The morning call., 1894-11-27
APPLIED TO SAN FRANCISCO.
Occasion, the Testimonial to
Miss Dawson.
PROFESSOR ANDERsON's PAPER.
he Calls the Society of This City
Parody of Elegance; Its
Art rIake-BeIieve.

blNOl1 AOl lDcu Sdu IldbCioCO q joy hS"b1
and dead cold frost" 1t has remained
for a college professor TO declare 1t the
most vulgar OF American cities or TO use
his exact form of comparison. though not
a common one with that ill-sounding and
offensive adjective, "the vuigarest."
This is what Professor Melville B. An
derson of Stanford University did last even
ing. The occasion was the testimonial
given Miss Emma Frances Dawson.
Golden Gate Hall was filed. 1t was an
intellectual. a cultured audience. includ-
ing many of the best citizens from either
side of the bay. Thinkers, authors and
musicians of reputation were in attend
ance. Senator Perkins presided. 1t was
all that could have been expected on such
an occasion, and was mOdestly and sweetly
acknowledged by the poet whose song to
"Old Glory" and the ''Sea of Sleep" have
established her fame among the English
speaking nations.
Upon this audience :he frigid, cutting
words fell as Unexpectedly as a snowstorm
on the bay. They waited for the qualify
ing phrases which turn ugly statements to
compliments, but they did not come.
After the first shock of astOnishment Ia
dies could be heard TO say, This is
cruel" Men showed their Indignation in
their faces. Beyond this, while the pro-
ceedings lasted, there was no criticism.
Professor Anderson paid glowing trib-
ute 10 the genius of Miss Dawson, but
through all his remarks ran the bitterest
reproof of San Francisco and San Francis
cans.
Senator Perkins in Well-turned address
spoke of the occasion of the gathering as
a testimonial to Miss Emma Frances Daw-
son. He eulogized the author and her
poems and then introduced Alfred Y.
Black, Nho rendered a cornet solo, which
was greeted with weli-merted applause.
The programme was a long and varied
one. and as he introduced each of the par
Elephants Senator Perkins took occasion to
make use of some happy phrase.
Joaquin Miller had been programmed to
read his poem, The Song Of Balboa Sea-:
but as be Jailed to appear Senator Perkins
declared that be must have got lost in the
fog.
Miss Ina d. CoOlbrith read an original
poem, "The Vision OF Sir Francis Drake"
and was greeted with prolonged applause.
Charles Edward Markham read selection
from his poem, The Lyric of the Morn
ing" j. NJ. Robinson gave a vocal solo
and responded TO an encore, and Mrs.
Nellie HulbrOOk Blinn. at the special re-
quest of the author. Miss Dawson, recited
"Old Glory" with much feeling and elocu-
tiOnary power.
Then Professor Melville B. Anderson of
Stanford University was introduced to
read paper entitled, "Au Appreciation of
Miss DaWsOn's Genius"
In a barrack-like tenement high on
the summit of this mountainous CITY," be-
gan Professor Anderson, nearer to The
stare and the sea-fog than to human friend
ship and sympathy, there has dwelt for
many years a woman of genius-the poet
of San Francisco. Thousands of times she
has seen the sun begin his march over the
Diable Mountains and sink into the waves
beyond The Golden Gate. More sensitive
and watchful than the professional OBJ
servers OF the signal service or the light
house keepers at the heads, she has regis
tered all the refrains Of The wind, all
the tones of the fog. all the moods
OF the sea. For all this sweeping
panorama of city and harb Dor, of fog-hung
or sunlit ocean. of mountain-gated and
islend-sentineled bay. There have been
succeeded like her in rendering tones and
lines and colors that nature has flung
about the ways and spread before the
windows Of the fortunate San Fran
ciscan."
10 the origina! text "blind and needless"
teok the place of Fortunate" but the
period was not to be broken By a weak
adjective. The audience listened thus far
to magnificent eulogy of the woman they
had Assem- bled to honor. Then came the
home thrust Continuing his paper Mr..
Anderson read:
Nor has any one, so far as l know, so
perfectly rendered the vague melancholy
charm OF this city OF contrasts and con-
tradictions-Ot American cities at once
the most occidental and the most oriental.
the shaDbiest and the most picturesque,
the vulgarest and the most romantic"
There was time given for the full force
OF the adlectiVes to be interrupted. The
shock stilled the pain of the wound for a
moment. Then the keen force of the
word was felt and little cries of "Oh!'
and This is cruelv' came in faint whis.
pers.
For beauty of situation and grandeur
of surroundings, San Francisco is Ger.
tainly unsurpassed" continued Professor
Anderson with cold unmindfulness. "Man
has done much to stain and deface this
beauty; but the fog. the starlight
and the moonlight have their several
charms TO soften what is rough, to idealize
what garisn DAY reveals as crude: and
moonlight and starlight and fog are opr
poets domain. Whatever unsympathetic
critics may sing and say of San Fran
cisco, Miss Dawson has been its poet and
has loved it as only poet can. From her
point Of vantage the scene is somewhat
softened even in broad daylight. The bar
barism of the architect is not observed.
and if the lines of The roofs and streets
are hard and monotonous. nature does
what she can to supply lines of beauty by
upheaving the city, 80 that the streets IN.
dulate in vertical planes. But the eye soon
tires of this barren prospect and is drawn
away from the city altogether by the
transcendent glory Of its surroundings
and this wide prospect our poet has hac
before her eyes daily for twenty years"
Without waiting to see if San francisco
was ready to turn the other cheek to bt
smitteD, Professor Anderson slapped away
as follows:
"Then, too. she has lived in becoming
Frapo ha fornaa traUadiao n