New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-12
.J1CE-TN- THE BON.

The toy known as the Jack iEihc-boX is Rot
50 common "A, it used TO be. though 1t may SUI
bo found i'm toy stores. 1t was square box
containing dressed figure on Il spiral sprlng'
which wa, held down by the lid when closed.
TO the curious urchn who unlocked the cover
there suddenly appeared with Il great bounce
Il hook no,cd crinning creature. throwing out
It's arms and quiycring with the vibrations ol
the loo>cncd spring Ii was not an ingenious
piece of mechanism lt> essence was IN the
>pring-a Spral-a very simple piece OF crook
cdne>,. lis cham WAS III IL senSa'ional char-
actcr lis sole purpose was 10 scare somebody.
InlCS, il did that it was good for nothing. In
troduccd casually at the breakfast table It was
capablc of driving young persons int, Mysteries
and destroying the peace If families. ms
made it especially attractive 10 that large class
Of mankind whose sense of humor takes This
especially intelligent direction and elevated
tone They purchased 1t largely. 20 long IL
it was new they had fun with II. II was the
sort of thing, though, familiarity with which
bred contempt to an unusual degree. When it
ceased 10 scare il had no function whatever.
II could not he used even as n contribution box
without taking out its crooked spring and that
new face on the Jack" or two or three OF
them. would not answer the purpose. The
smallest boy failed 10 be- interested in it be-
cause he knew wha. was inside of it to well
t. be scared when il bounced out and glowcred
at him. The Jack -n-thc box has fallen into
innocuous dcsuctudc. For there is nothing in
the world - ridiculous 4 " scare head that
doesn't scare.
II might. perhaps. be considered inyidous {,
suggest a comparison between the general plan
and purpose, the mechanical arrangements the
field of operation and the motive power OF our
elastic and sprngy contemporary 1.-The New
Yorl, World = and those of the almost obsolete
toy alluded 10. In some respects, perhaps
MANY. the analogy would fail. The points 81
difference however are not of such general
interest that we ShOnld feel warranted in isSu-
inc coupons for tourist ticket in a guessing
tournament over them. What we would like
to say. if we can do 50 without giving offence,
is that though orr contemporary is not by any
mcang a lack in-thc box-far be it from us -
intimate it-therc are things about the Jack
in-hc box that il would do well To consider.
As. fer instance. that when the scare head has
become 80 familiar that il ceases To scare. the
Jack d jeS MT turn fcrccly upon the small boy
who dc,pscs him with: "You atrocious ris-
cal, Have YOU no feeling? DO you not see
that ! am fightfuI? Why do You not shrek
and tear your hair and run away, and do some
thing t, contribute 10 the general joy. yHu
callous and nscnsatc and hard hearted little
cuss?" Even the Jack knows better than to
90 on in that way. Even the Jack knows when
he is outworn and when his scare head no
longer Scarcs. He takes it philCsophically, and
does not kicl, or charge the small boy with
lack Of feeling.
Now. our contemporary has been for the last
two or three weeks very earnestly engaged in
one Of lis peculiar enterprises in Connecticut.
1t ha, been ncarthng abuses in the Conn ci-
cut State Prison. BY its account very dreadful
abuses And growing more dreadful every day.
4 loluminouS Vocabulary has already been used
ND twice over in describing them and point
has now been reached where shrness is re-
sorted 10 in he absence or variety. The I'M
carthng of abuses has been for Icing time
cur contemporary most important function.
IL employs what il proudly calls " the slcuth
hounds of the press" for that purpose. 1t has
them in considerable numbers and OF both
sexes. The sleuthhound employed in the Con-
II, cicut enterprise appears to have been nm
usually intelligent and active, though not. we
should say. endowed with the highest order
of judicial mind. IF we were to indulge in
| criticism we should say that in accepting
| cosrel truth the stories Of hardships and hor-
rois of starvation and pestilence, of cruelty
AID rtnIc, told by inmates Of the prison, whose
being there is something of an indication Of
tendency to inaccuracy, he had not exhibited
in a high degree the capacity to weigh teSti-
mony We might also say that in pronouncing
Govcrncr Morris incompetent because, on the
s,cuhh0unds report Of such testimony under
scare heads, he had not removed or suspended
the warden, he seems to lack dellberation. while
hi, swe ping charges Of collision and partisan
ship, tiicllery and chcanery, against members
Of the Legislature and eminent citizens berc
tof,r held t. be reputable and honest. who
had n been greatly moved by the scare heads
seem 10 indicate certain want OF calmncss
| and discrimination. Aside from these con-
sidcrations, which we freely admit are not OF