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There seems to be an element of human nature
that delights in brutality for it's own sake. We
believe the phrenologists locate the bump for it
just behind and above the ears. The faculty is
evidently much misdirected, and our own com-
munity has not yet brought it into harmony with
the bumps on top and front of the head, or
such a sight as was seen on Wednesday could
not of occurred. For months we have had notes
of preparation, and Heenan, "the Benicia boy,"
the representative of Yankeedom, and Morrisey,
the favorite of the foriegn "fancy," have been in
process of scientific training, under careful diet
and regimen and severe exercise, until they have
been freed from superfluous flesh and had their
muscles hardened like iron - all this in order that
the world might see which would stand up long-
est under the fists of the other, and thus vindicate
his title to what is called "the championship of
America." This manifestation of the "muscle
movement" that we cannot bring ourselves to
"fancy."
The sporting men of the whole country have
been intensely interested in this encounter, and
it is said that large sums of money were staked
on the result. Large beets were made as far south
as New Orleans, and west at Chicago and St
Louis. A Spaniard residing in Albany, induced
his father, a Cuban sugar planter, to put up two
thousand dollars on Morrissey, against a similar
sum staked Heenan by a New York dry goods
merchant. Those who claim to be posted, esti-
mate the amount of bets in New York alone at
from $200,000 to $250,000. The opinions ex-
pressed by the opposing parties were amusing.
"There is no chance for Heenan, and Morrissey
will die sooner than be whipped;" "Heenan will
be knocked out in less than twenty min-
utes;" "Heenan is strong as an ox and spry as a
cat, and will whip Morrissey in no time;" "Hee-
nan has more science than Tom Hyer, and stands
square on his feet, while Morrissey is tangle-
legged." Well, we don't care a penny which
beats, and the telegraph will doubtless give us the
earliest news. Indeed it is said a flight of carrier
pigeons has been engaged to convey the earliest
intelligence to Buffalo, whence the telegraph
wires will diffuse it to an expectant nation.
There has been a migration of sporting charac-
ters towards Canada for a week, Buffalo has been
full of them. The flash saloons and gambling
halls of New York have been literally deserted,
and we can believe the assertion that it was "the
ugliest party that has left that city in a good
many years." If the whole grand swell mob, while
in Canada, could be induced to go into a general
scrimmage and enact the tragedy of the Kilkenny
cats, we would be willing to assist in crowning
the survivor as "the champion of America,"
and heaping upon his head the gratitude and
honor of a relieved and thankful people.
It is said there is no law by which these brutal
exhibitions can be prevented. The preparations
may be made and the program published on this
side the line, and our authorities can interfere
only in case of an actual fight here. The Cana-
dian officers cannot prevent them, because the
field is not known to them in advance, and the
barbarians make an irruption, settle their hash
and retreat before a sufficient force could be
brought to the spot to arrest the combatants or
prevent the fight. There should be laws which
shall treat prize-fighting as duelling is treated,
and punish for a challenge or preparation to fight.
The mystery to us is that men are found, and by
thousands too, who consider this sort of thing
"sport," who go long distances at great expense
of time and money to see two brutes pummel
each other, batter each other's noses, smash each
other's eyes, break each other's ribs, and come as
near to driving the soul out of the body as is pos-
sible and yet escape the guilt of absolute murder.
We can understand how any man should make
the best use he can of all his powers in self de-
fense, when attacked by a madman or a mad ani-
mal, or how an angry man may be stimulated to
fight in imaginary vindication of his honor; but
that men should deliberately set to work to bruise
and maim each other, in perfect cordiality, and
for mere amusement or rivalry, is one of the in-
explicable things in human nature. And the mo-
tives that induce men to look upon such a contest
with interest and pleasure, and bet on it's results,
and give themselves up to it with enthusiasm,
quite pass our philosophy. If human nature is a
cross between the bull-dog and hyena we can un-
derstand it, but not otherwise. It is quite time
that the race should find it's amusement in some-
thing a little less brutal, and test its muscle in a
more harmless way.
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