Cortland County Express, Thursday, June 20, 1850.
COMMUNICATED.
That Card.
MR. EDITOR:
SIR—After what has appeared in your paper over the signature of S. P. Huntington, who has "renewedly offered his services to the public" as physician, and gained rather an unenviable notoriety among us, you can have little hesitation in respect to the publishing of any [decent] reply. Those of your readers who have been familiar with the practice of Mr. Huntington, since his advent, may think it attaching too much importance to the man to notice his productions; but let such consider that the reputation of our village abroad may be affected, by charges of so grave a character as those made in his last "card," unless contradicted. So the few remarks below are mainly intended for the disabusing of the minds of the readers of the Express residing out of this locality; and who may have been imposed upon by his last literary illumination.
By that document it would appear that a "swell mob" had been organized in this place; and that he is the innocent, unoffending victim of their diabolical persecutions! Now, Mr. Editor, I have had occasion to pass through the village almost daily since this individual has resided in McGrawville, and have never observed the slightest indication of a disposition to offer him any incivility whatever; and I do most firmly believe that his imagination and his conscience are wholly responsible for any apprehensions he may have felt, respecting the safety of either his person or his property. But he says the action of the mob is "instigated by grey-headed quacks and Rev. blackguards."
Now, Dr. Buck, I believe would be the very last to "instigate" a mob; he is certainly an inoffensive sort of man; though I can conceive that his good nature has been severely tested by having been called "quack" by Mr. Huntington! As to the appellation of "Rev. blackguards," I cannot learn as any of the clergymen of the place have ever offered him any personal abuse. I have understood that Rev. Mr. Bridgman, who now resides a mile or two out of the village, did at the time said Huntington exhibited the "infection"—taken not "from young Haskell" but from the person of one of the young ladies who had small pox—reprove him as the act deserved; and this may have occasioned the use of the term "Rev. blackguards."
Whoever told him that certain members of the Congregational Church had threatened him with tar and feathers must have been practicing upon his fears and credulity. His family, as everyone here knows, have been treated with uniform respect.
The allusion to the post mortem, held in this village, is of a character to convey the impression that the citizens of McGrawville are a set of barbarians; while the facts in the case would abundantly show that the entire examination was conducted with the dignity and decorum which characterize the medical profession; as well as with that respectful bearing which is shown by the citizens of a civilized community, in presence of the dead. It is not to be wondered at that Huntington should find fault with the proceedings of that occasion, when it is recollected that he had been the medical attendant of the deceased and had himself attempted a private examination of the remains. It is stated, in Mr. Huntington's article (on authority of Mr. Withey, the husband of the deceased) that there is a "clique" in this village, who "requested" that the grave of Mrs. Withey should be "violated, her body treated with the indignity of a common malefactor," &c., and that P. H. McGraw and Samuel N. Kinney are prominent actors in that party! But most unfortunately for the author of this libel, the two persons named are known to this community, and to others, as quiet, judicious, sensible men—men, it is presumed, whose sensibilities would be as keenly alive to any improper treatment of the dead as would Mr. Huntington's.
It is your humble servant's opinion, Mr. Editor, that before this individual made such grievous charges against church, clergy, and community, he should have reflected upon his own acts. Let him now ask his heart whether his course in this place has been that of an intelligent, judicious, and high-minded physician. In regard to the character of the disease of which Mr. Choate died, he was mistaken; concerning Mrs. Withey's complaint, he was mistaken; in the matter of Small Pox, which broke out in this place, he was mistaken; and it appears to your correspondent that it would better become him to issue a "card" of acknowledgments than an attack on church, clergy, physicians, &c.
One thing is certainly due this community: if he is what he claims to be, if he has even studied medicine—if he is no imposter—he should give satisfactory evidence of the fact. If he has credentials from any medical society whatever—whether allopathic, homeopathic or botanic—let him present some evidence thereof—let him show his papers. Inquiries are being made, just now, for some reliable indication of his "very extensive experience;" and among those who feel interested in this matter may be reckoned A CITIZEN.
McGrawville, June 17, 1850.
SMALL POX.
