mK m^ jcrcz CXI €iL^ to ^"''' n ! FOR THE MIRDEKER. that tlie latter is sent to the Insane Asylum until he is pronounced by proper medical authority to have been restored to his normal condition of mind." "Is he then free ? " I asked. "By no means. He is at once transferred to the State prison, where he is kept for fear lie mUjht get mad again. Bear in mind I am merely gi\ing you the law in the matter, for, since its amendment in this regard, we have had no insane murderers ; if we should have, we are ready to meet their case. Oh ! this law has had a healthy influence, and I doubt if any criminal would now put in the plea of insanity, since he rather loses than gains by the alternative. Yon wonld perhajjs like to know what we do with our mui'derers after they have been sentenced.'' "Naturally," I replied. " I will tell you as briefly as possible " said my friend. " Those sentenced for life are kejDt in an entirely separate dejmrtment of the prison, without any outside commvn- ication, and are consequently dead to the world ; thus it is quite impossible that they can contaminate those who are undergoing punishment for minor offenses. They are kept at hard labor, are fed on plain but whole- some food, and the minister, the doctor, and their keep- ers are t\\Q only persons with whom they may confer. Death alone can unlock their 2:)rison gates." "A thousand times worse than death I" I cried. "Yes," replied G "So awful is their fate, that, since its horrors have been made known to the outside world, few have been found so hardy as to dare its terrors. Murder in the flrst degree is now, I trust, a crime of the past, for. during the last year, only two have ATs^ ARMY OF MURDERERS AT LARGE. 29 been added to tlieir wretrlied number. I see that this astonishes yon." "It does indeed," I replied; ''for I remember just before mj^ unaccountable departure to the Moon of whicli I was not aware until you kindly mentioned it, I saw a list of the murders which had been reported in New York during the five years ending with January, 1876, with an account of the fate of the criminals. They footed up two hundred and eighty-one. "It seems that a fourth of these criminals were allowed to escape punishment, without even the semblance of a trial ; only seven suffered the extreme penalty, and the balance are now possibly roaming the land as free as you or I. But pray proceed, for I feel that you have much more to tell me." " I have, with your permission," said G- . "It will interest you to learn that murderers of the second degree, serve out their respective terms under ,the same rigid regulations as those of the first, with the excep- tions that they are at liberty to correspond occasionally with their nearest friends, and that the worst mannered are kept apart from the better disposed prisoners. An oath or an obscene expression is instantly punished by solitary confinement." "Most admirable," I exclaimed; "but pray tell me how the majority of jDiisoners are treated— house- breakers, forgers, highway-robbers and so on." ■^ "They," answered G , "together with those undergoing sentence for manslaughter, endure n common fate as formerly, the better behaved being encouraged by [little kindnesses at the discretion of the warden. He I follows the \\ishes of the truly excellent chaplains who, Through preaching the love of God instead of the fear 30 OBSCENITY AXD BLASPHEMY. of the devil as it was once the fashion to do, bring many trne penitents to the foot-stool. Not only is blasphemy and obscenity of any description promptly punished with severity in the case of the prisoners, but a keeper g'uilty of a similar sin is at once dismissed from the Institution. Nor are the keepers allowed to strike a blow except in self defense.'' Stating my satisfaction at this intelligence, I askefi whether there were as many ])ardons granted noAv as formerly. "'A pardon is of very rare occurrence,''' rej^lied my friend ; ' ' even the best behaved are not encouraged to expect it, but good behavior meets with rewards that are not to be despised. ' The i^roof of the xwdding is in the eating,' and moral suasion has done more to chain down the deuKm Crime in the City of Newer York, than ])asr rough treatment of those who, iov the sake of the puldic safety, have been temporarily incarcerated. The chief of police informs me that even siudi of the ex-convicts, who seek their old haunts, by their improved manner, and their decent mode of speech and l)earing, exert a salutary influence on their fellows. First by compulsion, and afterwards from habit, and, in many