The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-07-19


are ali things OF growth to which
our daily lives minister. The love of
parents, the shelter of home, the COM
Partnerships of youth, the incentives of
early rivaIries, all contribute to this
better Judgment. We gather our store
of knowledge day by day, and with it
we acquire the capacity to enjoy and to
apprehend the anticipated successes of
tomorrow. But man without pastl
What can life hold for him? To feel the
unutterable desolation of an impene-
trable waste behind hitn-to know that
he is a mariner who sails without a COM
pass an unknown seain whose food the
keel of his bark leaves not even a ripple,
to live without memory and without
hope, without the comfort, aye, and
the pangs of ones existence. Ny God
what can the future hold for such an
one?"
Nothing, ]" replied Jones sadly. sAnd
perhaps that is the reason we find him
so willing to give itup"
at must be So And yet I feel that
back of all this there must be some hid
den mystery which, if we could only
penetrate, would set this man free from
the bondage Of such punishment as his
must be-"
''You are right in calling it punish
ment," Jones replied. "But what q tor
ture it is, tool have heard p5ople spec
ulate on the mercifulcProvidence which
kept our future secret Yet it seems
to me that a man could bravely go for
ward to any fate, much as the old mar
tyrs faced the stake when they knew
they had to sizzle. But surely no one,
except he were lost to every moral tie,
could wish to be perpetualiy forgetting"
ITO forgetl Why, no! To forget is
death. What would life be without its
memories of early loves and joys, of a
mothers kiss at night, fathers bless
ing, wife's worldwide loVeP Life is
only a bundle of memories. We gather
a flower here and there to put with the
others IN the keeping of our hearts. A
thorn or poisonous weed creeps in at
times, but the others are no less the pre-
cious for their presence. Memory is
the thing that keeps our hearts young,
our faith pure, our confidence in the
realities of life sacred. 1t is the tie that
binds us to our fellows, that, like gold
en- cord, springs from the anchor of our
faith and binds us to heaven"
Then let Us do what we can to restore
this mans past to him."
''Our only hope is in your specialist, :"
said. 81 trust he may not find the task
as hopeless one as it seems to me-"
Our Impotence made it seem an inter-
minable time before DR.. De Costa
reached Donaldsonville. As u matter Of
fact it was only two days. but days were
precions now and we lived in dreadful
suspense. Much of the time we spent
with the accused, the interest of the
judge securing us unwonted liberties
in that respect, There was q dreary
satisfaction in talking with him and pro-
viding little delicacies for his use. By
the time the great specialist arrived
Brigham was looking inuca rs he had
looked when we knew him in Memphis
at least more preseptable and cleaner
than when he first came from the noise
some jail. Otherwise there was little
change. He talked frankly Of his life
iu the lumber camp and his confinement
IN prison, but when we would press him
to tell rs what had happened before he
went to the lumber camp he would grow
impatient and say: Don't ask me. for
do not know. 1t all happened so long
ago that have forgotten"
Even De Costa was puzzled when we
narrated the particulars Of the case. The
doctor was small man. with closely
cropped gray mustache and beard. He
wore gold trimmed glasses, and had q habit
of taking them off and wiping them with
his silk handkerchief when he was think
inc intently. 1T is very strange" he
said. very strange, indeed, but it may
be form Of asphasia Of which we have
no knowledge. Perhaps some sudden
mental perturbation may have caused
the rupture of a blood vessel in the
brain. which, while it has has had no OBJ
servable physical effect, has paralyzed
the functions OF that particular organ
But can tell better when have talked