Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-25
BY-THE-WAY.

in the interest OF the public well-belng,
should like to drop over the edge OF
the earth but my sorrow is so mewhat
assuaged by the reflection that many OF
these persons seem disposed to cooper
ate with me.
Such is that class of individ uals rep
resented by the young lady who some
days ago pleasantly titillated the popu-
lace at Westlake park by going up in
balloon and subsequently coming down
again much to the detriment of her own
anatomy. / don't know whether this
person receives salary which makes 1T
an object for her thus to dehumanize
herself, or whether she does it out OF the
unmitigated evil of her heart. In either
case she is contributing to lower the
standard OF public morality faster than
the Women's Press association can build
it up.
The increasing prevalence OF the bal
loon mania, conspicuous among kindred
disorders, must greatly discourage those
persons who are trying to live up to the
scripture injunction to love their fellow
men; since it is impossible for rational
being to feel anything but profound con-
tempt for a fellowman afflicted with
that disease, and corresponding sensa-
ton of relief when in the natural
course of events he is reduced to frag-
ments.
At Peoria, Illinois, there is man who
enjoys the proud distinction OF having
launched more of this particular brand
of idiots upon the world than any other
known to fame. His name is Forsman,
and he is the proprietor OF training
school for aeronauts, whereof, according
to his own statement, 'thirty-four grad
yates are now ballooning in various
parts of the country"
Mr.. Forsmansalso balloons on his own
account. But its career seems rapidly
approaching his termination, since he
announces that he proposes soon to in
troduce an innovation in the shape of
sky-rocket with a parachute attached,
and to cause himself to be fired into the
air in connection with this rocket. This
idea is not entirely novel, having been
put into execution twice before; each
time with the pleasing result of distrib-
uting small fragments Of aeronaut over
an extended area, and thus neutralizing
the objectional qualities attached to
them as whole.
Mr.. Forsman evidently harbors the
idea that he will be better appreciated
in desiccated condition. Perhaps he
is right.
x*x
That reminds me of the rural revival
lists version of Bible story which l
have not been able to discover in the
original. "One day." says this ex-
FOUNDER OF scripture, dramatically, zone
day, my brethren, the prophet Elisha
looked out the window and saw Queen
Jezebel coming along, riding on camel.
And Elisha said: Brethren, l command
you to bring that woman up here and
throw her out the windowl'
"And they brought her up and threw
her out.
>"And Elisha said: Throw her out
again!'
'And they threw her out again.
'And he said: Throw her out againp
"And they threw her out again.
"And they threw her out seventy-and-
seven times.
"And then Elisha said: Gather up
the fragmentsp
''And they gathered them up.
"And there were twelve baskets OF
fragments"
The mind pertaining to Mrs. Smith,
of Vinedale, must be peculiarly
constructed or else a badly dam
aged one. I refer to that Mrs.
Smith who recently, having missed
a large amount of property from her
house, came to this city and consulted
medium in order to locate the stolen
stuff, who then led the constables
merry dance in pursuit of the clue so
obtained; and who finally, when the
thief was discovered in the person of her
own son, perjured herself in an attempt
to shield him.
should like to collate the various
views of this woman's conduct; first,
those of people not Immediately con-
cerned second, those of her interesting
family third, those of the officers of the
law and of the constables who unwit-
tingly following the sage directions of
the medium, ransacked divers barns,
haystacks, trunks and other things,
besides lacerating their own hands and
tempers, in search of the stolen prop
erty; in regard to which all parties,
spirits included, appear to have been
much betooled.
The sort of mind-or absence thereof
above indicated is by many people
considered typically feminine. Women,
these say, are usually ignorant and
weak; hence superstitions and cunning.
They are ruled by instinct, not reason,
hence are incapable OF graspfng the
broad principles of ethrcs except
through the medium of some merely
personal feeling.
Says Thackeray, who presumably
never knew good woman that was not
a fool-"Thank Heaven, no one ever ac-
cused women of being just! Where
should we be if they were ~
That trite little remark, my friends,
is an epitome of the situation. And
the consideration candidly expressed in
the last clause thereof is primarily the
reason why it is not expected or desired
that women should be governed by the
same code of morals as men. "Where
should we be if they were ~ cries the
selfish sex, and with good reason. But
has it ever occurred to you that these
views and the state of things therefrom
resulting are profoundly immoral?
Probably if you were asked whether
men or women are morally the stronger
you would decide instantly in favor of
the latter; and you would applaud that
obliquity which causes woman to per-
lure herself in defense OF husband,
brother or lover, as agratifying evidence
of the strength of her domestic affec-
tions That seems to me as ugly and IL