instances, subse- quent inclination — for whatever of manhood belonged to them is naturally enhanced by tlie admirable regulation with regard to speech an the car and descend from it, Avhicli she Avould gladly have done even if she had* to Avalk home bare-footed. " ' I knoAv,' said another, ' that we carry some brazen hussies aaIio delight in condu(;t Avliich is detested and almost Avorse than death to the majority of their sex, whose down town avocations ('oni])(^l them to use th^' cars.' " ' The ti'uth is," said a loui'tli conductor, 'that sonip men — I wont say gentlemen,' headded, liluntly — 'liked all this soi't of j)i'essing, hugging and indecent conti- guity, while modesty forbade the Avomen to discuss, oi-. in ninety-uine cases out of a hundred, even to men- THE DIKECTOK's DAUGHTEH. 41 tion at home so delicate a subject ; and thus nothing wns done to stop the monstrous abuse.' '' "Tlumk God!" cried my friend, "■complaints made to the Press, proved that we had a few individuals in our midst, who respected their own manhood too much not to exclaim against tlie rapacity of some companies wliicli had become enriched at the expense of pul)]ic Ileal th and morality. One said : "'Sunday evening about seven o'clock, in company with my wife and baby, I was compelled to take a Third Avenue Car at 116th street, and found it so full, that it was almost impossible to enter the door, fifteen persons standing upon the inside, and five on both front and rear platforms. The conductor gave us the consoling words, he would give us a transfer at the dei)ot. My wife (an invalid), was obliged to stand the entire distance ( three miles) without a seat. There is no excuse for the (.'ompany not being able to furnish seats to those enter- ing the car at nearly the commencement of the route. It will soon be that the cars will not start from the depot until they are filled.' " '"These conductors were right, every one of them," I said. "Yes indeed," responded G , " there are thousands of young women who will never forget, but who will always remember them with gratitude for their testi- mony. I was informed that the daughte]' of one of these Directors indignantly refused to enter with a male com])anion, probably her noble (!!) father, a Third Avenue ( 'ar. which was filled to overflowing." " But it was to a few such letters as this," said my friend, referring to a paper which he had in his pocket, "that Newer York is indebted, next to James Gordon 42 IMPUDEXCE AXD BEASTIALITY. Bennett, who is very gratefully tlionglit of by the ladies, expecially those residing in Harlem. G read : "'Asa daily traveller on the city railroad cars, I tender you my hearty thanks for the j)ublic spirit which you have shown in grapi)ling with the gi'oss over-crowd- ing system, which identifies the 23olicy of every street railroad company in the city, and disgraces the boasted liberties, and morals also, of the people. Sir, the thanks of the city are due to you for your championship of tliose liberties and morals, the more so, because the rights which you have resolved to vindicate, must be wi'ested from rich and powerful corporations, which it would seem, neither the municipality of this great city, nor the people themselves have the courage to attack in downright earnest. Your object is not yet accomplished ; but when it shall be accomplished — as it will sooner t)r latter — the people of this city will regard you as one of the greatest public benefactors of the age. I do not intend to occupy your valuable space by exposing the evils of this system of over-crowding. Unfortunately those evils are too well known in the every day exper- ience of all who travel on the cars. Sanitary science condemns it ; good manners and every moral sense are ] )nt to shame by it ; the law prohibits it ; but it seems the executive officers of the law waive the statutory penal- ties in favor of its violators, and sanction a high handed breach of what was and is the keystone and the sine qua ■noil of the companies' charters. Let the people see to it, that the pledges which were made when the charters were granted are respected. Surely there is public spirit enough in the "land of liberty'' not to tolerate any corporaticm which would dare treat American citi- THE PLUCKY OLD GEXTLEMAN. 