Saturday Evening Mail, Volume 13, Number 29, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 13 January 1883 — Page 1
»0t
Vol.
13.—No. 29.
?offlco
A PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE.
Town Talk*"*
The government building in this city 'now seems to be in a fair way to materialise, and the people will at least soon know where it will be located. The number of available sites is quite large, and there will probably be some difficulty in making the selection on this account. Of course each lot offered for the place will have its supporters, and there will be the inevitable conflict to secure the prize. There will probably be a repetition of the Court House ,) wrangle of eighteen months. Each location will be opposed by the combined forces of the opposition, and no two localities will agree upon the same spot. jtTbe business portion cf the community ^will favor a central location. The east enders will favor Ninth street, or probably the lot offered on the corner of Seventh and Ohio streets, but further west than that they would not talk about.
The west end, which was the business portion twenty years ago, would doubt less favor the erection of the projected building and anew court house both on the public square. It weuld save the price of ground if the county commie signers would consent to it, and at the one time restore to that end its ancient %lory. Probably the majority of business men, and citizens generally, favor some point near Sixth and Ohio streets.
The ground now occupied by the Savings Bank has always been the favorite spot, but as it has been converted to other uses some other place must be looked for. The Beach property, on Ohio street, is offered, and would be a good location did it have greater depth. The Thompson property and that on the corner of Seventh and Ohio streets, are f' probably the two from which the selection will be made. Either one would probably do for the surrounding property what the market has done for Fourth street. That the postofflco should be in the center of the business community is not a matter of so much importance as it was a dozen years ago. Ndw there is |H'a postal delivery and letter boxes scattered throughout the city, so that business men do not have to run tothepost-
with thoir letters or in search of mail. All these matters will be consid ered in selecting the site, and doubtless Aa^h paHicalar &pot will bej*AalMllu colors which will dazzle the eyes of those having the matter in charge. nrn.mNo BOOM.
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During the summer and fall of 1881 more buildings were ereoted in Terre Haute than during any other year in its Ublstory. Last year the boom would have continued had not the scarcity of brick and the high prioe of material prevented it. The goed crops of last' year fc and the continued prosperity ef business |i men promise that the present year will be an era in the building history of the city. The increase in business houses will not be so great, but there is talk, on all hands, of the erection of small dwelling houses, which will not be confined to any particular locality, but will be in tall portions of the city. There has al1 ways been complaint, here, of the scarcity of small dwellings—consequently rreuti have been excessive. The man, or aien, who will build amall houses, ^which would rent for twelve to fifteen 'ilollars per month, would confer a boon [which the people would appreciate, and fAt the same time find it a paying invest1meut. Some one should take the lead in this matter, and soon others would folPf low in his footsteps.
THE METROPOLITAN POLICE. Those who have been watching the .legislature and profess to know whereof they apeak, say there is a good prospect of the passage of the Metropolitan
Police bill by the present members during this session. There is .less opposition to it than Ita friends expected to encounter. It was expected that the Kejpiblicans would oppose it on the ground that it would give the Democrats unlimited control of the entire police force of the State, and that if the Democrats did eucceed in passing the bill the Governor would veto it for the same reason. Sowever, the matter seems to have been smoothed Jover the bill has been out, pruned and amended until it pleases all parties. concerned. The Governor is to be made a member of the Board, the Auditor. Treasurer and Secretary of State being the other members The bill causes a smile to steal over the countenance of the politician as he contemplates it, and it is not to be wondered at under the circumstances. Its passage would place the appointing power under the •xmtrol of four leading politicians, who know as much about police qualifications aud duties as politicians generally know about religion. Practically the bill would be afailureasa reform,and would take the appointment of the police in several ^cities from Republicans and place them In the hands of Democrats. It would be a good thing for Democrats, even if it did make a dummy figure head of a Republican governor.
