Year: 1874

THE INVULNERABLES.


The man vino can eat fire, or swallow u
sword. or shoot bullets through hlmSeif, Is
always sure of indulgent audiences ana en-
thusiastic plaudits. Invulnerability IS one OF
the most interesting and popular of myths.
Achilles is not nearly so captivating for his
nrowess and his strength as for the fact that
spears and bolts could rain on him without
hurting him. The world has never outgrowh
this fancy. Money is never SO tlght that IL
refuses to flow into the cash-bOx OF any jug
gler who can cut off his head or rip open his
bowels in the presence of the public without
mess or damage. The ordinary cltl-
zen never loses that much Of the
boy in him which delights in such
performances. When the Comedians IN
"OrdiDary of the Mikado" come forward IN
their Oriental garments, which give them an
air of mystery that makes their exploits
matter of course, and proceed to dance upon
razor-edged scimitars, to thrust rapiers
through their lungs, and swallow red-hot
cutlasses a yard long, all with calm ana
placid professional smile, there are few hearts
so withered and sere in the audience as to
withhold their tribute of appreciation. The
trick never grows stale. 1t may be repeated
year after year, but we are just as uckled
with the show O-day as forgotten generations
were with its predecessors, immortallzed on
immemoral tea-chests. In short, the oftener
impossible things are done the more amusing
they become.


II is hard to refrain from the same feelings
of admiration when we see the antics that
some of our rulers are able to play with their
own characters with no apparent detriment.
Think for an instant of the featS OF Secretary
Richardson. On general principles, 1t IS I'M
possible that any man could have proposed 10
resume specie payment on few haf-plnts OIL
silver coin and could have remained Secre-
tary of the Treasury an hour afterward. But
he stood behind the counter week or two'
varying his mountebankery from the Five
Dollar Trick to the One Dollar Trick, AMID
the Homeric laughter of his audience, and then
retired smiling and unhurt behind the curtain.
He has Just concluded a still more extraordl-
nary act of simulated suicide. lie has ap-
peared before Committee of Congress, and
has confessed that, without reason or law, he
gave to one Sanborn permission to collect all
debts due the Government which he could lay
his hands on, and to keep half for his trouble.
When asked why he did this, he replied with
evident truthfulness that he did not know
When pushed further, he said the law under
which he did it ought to be repealed, intimat-
ing that if left in freedom, he was liable
to smash any amount of crOckery. lie made
so pitiable figure in the Committee room that
the opposition ceased to ask him questions,
from utter shame over his ignorance and i'm
potence. But he suffered less than they did.
Mr.. Beck did all the blushing in the unhappy
colloquy. Mr.. Richardson, after ripping him.
self open on the floor, gathered his remains
gayly together and went back to the Treasury
Department, innocent Of damage to habit or
repute.


He is not the only performer in this troupe
of invulnerable acrobats. There is Mr.. George
Bliss, the younger who occupies high posi-
ton in the administration of justice in this
city. He subjects himself to process usually
considered mortal in all civilized countries );
he shows how he has taken money from
private individuals for neglecting his duty as
public officer But his official health suffers
no shock from it. Mr.. Sawyer, the Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury. repeats with slight
notifications the exploits of his superior. He
confessed that he had through gross ignorance
and neglect assisted Sanborn in plundering
the Treasury Of some hundreds of thousands
of dollars. In any country on earth, in any
time but this, he could not have held Office
one day after such an avowal.. The very words
are suicidal and nothing less. = But nobody can
see the least effect upon Mr.. Sawyers stand
ing in Washington, although he has slain it
in the Capitol with his own hands. Our
comedians in ordinary" may fairly bear away
the palm from the whole world, for neat and
continuous suicide. This may arise from the
fact that they have so august q model. Our
Mikado himself commits hari-kari whenever
he gets a chance, and it is worth the entire
price of admission to see Mr. John NJ. Forbes
applaud.


MODERN HERODS.


A pathetic appeal has recently been made by
mother In behalf of poor, uninstructed