The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-26
A Strange ENDEMIC.

! II is u queer tning tndI just dS SooH ds
one person, in one part Of the country
meets with peculiar accident, other per-
sons, in other regions, have experiences
closely resembling the first. Every reader
of the newspapers will remember the cpl
| demic of poisoned candy which followed
| sweets to lady In New York 1t is also
! to be observed that when suicide by some
| peculiar method occurs in one place, other
cases follow in quick succession; and 1t is a
| proverb that when great railway accidents
happen they come in threes, and so do
big fires.
Some of these things have been ex-
planned on the theory of mental sugges-
ton, and 1t is pointed out that when a
weak-minded person reads in the news
papers an account of particularly hor-
rible murder, for instance, he is impelled
to initiate the performance at the earliest
opportunity.
But the theory that the yellow journals
are responsible for these epidemics will
not hold in the case Of a peculiar coinci-
dence of this sort. Not long ago three
year-old baby fell from the window of
New York elevated train, struck the tele-
graph and telephone wires in succession,
and finally dropped unhurt on the top Of
q delivery wagon. Now, manifestly, an
infant of three years cannot read the
newspapers and it has not much imagina-
ton to be Influenced by mental sugges-
ton, waves Of cerebral excitement, or
anything of that kind; but the fact re-
mains that on Staten Island train a
few days later there was another child OF
that age, with its mother, and 1t also
dropped out of the window anu was found
lying unhurt beside the tracks.
II this Is the beginning Of an epidemic
of three-year- acrobatic performances
it surely will have to be stopped. OF
course, the area OF such affliction would
almost be confined to New York. since
elevated trains do not exist in many
American cities. But New York has
enough people in 1t to make tie percent
to survey with pleasure, II the habit of
dropping out of the windows of elevated
trains should really prove contagious 1t
cannot be allowed. Besides, the malady
might take a slightly varied form. II the
elevated train could not be had, the 100
ambitious infant might project itself from
the top story of sky-scraper, or the
railing of the Brooklyn Bridge, or some
thing of that sort, and there might not be
any wires to break the descent, or, IL |
they were, the baby might be suspended |
on them like the coffin of Mohammed be- |
tween heaven and earth, and nobody be |
able TO effect rescue. 1t is not habit |
which ought TO be encouraged.
OF course, in the two cases thus far re-
corded the baby escaped unhurt; but the
wear and tear on the nerves OF the mother, J!
and the conductor, and the people In the
street, and the other witnesses, ought to
be considered with some Difference. Be-
sides, 1t is not to be expected that
oenefcent Providence will continue to
perform miracles in behalf of children
who tumble out Of car windows without
any parachutes. The force OF gravitation
will not be suspended in their behalf, nor
will the paving stones become soft and
lowry. There are in existence now more
,ases of the irrepressible propensity of in
ants to fall out of New York elevated
rains in motion than there have been
asses Of rabies in the District of Column
Tia In Ave months. 1t is manifestly the
uty Of the municipal government of New
FORK to muzzle the car windows.