(y. TB* SAJjOOH KKEPKBS •jjie lie*58® paying saloon keepers are actually n*^ng an effort to enforce the law aga*09*
tilose
and IB08'
understood
who pay no license,
t^em
even
go so far as to fa
vor Sand#? closing. Daring the present week»* oiwnber of meetings have been hold by this city, to con dflyr the matter. Nothing definite has yet been »gre®d upon, but it is generally
tfcst before many days a bill
will be sent over to Indianapolis «od introduced in both branches of the legis!**01** Most of those who are lawfully engaged In the the traffia, here, favor ths appointment of officers whose
duty it will
be t° travel over the State,
discover tbo*e who Bell without license and prosecotfe them to the extent of the law. Such an act would accomplish mueb good and add much to the school fund. It would drive the disreputable froru the business, reduce crime and put a lot of loafers to work, who drag in the dirt tbe good name of the communities
in which
they live. Such a law would
be a good thing, but it is very doubtful that there ia enough nerve in the legislature to passer
A GROWING NUISANCE.
Two vreeksago some one carded the public through The Mail on the annoyance which thoughtless people cause in public place# by a continual chatter, when silence should rule. The rebuke was timely and went home. Another intolerable nuisance is caused by an unmannerly crowd who commence making preparations to leave before the performance closes, and who, for two or three minutes before the curtain drops make a grand rnshf for the doors. Before the curtain fell in the Opera House on Thursday night at least a hundred persona did this., Such conduct is unmannerly in the extreme, 'and is an insult to the performed. It should be rebuked in some way, and those who indulge in it ought to .conduct themselves in a more becoming manner. If they will not take a hint, men should be stationed at tfcedoors with clubs and instructions to^sethem. A few operations of that kirid would bring them to their senses and hammer manners into them which th^rseem incapable of learning. -x .."..{jK
Woman's Opinions.
THE H&STJCULTtlRAL SOCIETY.
they
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ere is something the matter with ancient and venerable institution voice alas once heard reverbera-
the fcuitounding country. Its power and Influence are on the wane. Whereformerly it counted its members by the hundred, now only a faithful few are gathered to uphold its fading glory. We note this with regret for, comprising as it did, our oldest, most respected and intelligent citizens, we cannot see this honorable body passing inty a decline without in quiring into the cause and hoping for a remedy. A careful diagnosis of the case shows several reasons for this apparent decay. First, there ia the difficulty of obtaining a place in- the city for the meetings, and a great many of the members have no means of getting into the country thsn so many clubs and societies have Sprung up among us that they partly take the place of the Horticultural which was, for a long time, our only literary society. These, and several other minor reasons, might be given for the threatened demise of this honored institutioa but if It should ever become necessary to write its epitaph, and we should tell the truth, whicn epitaphs never do, we would carve on one side of the tombstone, "Died of High living," and on the other, "Talked to Death," for there is no question but that these are the immediate causes of the decline. When a ^Society becomes distinguished for Its elegant banquets it is sure of a numerous, following, for everybody loves to eat,—especially at somebody else's expense. For years the Horticultural Society has been noted for its bountiful uble, frequently entertaining from seventy-five to one hundred guests, and yet It is a well known faot that, in all these years, the ladies who furnished the dinners could be counted on the fingers of both hands. Month after month they have come with their heavily-laden baskets and prepared a feast for the "multitude who did all eat and were filled," and when the dinner was over, who do you suppose "took up of the fragment that remained, twelve baskets full The ladies that broaght them? Not by any means. They were thankful if
were permitted to save
even the baskets themselves, but those who came empty-handed and broaght their families aiitf ate a hearty meal, gathered op ^at was left and took home enough f(r sapper. Does this seem improbable? It ia, nevertheless, strictly true. Month after month and year after yeaf) these people have come, contributed nehher money nor provisions, never written an essay, never taken part in debate, and a dozen busy, hardworking, generous housekeepers have bad to bear ill this garden. Ia it any wopder that so tow booses in the city hat* felt able to offer their hospitality
4 ''L'W*
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Another terrible infliction the society has had to ^endure is that of "bores." The Horticultural was intended to be a broad, liberal, equal rights association where all the men and all tbe women should have an equal voice on tthe subjects for debate, bat of late-years, the discussion has been entirely Monopolized by a few indivdnals. If "Cyelones" were the subject, although the best meteorologist in the State were present, he would have to sit silently by While tbe time was taken up with with long talk on Wind, by one who was himself the best illustration of his subject. If the "Condition of the Crops" was to be considered the farmers of forty years experience would have no opportunity to speak because the time was all occupied by the opinions of gentlemen from the city who didn't know oats from rye or buckwheat from barley.
