Year: 1871




Tho variable weather Of fall and early
winter seems to exercise peculiarly braciug
influence upon the imaginative faculties
OF provincial and Bohemian journalists.
Perhaps 1t may be that the occasional cold
snaps and rainstorms force these gentlemen
more frequently than ever to seek shelter
In narrooms and consolation in bad whskey.
ana, trembling on the verge of that interest
Ing mental state known as the 'Jimjams,"
they dream dreams and see visions of a sin0I-
larly appetizing and thrilling character. We
would not complain Of their thus lansing
periodically into aid lunacy II they refrained
from imposing the offspring Of diseased
brain upon credulous public as literal fact. !.
For example, there lies before us a New York
letter to a provincial paper, headed "Among
the Ghosts" which claims that this State sss
favored above all others by the disembodied
spirits, and then gives as an illustration GER
tain wonderful phenomena that have recently
been exhibited in house in this city. The
street and number Of the haunted dwelling
are, of course, not given; such details are
altogether below the dignity of spirit litera-
ture. Uncarthly music occasionally floats out
of an unopened piano empty rooms resound
with wild noises, ''such as half-grown boys
might make in game of tag" pictures arc
turned with their faces to the wall, the gas is
put out, clothes are strewn over the floor, and
all sorts of other absurd pranks played by the
frolicsome ghosts. Most wonderful Of all, on
one occasion young gentleman was taken up
in his chair and despite his struggles carried
across the room. Isn't this piling it on Q
little too thick, most readable of town corres-
p0ndents?"


From Pennsylvania, too. we have couple
of sensational stories Of different type One
gives the history and appearance Of couple
of children, boy and girl, who have been
allowed by the neglect Of their parents to
grow up almost to maturity in an unmitigated
state of primitive savagery. They are 80
wild that they cannot even articulate word
of English This is the weakest part Of
the story, for, as every one knows. y
used to be an orthodox dogma OF
medieval theology that as the oldest Of
all languages was Hebrew, therefore child,
if taught no other speech, would by the simple
force Of nature speak with lusncy and correct
ness the tongue Of the Revealed Word. These
children have never worn any clothes except
an old cloth over their shoulders aud q. pair Of
moccasins. The girl was wont TO roam about
the woods for days together perfectly naked,
and slept under the trees even in the heart OF
winter. Her usual mode Of locomolion is de-
scribed TO have been on all fours. The second :
story also deals with wild woman, who wan
dars about the forests Of Somerset county,
clad only with an apron of leaves, sandals OF
bark and necklace Of teaberries. She has
fine black eyes, an oval face framed in masses
Of flowing raven black hair, and looks like the
s'queen Of the forests" Very recently she
attempted to steal farmers child, but In
order to escape pursuit was forced to abandon
her prize.


Such tales az the above prove that civllisa-
ton has not yet uprooted mems appetite for
the marvellous and the impossible. In Dean
Swift's time, only q century and half ago.
the English masses accepted Galliver as a
truthful and reliable book of travel. Perhaps
narrative of an excursion into the bowels Of
the earth, or q journey to the planet Mars, il
only sufficiently well told, might even now be
credited by the ears that listen in rapt amaze
ment to these ridiculous stories about spirits
and wild women.