The evening times., 1899-07-21
The Silly SenSOn.

For some reason or other, the summer
season seems to be productive of more or
less foolishness on the part of people who
are not more than ordinarily silly during
the rest OF the year. Why this effect should
be created by unusual heat more than by
unusual cold cannot be known, but so it
is. Perhaps il is a wise arrangement of
Providence. Even the limited amount of
wisdom at the disposal of the average hu-
man being should not be overworked.
But there are some forms of foolishness
which. nevertheless, should be suppressed
There is no harm in a mans making a
guy Of himself in any kind of outdoor
amusement, or spending the whole day in
what wise people might regard as child
ish pastimes, or even going off on an
excursion train, packed in among multi
tudes of other uncomfortable but happy
people, if his tastes lie in that direction
But ne should not indulge in foolishness
which makes life burden to others.
One form of summer Stiffness causes sew
eral deaths each year. This is known as
rocking the boat rowboat is a safe
thing when properly handled, but, like a
horse, ii will only stand certain amount
of nonsense. When there are in it two or
three timid persons, unfamiliar with nav
igation, and youth with more enterprise
than good sense, who thinks it is fun to
rock the boat in order TO make these timid
people scream and hold on to each other
an accident is very likely to be the result.
II a rowboat tips over at some distance
from the shore. and there are only one or
two expert swimmers among the occu-
pants. the chances are against all the vic
Tins OF the rocking mania getting safely
10 land.
Another form of foolishness which is
often fatal is In evidence on the Fourth of
July. Some badly brought-up youths and
men amuse themselves, at this time. by
throwing frecrackers at the feet CT girls
and women, in order to hear the latter
scream. AS cotton gowns are in season.
and these catch fire easily, distressing ac-
cidents from this cause are numerous.
singular idea of patriotism is that
which requires the possessor to fire off
guns or pistols containing bullets, by way
of celebration. One of the accidents re-
sulting from this proceeding on the Fourth
of July, 1899, occurred in Buffalo. At six
o'clock in the morning respectable mid
dle-aged woman was in her yard attending
to some laundry work. The yard was sur
rounded by high board fence. Presently
there was a loud report just outside the
fence, and a charge of small shot was
buried in the body of the unfortunate vic
tic. She spent her Fourth in bed. while
the doctors probed for the shot. Fortu-
nately, she was not killed, but her opin-
ion of the patriotism" which led to her
sufferings may be imagined. II We should
hear that the natives of Korea or China
celebrated their day of independence by
the Staying Of few score of victims, more
or less voluntary, these victims to be
selected by lot from the entire population.
we should consider it proof of barbarism.
But what with the advent of cannon
| crackers. unsafe toy pistols. and other in
struments of noise. and the unrestricted
liberty of creating pandemonium within
the limits of large city for several days
before the Fourth. as well as on the day
itself, to the misery Of invalids and aged