These are some of the things thisgrand, old organization has had to contend with and many of its best members have chosen to express their disapprobation by a dignified absence. Cannot this evil be remedied Let the ladies think about it, and at the next meeting let every one contribute her proper share to that good dinner which is so important asocial feature of these meetings. And those gentlemen who are so full of talk that they could keep on forever, might try the experiment of condensing their many words till they would result in a few ideas, and in this manner the Horticuturai may be restored to its original splendor. "HOLD THY TONCFTJE."
The universal request to Mr. Crofts to repeat his excellent sermon on the subject of Gossip, shows how much we all delight in seeing our neighbors reproved, for of course not one in the congregation took any part of the sermon te himself. As one folly after anotLer was held up for censure we were kept busy in fitting the shoe upon our neighbor's foot, and if there had been mora shoes we could have found more feet. ,f
There is perhaps not a man or woman living who is not more or less addicted to this habit. When we discfoss people's manners, their dress, their peculiarities, it is only a fault when We criticise their motives, their intentions, their private ^ife, it is a sin but when we attack their reputation and their character, then it is a crime*
There are two sides to this tex£ People who interpret it literally are apt to be disagreeable. When you think over your acquaintances you recpllect Who Is' vfery itMTfba, always a speak lest he should say something wrong, drawing you out and himself in as it were, you say, ''Well, he may be safe but he is certainly stupid." And you remember another, bright and vivacious, always talking, sometimes dropping into gossip, and yet she finds place in your heart. To the silent friend you pour out your secret grief, knowing he will keep it faithfully but to the lively, chatty one you turn for that companionship which shall make you forget youiself and all your troubles. "Speech is silver, silence is golden," but silver is the circulating medium now-a-days Who is most successful in entertaining company The lady who talks. Imagine a book agent or a drummer who should hold his tongue. He wouldn't hold his situation long. What would be the size of the lawyer's fees if he stoped talking? We pay our ministers for talking, and the best talker gets the largest salary. Then, too, there are a great many people who regulate their can duct entirely by what the world will say of them. They are only restrained from wrong-doing by the fear of public opinion. The knowledge that tbia same public is ready with its keen and critical tongue to dissect their every action, has great influence in keeping this class of people strictly within the bounds of decorum. However, we all talk too much. We over-estimate the demand for our conversation and flood the market, and where there is so great a Supply tbe quality deteriorates. Unless we and all our acqnaintanoea read a great deal we are compelled, for want of a subject, to discuss personalities. That ia why women are more addicted to gossip than men. When all other topics fail, men can always talk business, but women can not even meet on this common ground. Men are so absorbed in their various occupations that they have neither time nor inclination to observe all the little peculiarities of those about them, but a woman's life is so monotonous, her work so mechanical, that the most trifling occurrence.is a diversion, and she will spend hours discussing her neighbors, simpty because her mind is so barren of all other aubjects.
But when a man ia guilty of a slander, one sentence from him can do more damage than the concentrated gossip of all the women in tbe city, for with them it ia generally mere surmise, while a man ia supposed to have direct knowledge whereof he speaks. Breathe upon tbe dearest mirror and it becomes tarnished make an accusation against tbe most innocent woman and her parity ia sullied. The sting, the bitterness of a alander is the utter uoconstitouaness of
TERRE HAUTE, IND., SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 13, 1883. Thirteen thk eaf
the victifa. upon the street with a attaing faqlploks fearlessly into the eyei ahh Meets, unconarfona of wrong, happy.seraha, at peaceVtth th« world. Hreaantly ale notices the averted countenances, the cold bow, the freezing tones afhill strikes spon her soul she is «na*J|, bewildered, stunned. She has beefl|'j|phKk by an unseen foe and the w©u§cfii Aortal. Helpless, humbled andfttengsd, thsn ia nothing left to her toft alriliasd life and a broken heart. All ths punishments of an aveagingf $od, all tbe tormenta of an endleas bell, are net too great for that man or woman who defames the priceleas and immortal character of a fellowbeing.