43 zens as so many cattle, transporting them li'ke cattle at so many cents per 100 pounds weight, for it practically amounts to that. What will our cousins think of us when they come over this year % Where is anything of the kind found in Europe { What moral sense would not be shocked, to witness as may be witnessed every day, that a la mode sardine packing of males and females enforced proximity, which, it is well known, frequently su])jects maidens to indignities and embarrass- ment from which they cannot escape, and which they dare not resent '\ How many pickjDOckets take their fii'st lessons in crowded cars '. It is high time this intolerable nuisance were ended. Seats are the right of the peoj^le, providing seats that of the car companies, and with your all powerful helj) the people will get seats ' ' ' "I supj)ose there was a hard tight to obtain this glor- ious victory?" I said, as soon as the admirable letter had l)een read. "Yes," he replied, "it was hot work. When the improprieties were touched upon, one of the Directors rolled up his eyes and murmured : ' To the x^ure, all things are x^nre, ' gentlemen. Whereat an excited old gentleman, quite forgetting himself, although he was forgiven by nearly every body on the spot, exclaimed ' d you. Sir, do you suppose that my pure daughter, or your's if you've got one — I \\o\)e for lier sake you have'nt — would see much purity in the i^if^k^jocket, X^rize-fighter, or other infernal ruffians, whom you and the other cussed directors invite to elbow ladies, squirt tobacco juice over them, and otherwise molest them. I'd send all you infernal directors to jail, confound you !' "That old member helj^ed to squeeze the bill through, you may be sure." 44 THE BP.OOKLYX BRIDGE — TTTE STAGES. ' ' How do the cars work now V ' 1 inquired. ''Very well ; tlie company have had to i)ut a few more ears on at certain hours, and this, added to the fact that a number of overgrown louts, and full-fledged exquisites, wlio the first from their laziness, and the second for the purpose of ogling and otherwise insulting decent women, had theretofore sought seats or standing room, now walk. This not only relieves Newer York from consideral)le dyspei:)sia, but it adds to the many manly graces of the aforesaid exquisites w^ho don't see half the fun in the cars now-a-days. The public are also rejoicing over tlie consequences of a new bill touching ferry monopoly, and which has put a stop to the brutal overcrowding that used to exist, and which, at certain hours of the day, jeopardised human life ; added to this, measures have been taken to guard against all mishaps arising from undue haste and impetuosity in catching a boat. For this public safeguard I believe Newer York is indebted to its journals, which, at various times, have devoted much space to this subject. We newspaper men have thus lost one frequent item, 'fatal jump foi' a ferry-lK)at.' The bridge has, of course, deprived the boats of many Brooldyn residents, but an army of nervous folk stick to the ferries, and* to tell the truth, the swaying of the monster j9c»/i^ is somewhat alarming in certain weathers." Having heard all I cared to learn about street-cars and ferries, I wished to l)e informed whether tlie stage lines were allowed to be cj-owded as formerh'. "No, indeed,'' was the reply, "The law touches them equally with the cars, and heavy fines have been inflicted, mnch to the consternation of the ownei's. Moreover, every stage now has its conductor. This ai-rana-ement has rendered the Broad^^'aY stau'e line far on: DAILY P(>i>;<>NS. 45 more reputable than foriuej'ly, I'oj', since the conduc- tors ai'e for the most part intelligent and i-espectabhi men who have been made si^ecial officers of arrest, as, I omitted to infoi'm yon, have also the car con^ dnctors, l)razen Avomen and their fancy men — the j)ick- l)ockets — who once infested the line, no longer curse it. The consequence is that down town merchants with abnormally, developed craniums are considerably niom attentUe at Jioine, and comrplaln less of liard times /" G , wlio had worked himself into a somewhat ex- cited state during his eloquent remarks, mojiped his forehead and referred to his watch. But if he was ex- cited I was no less so, and, eager to detain him, asked what had followed JusticeAVandelF s suggestion before the Committee of Crime, touching the duties of the Health Board with respect to the prosecution of vendors of im- pure liquors which he considered was as necessary as the punishment of the dealers in swill-milk." ' ' A very projoer question for me, who has lately investigated the 'milky way' on his return from the moon," remarked G . Presently he continued: ''Shocking, and almost beyond belief, as it may ajDi^ear, the peoj)le of JSTew York wT,re, at the beginning of the Centennial year, being slowly poisoned by adulterations and impurities in what they