that
painful antagonism OF interests.
In Henry the Eighth's time. the tramp
question was, perhaps, more omin-
Gus and difficult than it has ever
been since. In ITO, a crowd of
matters in London. rs we read in the
old newspapers, laid hands upon one
of their fellows and convicted him,
after a rough trial, of working over
time without extra payment and of
working for wages under the usual
rate. They compelled him to mount
donkey formed n procession and
led him through all the parts of the
city where there were hat shops. A
man marched in front of him carry
ing banner ON which his offenses
were inscribed. Behind him walked
number of boys beating shovels
with sticks by way Of music. The
procession halted before every
mandatory of hats and compelled
the men to leave off their work until
their wages were raised.
In the matter of huge ca tastrophes,
also, there is a curious similarity be-
tween the centuries. If we have our
cyclones and floods, so did the people
OF former ages, to say nothing OF
such direful events as the Lisbon
earthquake. Even the Johnstown
flood was scarcely more destructive OF
life than the panic which occurred in
Paris during the marriage festivities
of Marie Antoinette, when some oil
the fireworks went wrong, and threw
sheets OF fire among the people. In
the crush that followed, there thous
and people were killed, wounded OF
otherwise injured.
Nor am so sure that we claim SUI
periority for the last century in sup
pressing robbery. The exploits Of
the footpad were highly picturesque
and interesting, but sometimes when
they robbed the mail, there was moth
ing to steal but two shillings belong
ing to the boy who carried the mail
and the cap which he wore ON his
head. Some of our train robberies
end bank robberies have probabl,
yielded a larger sum than was stoer
on the highway during the Who'll,
reign of George the Third. The high
!. way robbers, however, furnished t.
? the local press narratives of tn,
most striking description. 1t hap
pened more than once that u bolt
traveller had two conflicts with high
. waymen in the same hour, and cam,
off victorious from both. There ar
men now living in London, who re
g member hearing their own father
, speak of the time when business mel
+, living a few miles out OF town woul,
J. meet every afternoon at a certain
j. hour, and make the journey in com
pany for mutual protection agains
robbers.
On the other hand, we bave learne
l. that excessive severity of punish
e ment does not deter men from con-
|. hitting crime. Those were the yer
l. days when it was not unusual to Sc
It half dozen carloads of criminal
10 carried through London streets t
{. Tyburn for execution, many of ther
if singing ribald songs all the way. A
le one session Of the Old Baily. thirt
d convicts received sentence of dealt
is Among these were four girls, the OLE
h est not seventeen, nil sentenced fc
j. highway robbery. One Of the CIR
~ was executed. and she dressed to I'll
). occasion. She appeared ir the cal
dressed in white with black triu