Heaven be thanked, there is not a case of this dire malady in our town. The business of this place, which has been considerably crippled by the presence of it, is reviving. It has greatly surprised us that there should have been a few cases. Almost every student of the institution must have been exposed. We do not wonder that there should have been somewhat of a panic among the members of the school, not that many should have fled when they became convinced of the dangerous nature of the disorder. It would doubtless have been the better course for each to have remained in his place after having been exposed; and been vaccinated and taken every other precaution; but all the students could not be expected to act with deliberation and firmness in so startling an emergency. But we cannot too much admire the character of such that did remain. They doubtless thought it would be improper to travel through the country after having been exposed to so dire a scourge; and resolved to abide and render mutual aid in this time of trouble. Nobly have they stood by each other. They have not failed to perform their whole duty to such as were stricken by the pestilence. To their fellow students whose sickness was unto death, they have performed the customary and solemn rites of Christian sepulture.
About half of the students remained. A few consulted their parents by letter, as to the course they should pursue. Some were instructed by them to remain. One young gentleman, after writing home, went to the P. O. repeatedly in expectation of a reply. When it came, he opened it with much eagerness, and read with apparent solicitude till he reached the place in their letter in which the parents advised him to remain in the College; when suddenly dropping it, he exclaimed: "My God!—if I cannot go home, where shall I go?" and burst into tears. A gentleman present endeavored to console him, and assured him that he should have a home; and if taken down with the disease he should be well cared for.
SUPERFICIAL SCHOLARSHIP.
How we do wish the discipline of the schools had a more practical tendency. We speak safely when we state, that not one-twentieth of the graduates of our Colleges know when manuscript is properly prepared for the press. Though they may be men of mind, and give out golden thoughts, their spelling, punctuation, or chirography, will be faulty— their productions will need a printer's pruning before they be given to the public. We sometimes receive communications containing much good sense, that are written in a provokingly blind hand, and in the preparing of which scarcely any attention has been paid to the pointing. Such articles formerly gave us a good deal of trouble, but now we have a very effectual mode of disposing of them—putting them under the table. Many, doubtless, have failed to distinguish themselves as writers, solely because their first efforts in this department have been wanting in accuracy and neatness of execution. Their first manuscripts having been rejected they have felt discouraged, and have concluded that they can never excel in authorship.
Teachers of penmanship should never fail to punctuate their copies. Punctuation should be considered as important as the forming of letters. The former is quite as easily learned as the latter. By a little attention to this on the part of instructors, pupils may be made to regard the pointing of their compositions as indispensable—and the practice will grow into a fixed habit.
A great many persons seem to think, that if they only get their ideas through the mind of an editor, by presenting him an awkward scrawl, he will put them into shape and save the author labor. Just as if our fraternity were pressed of all the patience and most of the leisure in the country! We can not afford to do a great deal of this kind of drudgery. We hope our correspondents, whose communications are inserted in the present number will not suppose we have intended any of the above for them; their productions were all properly prepared.
Again we say, let our schools be more practical in their operations in this department as well as in every other. Let no graduate expect to take refuge from editorial frowning under a bit of parchment—a practical education is worth more than a mere diploma. A few have—we trust more will have—both.
CONCERT.
We are promised a musical entertainment to be given by Mr. S. G. Reese and his daughter Miss C. E. Reese, the American Jenny Lind. These vocalists have been giving concerts for the last three years in New York and Pennsylvania before large and respectable audiences, and have been received with unbounded favor and approbation. Their music is of good moral character, selected from eminent composers and arranged mostly by themselves. All lovers of good Vocal Music who would enjoy "an evening refined with its sweetest strains" should not fail to be present.
TELEGRAPH, &c.
There is now a fair prospect of having a telegraph station in this place on the line connecting Syracuse and Ithaca. The stock is subscribed for constructing it from this village to Cortland, and in all probability we shall soon be enlightening the people of Syracuse and other small places. By the way, guess our citizens must help them build that railroad, too. The reason they have allowed the Syracusians to sweat so long over the matter, unaided, is doubtless to punish them for their former remissness.
◘ A CHANGE.—The Christian Contributor, that has been published in this village nearly a year, has been purchased by the Free-mission Society, and is about to be removed to Utica, and enlarged and improved. Rev. Mr. Walker, at present editor of the Western Christian, will merge his own paper into the Contributor, and become the editor of the latter.
◘ We must insist upon being put in possession of the real name of those who wish their communications to appear in this sheet. We have only consented to insert, this week, an article which reached us through the P. O. with no other index to its origin than "A Citizen"—because the public were expecting a reply to the "Card."
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