San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-11-22
DIDN'T KNOW 1T WAS LOAD,
ED.

fury since, "SaintS and and Sin
ners and the Beecher family
should have added another to his
list, the "didn't know it was load
ed" family. That they are fam
lily too numerous to mention Is
only self-evident and it is equal
ly true that the only way to I'M
prove the breed is to improve it
off the face of the earth. Nearly
every day we read of the discard
ed shell pricked carelessly; the
unused gun pointed in fun at
some friend, or brother, or sis
ter, or wife, or husband, or lover,
or companion; the turning of
cold water into some all-but-emp-
ty steam boiler; the fool hand
ling of some live electric wire;
the careless tampering with some
deadly drug; the ignorant charg-
ing of some retOrt-death the re-
suit and the excuse invariably II
didn't know it was loaded"
The pitcher always goes to the
well once too often for its safe
ty; the carelessness INDUCED in
with impunity for a life time
shows itself once too many times
and the end is immediate. The
carelessness that ends only the
life of the one who is responsible,
is not so much to be mOurned
over, for that may be the only
means known to a wise provi-
dence to prevent greater catas-
trophe, endangering and sacrific-
ing the limbs and lives of others
But the foolhardiness that reck-
lessly puts in pawn the lives and
the safety of others, with no ex-
cuse for the deal but it's own ig-
nOrance and lack of insensibili-
ty, for such carelessness there is
no excuse on earth, no atone.
ment beyond. No atonement
beyond, for mans life is of
very little good to him after he
loses the number of his mess and
present possession of himself is
what he asks.
Laws have been framed, with
all the sagacity that the legal
mind of this present has at com.
mand, to prevent the wastage of
the human raw material through
the criminal carelessness of some
member of the didn't know it
was loaded" family, but hitherto
without and success. That the
tribe is on the invrease
is not to be doubted.
and the most singular
part of the matter is that they
not only offer no excuse for liv,
ing, but seem to imagine that the
more they act the fool at the eX
pense of the lives, pleasure, for
tunes and comfort of others, the
more are they entitled to public
sympathy. They resent the
structures of the press, the re
proofs of the pulpit, the sentences
of the courts, esteeming all thes,
unjust and showing a lament
able want of true sympathy ant
consideration for their own mis-
fortunes.
Perhaps it is unfortunate tina
, these people were not buried be
fore they were born, or at leas
so suddenly transplanted afte
naturalization that there would
be no opportunity for them t.
try the powers of their dangerOu
stupidity upon others. At pres
ent, in the imperfect conditions
of human society, stupidity is no
a crime, but some of these days
the instructed sense of the PEG
pie will revolt against this sense
less butchery of innocents. anC
the statute book will put dow
this criminal neglect as TIT
greatest of GRIMES, greater thai
those perpetrated with malic,
prepens, for such crimes have /;
distinctive victim, while thes
forever lay in wait for the limo
cent blood. Against a mans en-
emies he can defend and FORTH
himself, but who shall becom
his refuge against the fool frien
who didn't know it was loaded
Read the records of the courts
fearful is it not, in its revelation
of the impunity with whifh thi