Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-05-24

4
cleverness, and was haunted with spec.
tres Of hobgoblins and devils. Al
length it was impossible for him &c
elude the grimaces Of reproof from the
outraged subject Of his caricature, and
lie: his eyes wander in any direction,
and the sullied countenance Of LucifeI
was sure to be encountered.
"Spinello was unable TO reason away
the hallucination, and at last died in
the midst Of his terrors."
This should be an object lesson to
that class Of editors who daily des-
seminate through the press the over
drawn caricatures Of some of the prom
inent men OF our own country.
James Harrington, the author Of
'Oceana,' whose erudition is unques.
tionable, is represented as having been
gentleman of amiable and afable
manners, courted for his briliancy Of
conversation and power Of reasoning,
became the subject Of decided hallu-
cination Of feeling, after the publication
Of 'Oceana, which he defended so earn.
estly, however, that his physicians
found it difficult often to reply. He
believed that the pores of his body
were the natural exit for his vital spirit;
which were continually being metamOr-
phcsed into warbling birds, Kissing
flies. humming bees, etc. He recognized
the fact that he was considered of un-
sound mind by his friends, yet it did
not discomfort his position in the
slightest, for he viewed himself a
martyr to their ignorance. He never
recovered sanity and finally died totally
insane.
"Bessus attended a banquet given in
his honor and seemed deeply interested
in its pleasures, when suddenly, without
any ceremony, he exhibited want Of
attention to his 1atterers, and appeared
enchanted in discourse with persons
not visible to the company For some
time he gave an undivided advertence
to his phantom. Presently he grasped
his sword, fastened to a nest Of swal-
lows on the verandah, and SLAUGHTERED
the poor birds with passion that
chilled the blood Of his assembled
friends. Think, said he of the in
science Of these birds; who dare re
proach me with the murder Of my
father
Up to this time the assassination OF
his father was sealed in mystery, and
the dreadful occurrence almost forgot
en-: but an appealing conscience finally
eliminated into a malady which re-
vealed to the courtiers the guilty party
-Bessus was a patricide!'
Ben. Johnson, who possessed a mind
Of extraordinary ability, asserted that
he had spent sleepless nights watching
conflicts going on around his great toe,
in which were engaged Tartars, Turks
and Romans. He had also imbibed
freely at the cup Of melancholia, which
he declared gave him so much pleasure
that he sought no measures to eradicate
il.
illusions Of sight and hearing have
been manifested as epidomics. History
contains a number of instances of this
fact. During the reign of Charles VI,
many were the observers Of apparent
conflicts going on in the clouds, whilst
the sky presented an appearance OK
blood. In these visionary encounters,
armed men were seen in deadly combat,
and all the accoutrements Of war were
clearly delineated."
During our late civil war there were
4 number of recorded instances Of an
endemic of illusions where whole
communities witnessed battles taking
place between the contending armies.
They were unable to account for it and
sometimes attributed it to a mirage,
but it was unquestionably an Illusion
of sight. Judging from the numerous
newspaper reports Of air ships, which
is claimed to have been seen floating
over various cities of the country, It
would look as if history had repeated
itself. and that we are, ourselves, in
the very midst Of an epidemic OF illu-'
sion.
For no nobler charity can a generous
public contribute Of its funds than In
the erection of hospitals devoted to the
care and treatment Of its unfortunates,
Of whom there is no class deserving OF
greater sympathy and commiseration
than that of the insane. To my mind it
is one of the strongest evidences Of the
growth Of the Christian sentiment that
all of the civilized nations Of the world
are so liberal in their expenditures in
proyiding suitable and well adapted
hospitals for their insane, and none are
more conspicuous in this respect than
the States Of our own country il 49,
therefore, matter Of congratulation,
in which every one Of us has right
10 participate, that our own Mountain
state can point with pride to the FACE
that she stands second to none in this
respect Much. indeed, has been ac-
complished. more is to be done. In