ate and drink — a fact dis- graceful to the power that could, but would not enforce laws already made, and form new ones to meet the exi- gencies of the case. Our sugars were frequently alive with acari, or lice, and their eggs, while they contained filthy fungi, cane, earth and foul sweepings ; arrowToot was represented by potato, flour and starch ; pepi^ers were mixed with earthy dust ; water was contaminated with licimj vegetable and animal impurities which bred dis- 46 OUll DAILY POlr^OXf^. ease at an alarming rate ; cliicory was associated with red eartli and unwholesome roots ; mustard was a mix- ture of wheaten Hour and turmeric ; alum, among other bad things, was in our bread, and it became matter of grave doubt whether the acarus far hue or meal-mite did not run riot in much of our flour, rendering it unfit for consumption ; mangelwurzel was mixed with our ground coifee ; farinaceous foods were l)ase- pretenders, and even modest oatmeal turned i^ale at the presence of barley meal ; much of our tea was colored with x^oisonous mineral matter, and nnxed with dried weeds ; flour, starch, gum, turmeric and carbonate of soda brought dis- credit on honest cows — the use of chalk, however, was proved to be a fiction ; isinglass was an odoriferous glue ; sulphuric and other acids were some of the constituents of vinegar ; pickles v/ere rendered dangerous by the pres- ence of copper, verdigris and sulphuric acid ; spices were not at all what they were cracked up to be, as the analyst was fully aware when it became Ills duty to craclc them xip; preserved provisions were frequently putrid, being concoctions of all kinds of refuse, fit only for the garbage barrel; drugged beers drove many to madness ; cayenne pepper was a delusion and a snare, red earth, brick dust and suli^hurate of mercury being- mixed up with it ; copper colored our preserved fruits ; anchovies Avere sardines ; inferior tobaccos were daubed with a syrup of sugar and lime ; snuff was to be sneezed at in more than one sense ; every poison- ous pigment known was employed in confectionery ; capsicum, molasses and liquorice were present in porter ; spirituous liquors were rendered fiery and maddening by benzine, turr)entine, tincture of capsicum and cayenne ; THE FRAUDULENT DEALER. 47 while butter vras heavy with water and lard, besides being rancid and worked over. ' ' The people of ISTewer York are now no longer at the mercy of ft-andnlent dealers, it having become the busi- ness of a Sanitary Committee to report any individual who palms off on an unsusx:)ecting public any impure or adulterated article. A heavy tine covers the first offense while the second is followed by imx3risonment — the term discretionary. The crime of bribery in such cases has now ceased to exist as it did at first to some extent, for the reason that each party to the offense has been sent to the State i:)rison for five years. The sale of any article which is represented to be, and disposed of for what it is not, endangers the pocket and freedom of him wdio Icnow- ingly perpetrated the fraud. Weights and scales are under constant and rigorous examination. He who sells a bushel of coal, lootatoes or vvdiat not short, is amenable to the before-mentioned law. Butchers who deal in dis- eased meat suffer in common with other fraudulent deal- ers. Bread is sold by the pound, the jorice being between the dealer and the public — competition proving the latter' s safeguard ; but woe be to him against whom complaint is made touching short weight. The dealer in foods which are poisonously adulterated are subjected to the highest penalties. The law naturally includes the first cause — the manufacturer. The brewers and the concocters of spurious liquors receive the most delicate attention at the hands of the Sanitary squad, and although the latter s visits must, in many cases, be naturally few and far between, the cer- tainty of their presence at some unknown time keeps all infringers of the law on their good behavior, the i)enalty 48 THE POOR MAX'S BEEE. being wholesomely held in tfrrorcm over their flevoted heads." "Consequently," I ventured to remark, " the retail liquor business has become somewhat of a dead letter in Newer York." "Quite the reverse," resi)onded G ; "for thousands of moderate drinkers who once did not dare to run the risk of being killed, and therefore Avithheld their cus- tom, are now enabled to meet their moderate desires with the full ]s;nowledge that however weak the potation may be — for the plentiful use of water has not been interdicted — it will be free from its former disgusting elements. And now you have heard all I can tell you on this vital question." "Is intemperance on the increase or decrease?" 