r*
The moat wicked anifpernicious libelers of nineteenth century are the neivapaptts. It is impossible to make a law strong enough to restrain them". All the danderersin a community, if they put lorth every effort, could not give sueh ^ttbUcUy to damaging story as one skigls edition of a newspaper. All our largest papers vie with each other in the number ,aad immorality of^their scandals, and if we could know the true history of all oftbam, we would find tiiat not one Ut correctly reported. They are not satisfied to make a simple statement of the faces'but must write them up in so dramatic and sensational a .style that the partkjp therrurjlvos would not recognize the $ncript$}n. It is hard enough for peoplg to bear their sorrows and humiliatio^when they can hide them in the privacy of 'their own homes and hearts, lwt when they ere garbled and distortedpind sent out to all the cornersoijti^e earih,it drives one to.desperation. I Mvei r6ad one of these published scandala.withoat thinking how many innocei$Uves are tortured by these few lines which cannot be of the slightest beneit to anybody. H? .!,/
The editor o^a prominent newspaper is greater tbah a king, for a king has power only o.ver the bodies of his subjects while the editor can control even the reputation of his people. If only wise men are fit to be rulers it certainly seems imperative that editors should be honorable, conscientious aud humane.
A slandered person is utterly helpless, He has no redress. He can go to law, but no plaintiff ever came out of a slander suit wtth.an unsullied reputation. If he had a character when he went into court, he leav«s|Tt with the lawyers when he oomee away. Hecan pubh a statement deuying"thd charges, ohtthfe
nocent. He can quietly and faithfully strive to live dowq the accusations, but life is too short atki, at best, only one out of every thottsand who read the slanderous attacks, can ever know anything of his heroic efforts to refute them.
When we realize all these things,'we should guard more carefully than ever the dangerous power of speech, and of all the good, resolutions with which we are wont to oommence the new year, none can be more worthy our higher and nobler nature than that of speaking kindly of our fellow-creatures.
IDA A. HARPER.
LITTLE SERMONS.
Discretion of speech is better than eloquence. Most men are slaves because they can not say "No."
Speak well of your friends, and not at all of your enemies. The memory should be a store-house, not a lumber-room.
There is no such thing as an easy chair for a discontented,man. Tbe great man is he who does not lose his child's heart.
The best way to be admired is to be what we fcve to be thought. If you listen patiently to calumny, you are only less guilty than its utterer.
An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and reaolute actions he ia neither hot nor timid.
To reprove small faults with undue vehemence is aa absurd as to seek to remove a fly from a friend's forehead with a sledge hammer.
The use we make of our fortune determines ita aufflciency. A little ia enongh if used wisely—too much if used foolishly.
The praise of the envious is far leaa creditable than their censure, for they praise only that which they can surpass, and censure that which surpasses them.
To indulge in ridicule, whether the subject be present or absent, is to descend below the level of gentlemanly propriety. Your akin may excite laughter, but will not ensure respeot.
The coldest-mannered people are frequently thoseVho look for most warmth from others and, when their expectar tions are not gratified, they.forget that the coolest they meet with ia but a dim reflection of their own.
Quarrels are lowering to all parties engaged in them, and usually terminate in the discomfiture of those who think they have tbe strongest ride. If yon feel you are in the right, yon are not justified In making tbe right ridiculoua.
OWE hundred wives atthe OperaHanae
Monday and Tueaday eveuings.
Our Breakfast Table.
"So your pastor has been obliged to lecture you again upon dander, Mrs. Welby—looka dretty bad for yon," said Derby, jfeerkigly. "He was talking te men exclusively, air! So sorry, you were not there to bear, However it is very well to begin at home and if the church needs eharity is to its credit to say so." "Do any good, think you?" "If constant dropping wears away a atone. I don't aee why.""
