The morning call., 1893-11-02


The death of the buy Parrick in Oak
land is attribu to suicide. and that in
turn is attributed to a mind unbalanced
by reading the nsational, unreal aud ex-
citing trash too freely introduced without
moral responsibility in dime novels. After
a course of fifty or more of these highly
spiced vomits of literature youth looks
AT the world as upside down and himself
hero of the train robber. vagaboBd or
desperate tyne. 1t requires years of good
reading to wear away Impressions OF per-
ncious character thus produced. Young
Parrick had perused not fifty, but several
hundred, OF such works. and no wonder
ne had dagger and rifle. and had COM
menced his autobiography in the usual
grand style. He seems To have been eX-
ceedingly kindly treated by the people he
lived with. He was in no danger of want
and had employment and an opportunity
10 save money and become man In char
acter as we'll as physique, but his educa-
tion and upbrnging were really In the
hands of the dime D0velists and the dime
novel publishers. Can nothing be done
10 put down this literature?
The statement of an explorer that
France, Russia and Spain are resolved to
prevent England from gaining foothold
iu Morocco as giving her too much advant-
age in the Mediterranean sounds plausible,
and probably expresses the desire of these
powers and the heartfelt desire of Spain.
Neither England nor Spain has any busi-
ness in Northern Africa, and 1t Is an
anomaly that the former should cling TO
Gibraltar and keep up the resentment OF
he latter. At present when much requires
to be done TO Gibraltar to render 1t
strong naval station, the English might be
tempted tn surrender it for an equivalent
on the African shore, but as they cannot
get that right off they consider bird in
The hand worth two in the bush. In the
case of Spain IL is an utter folly TO waste
her resources on conquest in Africa. She
has more territory within her own borders
than her small population requires, and
vet the country is poor and the finances
are constantly in a distracted condition.
What can be the possible national gain
from the possession of a little colony
across the straits which must constantly
be held by military power against the
Arabs?
The war in Brazil goes merrily on, with
nothing better than a toss up which wins.
Peixoto has the land forces and possession
of the capital and De Mello has the feet
to all intents and purposes for the moment,
but may soon have to fight for supremacy
in the hsrbor of Rio. Unless Peixoto can
get ironclads mustered iD time he cannot
hope for much success. The commercial
vessels he is purchasing in the United
ates and converting into warlike ships
with one or two Big guns and good
supply of machine or rapid-fre guns may
achieve something by covert fighting, but
are not reliable in the open. well-simed
shell from heavy gun would finish their
career. Swift unarmored vessels are ad
| of q hut
are useless as substitute for navy.
These purchases would be Of great service
! to beleaguered Rio if they could break the
| blockade of supplies. which must by this
| time have given the inhabitants taste OF
| famine.
Another of the vessels long overdue In
San Francisco-the Falls of Halladale-
has worked into port and saved her own
| ers from loss, except as to charter and
higher premiums Of insurance. In the
matter of charter probably there is q gain
| to the owners by the current rates. Moth
ing untoward occurred on the voyage. 1t
| seems to have been matter OF mead winds
and Gains to account for 1S6 days on the
ocean waste, but there is also the captains
| Judgment of navigation. A bark which
sailed from the Tyne month after the
Falls of Halladale has got in at the same
| time, and a comparison OF the logs would
show how one captain got the wind and
the other failed.
Peixoto In Brazil may give the world
the benefit of practical experiments with
a pneumatic gun firing heavy charge of
dynamite. Its range is said to be over
three miles and under four. This is about
eight miles short of the range OF the best
modern riflsd artillery, but for harbor
work it may be quite deadly enough. The
| 81 oxr1xr nd nnn ha n
and guarded against 10 transit; but there
| is such a thing as a lookout being negli-
gent. This gun should give much better
results than dropping explosives from
balloons. as proposed.
If Harold Frederic's prediction comes
true, the British public are likely to have
the savory mess dished up in Parliament
of how the British came to make war on
| Iohenpula That pOton tate. according to