The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1898-09-16
HOPES AND DELUsI0Nsi.

Inc interesting announcement
is made that officials in an ad.
joining State are making siren
uous efforts to put down the
fraudulent clairvoyants and
mediums that have been taking
in a trusting and unsuspicious
public Hereafter the seers and
sooth sayers, and seventh sons
OF seventh sons, must pass a kind
of civil service examination in
the occult, and everyone is warn
ed to put faith in no others but
those bearing the regular trade
mark. On the face of this it
looks good enough, and It would
seem a good thing to drive out
the frauds and humbugs in every
profession, and yet-and yet
! who can fathom the needs of the
human heart or tell us when we
are getting the worth of our
money /? Sit for an hour in the
dark and stuffy little room in
which Madame La Seer receives
her patrons. AT first it will seem
to you that nothing could be
more pitifulthan the poor, ignor-
ant dupes ola clumsy art that
lives and thrives on their ere.
dulity; but after blight comes
to you that what they are paying
for is not theshuffie of the greasy
cards, or the film. fam mystery,
but that they are buying hope
and courage and a belief in a
future whose glory their hard
past bellies. Here is a poor old
woman with rk-hardened
hands. Life has been nothing
but one long struggle with her.
Enjoyments have oeen few and
far between. There are never
any spring for her, with love
coming down the scented orch
ard paths tomeet her. A woman.
may live allher life on such Q
memory, butwhen in the past,
there is notone happiness to re-.
call, nothing but toll, and dis
appointment and hardships. who
can blame her for buying any
hope, however Elusive, to bright
en- the lonely future that lies be-.
fore her : II see," says the
frowsy sibyl. "a fortune-sacks
of gold-fine houses-comfort
and ease foryou," and the old
woman goes out with a smile on
her lips and comforted. Per-
haps it is some haggard- faced
young girl, whohas set her heart
upon some faithless and worth
less sweetheart, who has drifted
away from his allegiance to her.
1.-The dark lady" and 1.-The fair
gent of the fortune teller cease
to be vulgar clap-trap to you as
you listen. 1t is a woman face
10 face with the loneliness of her
own life. and you are glad OF
even the huubuggery that tells
her that he will come back, when
the roses bloom again, and sends
her away with her new light of
hope in her eyes. Sometimes it
is man, tired. disheartened,
worn with tramping up and down
seeking work, who asks Of fate
which way to turn next ; some
times it is a mother who tells the
story of herchild's illness, where
science has failed to heal, and
who asks. ina voice tense with
anguish, if life or death is to be
its portion, but to each is given
some word Of cheer and hope.
or course, it is arrant humbug-
gerry, but itisa gentle knavery,
and, perhaps, in the transient
happiness itcarries. it wins its
own forgiveness. tits one of the
mysteries ollie that sometimes
the right seems cruler than wrong
tangled up with so much
that is kind, and pitiful, and hui
manly tender, that it seems al
most as goodas the right.
The officials of the penitentiary
at Moundsville have. decided