McEwan turned on Derby. "Why iy *cui bona' We are all so intonated in what other people think of us, that we are eager to hear'what they aay of as or others. I believe the bittereet part of many lilivee come from the little interchanges of gossip that breed auspiden of our neighbors and distrust of
ourselves,.
BO I say to the dominie 'aa counsel for poor mortals' to ahow.again- 'their- donaie tricks, their-black mistakea.' He might take for a text on scandal:
O, ye wha' are see guid yourself).
1
Sae pious and holy, You've naught to do bat mark and Ml' Your neighbors faults and folly!'" The Major.interrupted the (remaining aeven or eight stanzas of the address to the 'unco guid,' saying: "Mac, confess we all like to look through our neighbor's roof. Asmodeas must be tbe patron saint for such a taste-, for waan,'t he a devil
Jack asked for informatian of this interesting character.^ 4$"^ "Why, you know, or ought to, that long ago a Spanish student found himself in a laboratory. A still, small voice floated out from one of the bottles, eloquently inviting relief "Eloquence often comes from bottles," murmured Jack. "This was a spirit, not spirits—but at any rate, flinging the bottle—ths third from the right end of the fourth shelf— down, it broke, a cloud arose and shaped itself into a little man, lame, with cloak and rapier, Asmodeas, 'Le Diable, Boiteux,' at our service. He proposed a midnight scout, and the student, seizing the tail of his cloak, was carried over Madrid to look through every roof, aa it were glass, to see scenes of joy and sorrow, mourning and mirth, feasting and atarving, life and death ^'Horrifclo!" exclaimed Miss Laura, •*for I believe, come to think of It, thijtlf we were to look at (Ike unguarded hours of people, we wotilji aee them often- at the worst—and no do«bt the reenlt qt
It waa but what I thought of was that the gossip still weare a cloak—of friendly interest, still walks la'me, is of crooked gait, and still spies us through the roof, and reporta us when off guard!" "Better be on guard then. Nothing like public scrutiny to brace one up. Fact is, I rather respect that regard for public opinion that takes a man down an alley when he ia going where he 'hadn't ought to.'" "You relish a little hypocrisy then "More than I do the common cant against it. Your blustering braggart is always prating of hypocrites. Let his friend, or especially an enemy, try to redeem himself, or let him be different in politics or creed, he is a hypocrite. Well, every man is, more or leas, and like a counterfeit bill gives bis testimony in favor of the real article." "Let it be so," said Mac. "It will do no harm if a man ia not fool 'who fandes himself to be what he wishes to be thought.'"
The Milwaukee fire soon absorbed the interest of all while they dilated upon the horrors of the scene,the almost superhuman bravery of firemen in emergencies, and the many weak pointa in the system of protecting life and property. "Why here ia thia town" said the Major, "some such disaater, aa great in proportion, might happen—and yet because it ia a little dty we will not be apt to provide for it. Perhape that hundred of poor souls may have died to save ths lives of thousands. There has been much said for a year past about cutting down the telegraph wirea." "The nuisance Is young yet" interrupted
McEwan, "think what it will be
when every house has ita telephone and ia lighted by electridty as will be ths »nqt many years hence. It will be much cheaper to provide for that day now, than five years later." "There will be another addition to the fire system soon. That will beaoorpa to work for life while the firemen guide the pi pea and man the ladders, that can enter bouses before tbe water is turned on, just aa the fire patrol does, or hold blankets, or assist people to tbe fire eacapee." "Curious isn't?"said the Professor, "that there are ao few practicable fire escapee. Why cannot grappling irona with ropes and puliies attached be fired over houses, or into lofty windows? Why cannot 3 "Yes," said the Major, "why cannot a
hundred
things be done to undo the re
sults of the first mistake, eh We have to begin inside the house and we will need fewer fire escapes on the outalde." "Well, we are in pretty good shape, in Terre Haute," said tbe Professor, "our
Us
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hotels are not lofty, we have few rattletraps of buildings, and the Opera House ia fairly safe—can be emptied of a large audience in less than eight minutes hot, by the way, did you know that our clever young manager goes out, ia the last change?" "No! I am sorry for that, unless it is good for him. I doubt very much if you could put your finger on another as young.a-man, aa Horace Smith, who could have done so well, I fancy it is a ticklish business to stand between blustering managers and their housesf between traveling Thespianswith all' their promises, and'the proprietors who moat have their money. Then you know there are any number of dtlaens to* advise this or that, and very liHely Broeke fc Dicka&n- advise tbe very opposite. So when our young friend sailed so smoothly between them both) showed he had a will ofhisown, as well as very good taste, I could only wish that he could run it as a Terre Haute institution. At any rate he-has had his pay and madeagood record. If he could run an Opera House well he oan run something- elsajust as well."
