The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-02-27
FL0TSAM AND JETSAM.
Some Occasional Notes on Topics or the
Time.

FL0ISAM AND JEISAM.
Some Occasional Notes on Topics or the
Time.
Il is absurd to suppose ;h3t the people Of
England went frantic with grief over the
death Of the Prince of Wales eldest son.
How can millions Of people shed tears OF be
weighted with sorrow in respect OF the
death Cf a young man who was DO doubt
amiable, but whom very few had ever
seen? That there was widespread regret
aud that sincere sympathy WAS felt may
well be accepted as a fact, but there ends g
nations woe Tie poiguaHcy of these be-
TeayemeHtS IS only fell Ia the family circle,
and il is well ordered in this world of dis
appointment 10 each in turn that the bitter
ness of anguish should extend no further
Tenuysur, as Poet Laureate. Las COM
mitted 10 verse his thoughts on the death Of
the Prince. Three of the lines are very
beautiful in descriptive imagery:
Tie bridal g8rIaHt falls anon his bier,
The shadow Of q .roWl that DER him hung
has vanished Iu tue shadow cast b. death.
The profound event could hardly haye
been mere ,ersciy outlined.
After teating about from one position to
another on the old-age pension question,
J.
scheme in the columns of a magazine. II
IS not a TOseate or alluriug proposal for
benefri riar.es, but when thrashed out il may
contain the germ OF a solution that would
pe satisfactory Nobody has work out q
problem Of this nature Tor America, but
Il must be conceded we have a legion Of
army ana navy men and their re atIYcs IN
receipt If a grateful nations uCty. MT.
Ch8MbeTialn's ideas are not eXlTavaCant,
ne suggests that young men shdGId, before
tuey a-t - years OF age, hand over 20 the
Government, or 10 their credit ia a savings
bank, x; that TO this the Government
shOul4 add SIS and that each year during
forty years the CenOsiJ0r should nay q,
making capital payment IN all OF $50.
When the insured arrives at the age Of 60
be IS TO be entitled TO an allowance OF .
slllugS 81 - per week Now, il appears
tha, g. " 90 ! eT cent If tie English masses
who pass tie age or G. end their days IN
the WOrk-housc, 20 The shelter Of " hlch they
are entitled without having made any
previous payments, G-gys by way of taxation
IN their days If independence. Five
shilings a week would only prove a trifle
better 10 such lldlg gent people than the
pauppTs lot As the member for West
Birmingham Is not an actuary. il Is quite
possible some more alluring scheme may be
devised. The fact that the old a.e Of the
poor is considered at all IS an encouraging
sign. Nowadays the masses have 90 be
TeCEGned with in mcnarcnical countries, as
IS seen in the case Of Germany.
In every army more or less demoraliza-
tiun is produced 10y Tie tyranny ana harsh
ness OF the UOu-CCmmIssicned officers. They
stand only an inch or twO above Tie private
sold itT, but their power to give annoyance
and g0ad into irritation are out OF al pro-
portion to their rank. Rudy8rd h,pliuE
has given us g.impsrS Of the seTgean1s re-
d
the men bear to LIm when they are abused.
One would suppose that IN Germany, with
a citizen army aud the ranks well educated,
there would be COusiderate treatment com
bined with strict discipline, but it appears
there are abuses Of the gTOsSe-t description
IN the German army, and al due TO the
petty spirit Of british nOn-COmmis, IUnCd
officers Without COurt-mariial or any Te-
port 20 their supeTiUrs, or any authority
beyond their own malgVOlent v aImS. these
desDOts think nothing OF Taini8g % or 100
blows on the backs Of the soldiers they
drill There has been proof OF worse than
that occurring One nCu-COmmIssIOued otiI-
Ger, witt feudiSh maligaity, actually drilled
a squad OF men for half an LOUr early on
January morning attITed IN nOthiuge but
their shirts! The men might have kept
themselves warm with laughter at the
absuTdily Of the situation, but they were
TeutOus and unable TO enjoy humor al their
own expense. A proper punishment FOR
that officer would have been to drill him in
the same manner each morning for six
months before whole regiment.
II is notorious that the more we devise
strict forms Of oath in courts Of Justice for
the purpose Of eicltiug ;he truth and pro-
Vding for punish hmcHt II the truth is not
told, the more abundant do lies and peTYeT-
siOns Of fact become. The hardened oath
taker IS destitute OF any sense Of sOlemnity.
His evidence would be the same ii he were
not sworn. He takes an oath with the same
cOnreTn that ne would bestOW upon taking
pinch Of snuff. And it may be noted that
however fragrant and numerous the lies he
tells may be, prosecution for perjury
would not be sustained unless the lies were
material to the Issue That is to say, false
hoods on q side-track are not supposed to
block the course Of justice. Should the
witness be timid and nervous, the mere
taking Of an oath is often sufficient TO throw
a cloud over his recollection, or cause him
unWttlngly to distOrt his story. Should
again the witness be very clever and under
stand clearly, like a lawyer, the driIt Of the
questions put the chances are that by
qualifications, explanations and sur
misses, and by answering much more
than he is asked, or even by a too
rigid adhesion TO tho letter Of his
replies, he will give neither side much
satisfaction. Assignments Of perjury are
troublesome 10 establish when put to the
proof, yet IN false atlidavlts the way wOu Id
seem to be clear to make convictions easy.
1t is found In experience, however, that the
grCSsest mendacty may be woven into atli-
davits without shocking the moral sense Of
people accustomed 10 read them. Instead
ol puni5hing the guilty for violation Of their
oaJhs, how would it serve tie end Of
Justice and moral responsibility to punish
them simply as liars? Perhaps the courts
have enough business on hand. There are
some abnormal beings so constituted that
they cannot speak the truth.
a curious decision has been rendered
on the oath question in one Of the English
courts. The evidence of some foreign wit
nesses had been taken in court on an affirm
alton, but as the Witnesses professed belief
In God It was held by the judges that they
should have been sworn and should not have
affirmed. So their evidence was pronounced
invalid, and il j, is TO Je made use Of it will
have to be taken do nOvo. This indicates a
narrow, If not faulty, condition of the
law. Why should testimony not be accepted
from anybody on Affirmation, no matter
whether the witness be an agnostic or a
believer IN the Deity. Oaths OF every kind
have 10 all ages and all countries been
broken by the unscrupulous, and they
always will be. Speaking the truth or rgiving
utterance TO a lie is more O matter Of nabit
than is generally supposed.