Life — May 29, 1884 — page 2: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

VOL. III. MAY 2grTH, 1884. 1155 Broapway, NEw York. Published every Thursday, $5 a year in advance, postage free. Single copies, 10 cents. Back numbers can be had by applying to this office. Vol. I., 20 cents per copy; Vol. II., at regular rates. Rejected contributions will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped and directed envelope. M LOUIS PASTEUR, the celebrated savant, claims to + have discovered an antidote for hydrophobia by inocu- lating the patient with virus from a rabid animal. ment is thus described by himself : His experi- ‘« My method was as follows: I took the virus direct from the brain of a dog that had died from acute hydrephobia, With this virus [ inoculated a monkey. The monkey died. “Then with the virus—already weakened in intensity—taken from this monkey I inoculated a second monkey. Then with the virus taken from the second monkey I inoculated a third monkey, and so on until I obtained a virus so weak as to be almost harm- less. Then with this almost harmless virus I inoculated @ raddit, the virus being at once increased in intensity.” With this last virus he inoculated human beings, and found that they were absolutely free from symptoms of hydrophobia. It is a singular coincidence that a similar series of experiments has been conducted by an eminent psychologist of this city, with aview to obtaining a preventive for anglomania, a species of rabies which has been epidemic in New York for several years, He thus describes his experiments and their result : “ T took the virus direct from the brain of a dude, who had died of acute constriction of trousers and general waste of gray matter. With this I inoculated a monkey. The monkey died of imbecility that same night. “Then with the virus already weakened in intensity, taken from this monkey, I inoculated a second monkey. He died also, of general fecbleness, complicated with acute idiocy, and an in- ability to comprehend what was passing around him.” ‘Then with virus taken from this second monkey, I inoculated a third mon- key, and so obtained a virus so weak as only to induce in a fourth monkey a fondness for sucking silver knobs and a confusion of ideas. With virus from this monkey I now inoculated a young New Yorker, who had already developed large checker-board de- signs in his garments, and that desire to parenthesize his arms and legs which characterize. the first approach of the insidious malady we are trying to combat. In less than a week the checks disappeared from his clothing, his limbs became straight and supple, his eye gave evidences of being able to notice surround- ing objects, and his virility so increased that he was able to take two lemonades without becoming intoxicated.” It thus appears that M. Pasteur has a powerful rival on this side of the water, be found which can prevent stock brokers from going mad—no, it is the customers who get mad—but, anyway, it would be a good subject for science to work upon. Fy * * ey GAIN the hospitable doors of the Ludlow Street mansion have been thrown open to admit as the city’s guest that great financier, Mr. Ferdinand Ward. He occupies the same suite of bomb-proof apartments once honored by that other great financier, Mr. William M. Tweed. Exactly how long Mr. Ward will consent to accept the entertainment gratuitously of- fered him is not known, but we may congratulate ourselves upon the fact that he will not desert us for Canada for at least several weeks, There has been a great deal of financiering lately which has drawn the respectful admiration of the civilized world to our moneyed institutions, The feat performed by Mr. Ward of bor- rowing fourteen millions upon that accessible collateral known technichally as ‘‘ wind ;” the difficult act of his partner, who, though a partner, managed to remain in Cimmerian darkness of the “ business ” methods employed by his firm; the enterprise ofa Bank President in managing $4,000,000 cash into a rat hole; the | tact of a great millionaire in buying at fifty centson the dollar pa- per which the honor of his name demanded should be worth its full value ; these are exhibitions in monetary legerdemain of which we can justly be proud, It also adds to the security felt by for- eign investors to know that beyond a few worthless remarks noth- ing has been offered these noble gentlemen, and that only Mr. Ward has yet been honored by an invitation from the city. * * * ISS BECKY JONES threatens to become the heroine and the wonder of the nineteenth century. It will be inter- esting to know if the law or the woman will prove the better. If bananas and sympathy can enable her to withstand the siege, the court which committed Miss Jones will have to adjourn, * * * HE most delightful event succeeding the panic, has been the congenial fusing, blending, amalgamation and union of those two eminent philanthropists, Mr. Jay Gould and Mr. William H. Vanderbilt. They have swopped cablegrams of tre- mendous lengths, they have expressed unbounded esteem and reverence each for the other, they have exchanged congratulations and fallen upon each other’s necks and wept copiously. A long and interesting, if somewhat painful experience, has taught the American public that when crocodiles weep and jays are confi- dential and Sweet Williams smile all over with blossoms, some- thing may soon after be expected to drop. Itis funny, therefore, to see these cablegrams gravely applied like porous plasters to the spine ofa market already invaded by financial meningitis. It is likewise funny to see gladiators, after a ten year tussle, scrape the sand out of each other’s eyes and shake hands as a preliminary to another round. But we do not think it will work. It is Spring, If now only some species of inoculation can | to be sure, but the crop of lambs seem to be unusually short. comicbooks.com