The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-28
SAN FRANCISCO INDICATED.
The Fair City May Remain by the
Golden Gate.
"sERENE, INDIFFERENT OF FATE"
This Adverse Criticism Is Dubbed
Specimen OF Arrogance and
Seif-Conceit.

Professor Melville B. Anderson has
succeeded In arousing indignation In
the breasts Of thousands of San Fran
ciscans. Granted that his criticism
of San Francisco is more elegant than
Cham pion COTbetts expression of dead
cold frost" and Blanche Walsh's Jay
to wn," il is, nevertheless. regarded with
mingled feelings of surprise. indignation,
and, indeed, contempt. Professor Ander-
son, on the occasion of testimonial con-
cert to Miss Emma Frances Dawson in
Golden Gate Hall Monday evening, raised
the whirlwind in the course of paper
entitled IAN Appreciation of Miss Daw-
sons Genius"
Professor Anderson holds the chair Of
English literature in the Leland Stanford
Jr. University.
Among other things he said that San
Francisco is cat once the most occidental
and the most oriental, the shabbiest and
the most picturesque, the vulgarest and
the most romantic. The crush of monoD-
olies, The hard commercalism. the public
jobbery and robbery. the faint religiosity,
the parody of social elegance, the make
believe literature and art-whatever goes
TO form the strange medley of San Fran
cisco socety-our poet is above it ALL
The ladies said "OhW while many peO-
pie in the audience declared he was cruel,
although others thought the question was
not to be decided in such off-hand man
ner. That there is another side to the
argument bur little doubt can be enter
taiped. The opinions of men, capable
from travel, education and prominence in
70 ,Ara ivfo ell
gently and truthfully in the premises, are
at variance with the professors views.
And so the shock TO San FraDcisco's social
and artistic sensbilities liz in a measure
sOothed, and the city may continue in its
accustomed groove of Professor Ander-
sons vulgarism and make believe.
San Francisco has an artist who makes
no complaint against her, and much less
thinks that the city is not quite as good as
Boston. or, indeed, any Eastern city, taken
from his point of view. There are other
artists whose presence here is refutation
of the charge that San Francisco art is a
"mske believe" William Keith did not
take the charges of Professor Anderson to
heart, however.
s'If he were to tell me i was an artist /
might not believe him. said Mr.. Keith.
And if he said am not an artist, why. il
would not worry me in the least. That's
just how feel about it.
why doesn't Professor what's his
name again-why doesn't be go home?
For my part, l think he should familiarize
himself with San Francisco. Probably he
doesn't know anything of art, anyhow. and
would not know good thing when he sees
1t. Where did he come from? Why doesn't
he find better place, more congenial to
his ideals? The trouble with Eastern pen-
pie is they come out here and are sur
prised to find that we have two eyes, two
arms. two legs, and so on. 1t is simply
prejudice and a lack of acquaintance with
things and conditions. When | was in
Munich the German students looked down
on the Americans. The New Workers
rldiculed Boston men, and the Bos tonians
in return spoke with disdain about them.
Both were prejudlced against Chicago
artists, and so 1t went on until San Fran
cisco was reached. and the San Francis
cans said they were as good as any OF
them.
"The peculiar thing about Californians s
they must send East when they want any
thing. They won't try to get it here. 1t
Is easy enough to find fault and pitch into
any locality. 1t is true, however. that man
has done much 10 ruin the natural beauty
of this city. II the hills, for instance, had
been terraced we would have a terraced
city that would be Infinitely better than
the straight streets cutting over The hills.
This is merely an instance"
els San Francisco any worse than New
York in regard to robbery, jobbery or re-
liRious indifference"
DIR. Il. w. Hardness, president of the
California Academy of Sciences and a
trustee of the Stanford University, was
worked up over the opinion of Professor
Anderson. he had finished reading 1t in
his club when asked for his views on the
subject.
II think the language very ill-advised,
coarse and uncalled for" he said with a
touch Of indignation In his voice. "San
Francisco has abundance of talent and
will compare favorably with any city I've
been in. 1t seems 10 me that this sage
who has come among US is assuming too
much.
"Our people are cosmopolitan, TO be
sure, but are all the better for that. [
think, however, that the people of San
Francisco should first inquire who this
man is, and whether he has acquired the
right by travel and associations to criticize
so important a city. / imagine he will
never make David Starr ordan il he tries.
with respect to jobbery, robbery and
the rest, l think we are incomparably
better off than New York.
81 don't like this expression parody of
social elegance 1t is contemplate. Tie
whole thing is contemptble-contem ptible
rs specimen of arrogance and self-con-
ceit."
DR.. Hardness was hot, and he showed it.
san Francisco is distinctly in advance
of Kansas City and the hustling cities of
the middle West in the essentials of civil
ization," said Arthur McEwen on glanc-
ing over the professors statements. I'm
fact In the prime essential of civilization
the willingness Of the average man 10 mind