The San Francisco call., 1895-10-13
ENGL|SHMEN At HOME,
Joaquin Miller Discusses Them
Before the Charming
Auxiliary.
More Liberty and Less License Per-
mitted Across the Water.
Carlyle Visited.

Joaquin Miller proposed to read SanFran-
ciscans few pertinent topical lessons last
evening when he lectured before the
Charming Auxiliary at the First Unitarian
Church. The address was entitled, Lion
don Folk Comparatively, and the Poet
of the Sierras grew enthus iastic as he de-
scribed Englishmen' in various walks of
life.
Mr.. Miller is an admirer of the English
man. His lecture was intended to impress
his audience with the conviction that the
inhabitants of this continent can learn
much from the lives of their cousins across
the water.
''There is more happiness to the square
inch in London said Joaquin Miller,
"than either in New York or San Fran
cisco-a great deal more. Why? Because
there is more heart there. There is more
liberty In London for man, woman aud
child than in any city of this coun untry.
The Englishman's house is his castle,
now as it ever was. A mans private
affairs are respected. They have laws
there, and the laws are respe cted.
81 maintain that there is more liberty
over there simply because there is less
when an Englishman acquires wealth he
goes home to spend 1t? The American
does not. Oh, no, he goes abroad to do so.
81 want no better friends than the peo-
pie met in England. Immediately you
enter mans house there you feel your
self mana gentleman, a king"
Mr.. Miller, in describing some of the
people he had met in London, touched
upon visit he paid with Lord Houghton
and Thorndyke Rice to Thomas Carlyle.
1t was foggy November day when they
called upon the old philosopher, and the
conversation in the room turned upon the
Immortality of the soul and religion.
Said Mr.. Carlyle: Gentlemen, / want to
say that there is one thing in the world
worse than a man absolutely without re-
hgion." what is thatP' they all asked.
To which answered Carlyle, ga woman
without religion
The poet then described one of the Liter
ary Fund dinners which he attended. These
dinners had their origin in Tom Hood s re-
tuslng to accept purse of gold, even when
IN dire need of 1t. The particular dinner
mentioned by the lecturer was attended by
many notables, among others by the
Prince OF Wales, Lord Salisbury, the King
'ot the Belgians and the Prince Imperial,
the latter being then q handsome youth
The speaker had good word to say for
the English custom of pensioning authors.
Saturday night and Sunday in Lon
don, was the next scene presented by the
lecturer to the mental vision of his
audience. He pictured the thrifty house
wife going shopping late Saturday night.
the hustle in the streets, the immense
crowds, vast and yet orderly. He com
pared the manner in which the Sabbath
day IS observed in London and in New
ork and in San Francisco.
Mr. Miller before closing his address re-
lated little incident showing how the law
IS enforced In England. He said: 'One
of James Gordon Benefits bright Young
men started paper in London called The
Hornet In one of the first issues we'll
known banker was libeled. He brought
suit and within fifteen minutes of the
commencement of the action a verdict for
$4,000 was returned"
The last part of the lecture was devoted
10 description of visit to Germany. and
an interesting account of the army
maneuvers under Won Moltke and Bis
marck.
The lecturer was introduced by John p.
Irish, and among those present were:
John S. Hittell, John Taylor, Miss Kirk
land, Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Mullen, Mr.. and
Mrs. Lowell White, Mr. and Mrs. Horace
Wilcox, Mr.. and Mrs. George w. Beaver
John Perry Jr., MIR. and Mrs. J. G. Biee,
low, Sumner Bugbee, Mr.. and Mrs. Isidore
Burns, Mr.. and Mrs. Denman, Mr.. and
Mrs. Edgar Kelly, DR.. Stebbins, Mr.. and
Mrs. Louis M. Johnson, David Faroubar.
son and Mr.. Church.