1 inquired. "Decidedl}^ on the decrease,'' was the answer. ''It was the abuse and not tlie use of ardent beverages that brought so much calamity on society ; and the legislature has proi)erly ordered that any drunken man, no matter what his station in life, be treated as a lunatic. That is to say, he is imprisoned until it is believed he can take care of himself, and has renewed his manhood. When you 'rob a poor man of his beei'/ you take from him a refi-eshing, exhilirating and nutri- tive beverage.'" "How nutritive r I asked. "Because of its extractive matter — the carboliydi-ates. Its bitter principle renders it a stomachic and tonic, iiiid with most people it promotes digestion." "In moderation," I suggested. "My dear friend," remarked G , ''the fool may drink to excess, the wise man knows when to stop. You moiv'Day's sin axd su:xday's crime. 49 may depend upon it tliat those wlio cry out against the nse of good and wholesome beer are like the victims of salmon eating ; omng to some physiological reasons, their systems reject it. It may be said of beer as the old Billingsgate fishmonger remarked of his salmon : — ' Lor' bless yon, sir, that there fish do go agin' some folk most tremenjnous. I s'pose it gets in their 'eads or their legs, for I've het sammin nigh on forty year, and I hnoiDS it's good for the stummick.' " Those who cannot drink without ill effects are /taught what their manhood should instill into them, although it frequently fails to do so, that they are not fit to remain at large; but since nine tenths of the inebriates formerly brought to justice were reduced to their disgusting con- dition, not by the quantity but by the quality of what they had imbibed, and since only pure liquors are now for sale in IN'ewer York, intoxication is almost becoming an evil of the past. Another good thing has been defi- nitely settled. There is now no longer any sneaking in at the back door to get a glass of wholesome beer or lager on Sundays. Only decorum is needed, and in this mat- te]- we copy the Germans, as in many others, to our ad- vantage. //' it he not a sin to drinlc lager on a loeelc day^ it is not a crime to 'partake of it on Siindai/. Therefore it flows merrily but wisely, for the intemperate know the inevitable penalty and become temperate." G evidently seemed to be wound up to go on with his truly interesting discourse ; for, scarcely granting himself time to properly charge his lungs with oxygen, he thus eloquently proceeded : " Respect for the law of the land is vitally essential to the moral progress of a people; ISTew York did not honor, and but poorly obeyed it — principally because some of 50 LEVITY IX THE CRIMINAL COUKT. its administrators failed to do it proper reverence ; and 'confusion worse confounded' reigned where Order, 'Heaven's fi]"st law,' slioidd have been enthroned. The decorum which exists in the courts of Newer York, and especially in General Sessions, now equals that of any European court. 'No longer are District attorney and his colleagues the Al criminal lawyer and Ills colleagues, the favored reporter and friends of the aforesaid, the clerk of the court, the jailors and a detective or two, allowed to be jumbled together, or permitted to engage in the noisy or litigious discord which at one time dis- graced the court and insulted the presiding judge, who hesitated to break a custom that had grown by small degrees into a recognized abuse. Again, there is not the same publicity given to crime now. The fallen woman, for instance, is borne off privately from the court in the 'black Maria.' The public cannot feast its eyes on her." "Recorder Hackett no doubt inaugurated this change," I suggested. "He did. No presiding judge was ever more remark- able for calm dignity. He quietly though firmly infused a proper sentiment of the respect that is due to the law. The indecent jest which so frequently crojiped out during proceedings that involved the life of a human being, is not now permitted to offend ears polite, or sensi- tive. The criminal lawyer of Newer York has to seek fresh pastures on which to feed his lov-e of the ridiculous, or his especial capacity for airing an ill-timed boiimof. At one time there was little awe inspired by the proceed- ings of a court, and its tragic edicts lost much of their wholesome influence on the body social and political. Even the friends of the condemned dried their tears to grin over some conceit of