The Dickinson press., 1890-08-30

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We Gun remember 1, iln>ated tale
that speaks SO To tho heart at once OF the
cruelty of life and the LH"lty of human
compassion us the true story closed by d
sentence il the newspapers announcing
that Joseph Mcrrick. the elephant
man" WIS Grad.
Ima..sinc Il human seal clothed i'll Il
body 50 nnsreakably frishtful that sec
ing it men turned sick with loatling and
women tainted: IL being who had to be
conveyed from place 10 place i'll secret;
who hardly dared to vcntur& abroad
even by night; who, finding his fellow
creatures ran from him, grew terrified
by the terror lie created, and shuddered
in dark corners like a hunted beast.
Imagine him driven by starvation to ac-
cept IL showman's offer and be exhibited
to the most brutal of audiences, that
commonly enough shrickcd and ran pcll
nell from the tent as soon as the curtain
was drawn.
EARLY in 1856 Frederick Treves, one of
the surgeons of tho London hospital,
found McrTick in a penny show, i'll a
room off the Whitcchapel road, crouch
ing behind i'll old curtain and trying to
warm himself over q brick that was
heated by a gas jet. Mr.. Trcvcs went
up to him not only without fear orloath-
ing, but with sympathy. For the first
time in his life of twenty-four years Mer-
rick heard a kind word and was spokcnto
like n man. The effect was curious. 1t
made him afraid ut first. He slranll us an
ordinary man would from something un-
canny. Then, as he began to realize the
truth, he broke into sobs of gratitude.
Days and even weeks passed, however,
before he recovered from the shock Of
hearing n compassionate word.
The police prohibited his show on the
ground of public decency. So he Went
to Belgium, where again the police in
terfcred, and where All agent decamped
with his money. Merrick was left desti-
tutc and starving in the streets of a fer
eign town, where the ignorant mob
thought him Il tiend.
He came back to London-how, no
no one quite knows. At every station
and landing place crowds doggel him.
Steamers refused to have him on board.
But he came back to London, because
in London lived the only man who had
cver given him q kind word. He made
his way to the London hospital, found
Mr.. Treves, who had him lodged for Il
time in an attic i'll tho hospital, and de-
termined to find a permanent shelter for
him.
But now it was found hat no institu-
ton would receive him. The royal hos
pital for incurables and the British home
for incurables alike declined to take him
in unless sufficient funds wcrs forth
coming to pay for his maintenance for
life. He himself begged that he might
be placed i'll Il blind hospital. 1t is hard
to match the pathos of this plea.
Then in November, 1886, Carr Comm,
chairman of the London hospital, wrote
to The Times asking help for this case,
and tho British public responded. A
room was built for Merrick on tho
ground floor in a remote wing of the hos
pital, and there, surrounded with books,
flowers and u hundred tokens of the
kindness that is really quick in the pub
lie heart, he lived.
He had found many friends-the
Prince and Princess of Wales, MI. Glad
stone, Mrs. Kendall and others. To Mrs.
Kendall is due the happy suggestion that
Merrick should be taken to see the
Christmas pantomimo at Drury Lane.
She engaged the royal box; she had him
brought to the theatre, and took every
%precaution that 1T strange eye should
see him. Hidden from the house behind
the curtains of the box, the elephant
man. tasted an hour OF two Of intoxicat-
ing happiness. 1t was all real to him
the fairies, the splendor and the jewels.
Merrick, i'll spite of his hideous ex-
terror and terrible experiences, was in
his way IL gentle sentimentalist, and
gushed forth at times, under the happy
conditions of his life at the hospital, in
verse modelled on the hymns of DR..
Watts, i'll which he gave utterancc to
feelings of gratitude, the sincerity of
which none ever questioned. It was a
tender heart that was beating beneath a
mask more hideous than that of Orson.
Above all, it was IL heart that was filled
with love for the man who was literally
his saviour, who first spoke kindly to
him, who rescued him from a fate a
thousand times worse than death, and to
the end was both his doctor and his
friend. Recently, it was only Mr.. Treves
who could thoroughly understand the
poor creatures MANNED utterances; and
to Mr.. Treves he chung to the last with
the wistful trust and affection of adumb
animal.-London Speaker.