Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-09-18

air, closing it at night to prevent
draughts and exclude noise. 1t worked
like charm until she discovered that
there had never been any glass in the
transom.
The Pennsylvania Legislature has
been considering bill that prohibits
the exhibition of physical deformities
as source of pecuniary gain, as some
of the freaks in the dime museums.
The Medical Record thinks that it ie
an unnecessary interference with the
comfort and well-being of those IN.
fortunates who find in the museums q
means of existence and perhaps even
pleasure. Where, for instance, could
an ossifed man have more fun than in
watching the crowds that watch him?
SINCE our scientists adopted the fad
of finding things with tails hung to
'em, one of them has dug up lot Of
human skeletons with caudal appurte
nances and another has discovered a
new comet. These things arouse 9
suspicion that the geologist who is Dor
ing that deep hole in West Virginia is
really inspired by some other hope
than that of learning the formation o,
the earth's crust; ana if. indeed, he is
looking for. a famous lerson with a
tail, he seems to have exhi bited good
judgment in selecting starting point
THE proposition of a Kansas City
Alderman to abandon the practice OF
charging liquor-sellers a license fee
and license the drinkers instead is al
least novel. He would charge the
habitual beer-drinker $40 year and
the drinker OF all kinds of drinks $50,
thus imposing a financial penalty upon
the imhiber of mixed drinks in addi
ton to the penalty that nature com
monty eSacts. The sage Alderman es.
Inmates that this system would net the
city sl,o0o,OoO a year. as no doubt it
would if the Aldermen We're not ex.
empt from the tax.
In New Jersey shore town the
other day a man died of hydrophobia, it
was said caused by the bite of d pet
cat. Thereupon the people of the
town began an unreasoning war of ex-
termination against all cats, the entire
feline tribe being held as accursed be-
cause Of the one that inflicted the bite
As the New Jersey townspeople with
cats, so the human race with snakes;
because few reptiles are venomous
and deadly, mankind wages war on the
entire ophidian species; and harmless
and beautiful and graceful and useful
creatures are crushed beneath the
heel, victims of an antipathy foKnded
on ignorance and misconception .
CITIZEN TRAINS suggestion ns to
how murderers should be punished is
an excellent one. And, unlike many OF
his ideas, it appears thoroughly prac-
ticable. Instead of executing the
taker of human life or consigning him
to lifelong idleness in penitentiary,
Citizen Train would sentence him to
hard labor for the remainder of his
days and bestow the surplus profits of
his toll upon the family of the nearest
kin of his victim. Thus at one stroke
the citizen would abolish the barbar-
ism of capital punishment, compensate
to some extent the relatives of the
murdered person and really inflict a
heavier penalty than death upon the
murderer.
ACCORDING to the census bulletin on
educational statistics there were 49,,
592, 72l pupils enrolled in the PUBLIC
schools of the country in 1890 as
against 9,951.6 in 1880. This shows
an increase during the decade of 1884
per cent. in the enrolment against
24.86 per cent. increase in the popula.
ton, over 100000 of which was from
immigration. The showing, however,
would not have been anything like as
tlattering but for the phenomenal en-.
rollment in the public schools at the
South running all the way from 3D.
per cent. in West Virginia to 1873. Is in
Texas. In the North the pare chial
schools have cut down the enrolment
in the public schools to slight de-
crease in some States.
The Jewish Alliance, in the plan il
has prepared for disposing of the Jew
ish immigration now pressing on this
country, proposes course more likely
than any other to place the Israelites
whom it aids in position where thei,
self-support will be easy and their alb
sorption by the community complete
Colonies perpetuate race characteris
tics and breed a tendency to rely OF
external aid. The more rapidly and
completely the immigrant Israelite is
placed in contact with the active in
dustrial life which in all the newer
parts OF this country is transforming
new lands into new wealth, the more
certain is the transformation of thu
moor and opprosca1 Tcra o1ita into ,