counsel, and the/acilis descen- THE JUDGES OF XEWEll YOKK. 51 s?fs avenio seemed to become even more than tradition- ally well greased. Those who had as yet hesitated to assume the mantle of crime mentally put themselves in the place of the condemned without a shudder, and many still comparatively innocent, but who only needed occasion to invoke the devil that was in them, watched the joroceed- ings with an even pulse; and because the funny coun- sellor seemed to think the criminal such a cajjital fellow, contemplated their own possible presence there at some future time, or wondered whether innocence was not being sacrificed for the sake of a little legal sport and practice." "Ahl" said I, "one hundred years ago things were different; so much for political abuses; the lower classes should not be admitted into our courts ; for, ' Vice is a monster of so frightful mien. As, to be hated, needs but to be seen; Yet, seen too oft, familiar with her face. We first endure, then pity, then embrace.' "Most true. But, thank the fates, crime is once again beginning to be held in abhorrence. That which at the commencement of the Centennial year was the common talk — even extending to the household — of most classes of society, is now only referred to in whispers. Virtue so long banished once more holds her court, and the peoi:)le of Xewer York worship at her shrine, while vice hides its diminished head, seeking only the foulest nooks and cor- ners, and not daring to stalk in the broad daylight, as heretofore, in the pure garb it had filched from virtue." "Having given you an idea of the beneficial changes in our courts, it gives me much pleasure to inform you that the Judges of Newer York utterly eschew politics." "Glorious news, indeed!" I responded; "so sacred an t)2 THE PISTOL, office as tlmt of a dispenser of justice slioukl li^e nntram- melled by party sentiment." "Certainly,'' answered G ; "and lichl}' are tliey rewarded by tlie proper reverence in wliicli they are lield by the public. The clamorous army of unprincipled office-seekers no longer hang on to and befoul the sacred robe. The truly sad spectacle of justice hobnobbing with rum-stained j)oliticians no longer grieves and dis- gusts the public eye, and our future judges will be selected for what they are ^vorth, irrespective of qualifi- cations which formerly satisfied the ijolitical causus; while with higher aim and nobler purpose they wait for, rather than seek, the crown of laurel. "Let me not forget to add that our judges are now elected for life with increased incomes. This is an inducement for our greatest legal minds to resign the emoluments of a large practice — the certainty of a retir- ing pension being thrown into the balance." "The legislature has been busy during my temporary sojourn with the man in the moon. Has it acted on Judge Brady' s opinion touching the habit of j)istol car- rying?" I asked. "It has, and his remarks on the conviction of one guilty of felonious assault were embodied in the bill. The law now enacts not only that imprisonment shall follow the unlawful carrying of a knife or razor, but that whosoever shall be found with a pistol on his person, unless he also bear with him a license to possess it, shall meet with similar retribution. Thus no person of bad repute, or even of doubtful character, dares to carry on his person such a weapon, except on peril of his liberty for a i)eriod of not less than twelve months. The act has secured to the public just what the worthy judge afore- TAMING THE WILD r,P:A8T. 53 said deemed it expedient tliat it should have. It now ii-ives to men of good reputation whose exposure may require it the right to carry the pistol, while thieves, burglars, violent drunkards and men of bad reputation, to whom no license would be granted, will subject them- selves to the penalty if they violate the law, and double l>unishment if caught with it while attempting or after perpetrating a crime. By such a statute a peaceable law-abiding citizen has an advantage over the reckless iind lawless, and a superior place, to which he is en- titled."' "This must have ]>r<)ved most benehcial in its results,'^ I remarked. "But has no misuse been made of the privileged' " Onh" in one or two instances by timorous and nervous- jieiscms. To such at the present day no license is granted. Bear in mind that any hasty or improper use of the pistol entails punishment, even on those who are licensed to cany it. You may well believe that the rougher element is thus kept at bay — the wild beast is being gradnally tamed, and may eventually become a decent member of society."' "At the time," I remarked, "when, in a moment of mental aberration, I ventnred to journey through the infinite space, society was verging on a maelstrom of abominations which made the very name of New York stink in the nostrils of philanthropy. Had it been possi- V)le thoroughly to canvas the jDublic mind and feel its l)idse, I woidd venture to say that it would have beaten in sympathy with many a state criminal who made haste to get rich at the exjjense of lionor and humanity, rathei* than have quiclvened in ])roper horror."' 