ABOUT WOMEN.
Did you ever know a woman witbr good teeth who wasn't a great laugher?* When a girl who has been taking music lessons fov the past eight yearahangs back and blushes and says shereally can't play, don't insist on it. The-* chances are that she can't.
A young weman- of St. Louis sent out invitations for an elaborate reception, and just before her guests began to assemble she decided that she would be married that evening. A clergyman was sent for in haste, and the ceremony was performed between dances.
Christine Nilsson gave an exhibition of temper, of which she is credited with possessing a large stock of the peppery kind, by flying at the proprietor of an Omaha hotel when she was refused a midnight Supper. The proprietor avers that she literally "flew" at him and that im he had to use his hands to preserve his &•: face.
Mr.CrofTut writes: "The fashiph or 'r*. custom of smoking is making headway among New York ladies. Thousands of ladies in the dty are fond of their cigar- ,, ette, and many of them smqke 'regular* dgars. I hup, indeed, bt ladies who give 'smo^kig parties' to tbeir con Aden-
Taoe te the hispfirtBr oTgossip heretofore "*T held by immemorial tea."^ A Brooklyn woman who has applied for a divorce gives an unusual variety of reasons for her desire to be released from matrimony. Two days after her marriage her husband amused himself by sticking pins into her head to see if it' was as soft as her folks had said it was. He hit her over the head with a club, presumably for the simo reason he slapped her with a warm fire shovel, locked her out in the cold and committed a number of similar indignities. The crowing outrage of all, however, waa his expressed belief that she was at least sixty years old, whereas she was only thirty-seven. She had endured all until it came to this, but such insults she cannot endure, and therefore prays to be set free.
Speaking of a woman who married a drunkard, the Iowa Supreme Court says: "She ehose a drunkard for a husband, and she ought to discbarge the duties of a drunkard's wife. She does not show that her personal safety or even her well-being required her to leave him. She {doubtless would have lived more comfortable in the society cf a sober man, but ahe ought to have considered, and doubtless did consider, the discomforts of a drunken husband when she married the intestate. Bat she urges he promised reformation before marriage. His failure to keep hia promise did not justify her in deserting him. All the world knows that suoh promises made by a drunken man are always broken. In a few words, as she knowingly married a drunkard she must be content to be a drunkard's wife."
THE BABY CROP.
IT I* AND IS EXPECTED TO BE VERY HEAVY.
Washington Critic.
"I never in my life," said a venerable and popular physician, "saw such an avalanche of babies aa have appeared in Washington this fall. In my own practice I have now in charge thirty-three babies, born in tbe last ten davs, and all of them are healthy and their mothers are doing well. This season's crop of youngsters ia not only characterized by the number produced and the remarkable sprightliness of each, but also by the Iart that two-thirds of the new contributions to tbe population are boys." "Dou you consider these remarkable facts?" the reporter asked. "I do, most assuredly." "And you attribute tbem to what cause?" "Well, I might—but I won't—say," answered tbe doctor, with a wink. "I might be accused of giving away profesHonal secrets if I did."
It was an Erie druggist who labled a
Iruggist
new
liniment "Phiz," bocausea learned
1
iz,"bee!
friend told him that waa a popular name for human lineaments.
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