54 tup: "social evil." "Since that time, my friend," resjM^iided G , '-we have been taiin'ht to see our danger. 'J'he power which the immortal Burns so beautifully invoked fell like Heaven s balm upon the city, and we began to under- stand the meaning of individual responsibility." In answer to my query whether the "social evil" was as prevalent as formerly, G remarked that the ques- tion continued to puzzle the wisest heads, "Prece- dent," he said, "has proven that to stoj) this terrible traffic entirely is what no law can accomplish. But society is doing moi'e for Newer York with regard to the evil than can be accomplished by law." " In what way V 1 asked. "In various ways. Mothers bring up their daughters to regard young men of dissolute habits as moral lepers who are to be shunned. The science of physiology has become more than formerly a study proper to the house- hold ; girls in their teens are taught to know the dangers which be^et them — taught by their mothers — the only human beings from whom they should learn such things — taught just as much as, and no more than it is good and decent for budding womanhood to be acquainted with. Science with its mighty strides has walked ovci- silly prejudice, and left it far behind. Fathers guard their dear ones from contamination by closing their doors against the known libertine, who discovers that, unless he mend his ways, Newer York is no abode for him." "This touches at the root of tlie evil," 1 exclaimed with pleasure, " for were it not for the seducer ])r()stitu- tion would be an impossibility." "That is just what I was coming to," said G . "Not only does the violator of female chastity find liiui self a social outcast, but any citizen is em])owered to THK SEDUCEK's ITXISIIMEXT. 55 bi'ing a niniiiial charge against him, and unless imme- diate marriage can be agreed upon, the law will hohl him a prisoner for a term of years, the time being- proportionate to liis own individual guilt in the matter. The youth of Newer York are thus held in check by a wholesome dread of what must surely follow, as the result of a libidinous career; and, turning to the pure of the other sex, they select from their number one to whom they tender a proper devotion ; and so early marriages have become the order of the day. Ameliora- tion is all that we can dare to hope for with regard to the "social evil"; but, if it be possible to eradicate the fell disease, we are certainly on the high road to its accomplishment. ' ' "Now," cried G , buttoning his coat, "I am off." "One nnoment," said I. "How about the Brooklyn scan — " My question remained unfinished for, to my astonish- ment and affright, as I sx)oke G strode towards the closed door, and disappeared like a jihantom through two inches of black walnut. I was about to follow him, when a hand was placed on my arm, and a jiair of soft lips were pressed to my fore- head, while a voice that I knew to be my wife's said : "How could you go to sleep in this cold room! Come to bed, you look haggard and feverish." I obej^ed mechanically, and not before refreshing sleej^ had dispelled my fever did I arrive at the conclusion that the i^revious night's interview had existed only in my dream. This having furnished me witl\ better material for my paper on social crimes and abuses than wide-awake thought could l)estov/ on short notice, after destroying ,'e, THE ''(OIsVICT" ItELEASEI). my lucubration wliicli probably liad ushered lue into dreamland, I penned this narrative, but not before I had obtained B 's freedom, and sent liiui home to his anxious wife. THE END. fwffivonj^ Centennial Offering. BY LUNARIAN. Illu^ti'Med. New York: OR\nLLE JAR VIS, 15 SPRUCE STREET 1876. a.,fi / ^>S- 3^ ^^^y^^%^ i>s> I m^:^^^ -^^3 ^x> ^ 3> "''^'''T> >:^ '^.S* ::>:^ :> ^ ^ :>> ^^ :> > — * T^ . T> J>i^ >D> :3> 1>Z^^ ■':M>. lis 3 ^^Mi^:j>i^ MX _:s2>zx>^^iC^ Z>J> z>l> ■ " -^i^e^^:: 31> 3>3> 7 :#^^>_ ::>> LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 221 580 9 t'JV'K >;.-v.'.'>''\y^V';-^^V!i'V*-V-.'/^>Vf:>f>!