The San Francisco call., 1895-10-13


ment OF pubic manners in that respect,
the P proposal is none the less worth think
in about, talking about and writing about.
In the absence OF any power to give these
dlsturbers OF the peace a good shaking,
which they deserve, we may at least agl-
tate the sin they commit and thereby make
them as conscious of guilt whenever they
repeat the offense as if they were seen 60
ing down the aisle in clothes that were out
of style. Social sins, like everything else,
can be talked to death, and this particular
sin is very good one to execute in that
way.
An illustration of what ceaseless talking
can do III the way of reforming minor
morals is seen in the decline and partial
collapse OF the big theate hat. But short
time ago these hats rose up high enough to
be noted as monumental nuisance, and
now they are so small they hardly amount
to petty irritation. In fact of late there
has been just about enough of the hat to at
tract attention and prevent the interest Of
the play from leading one woman to over
look another. Ii the big hat has thus been
talked out of sight, it is not impossible the
late-comer may also be talked into staying
in the background for little while.
The near approach of the time for max
ing preparations for the next Presidential
conventions has renewed interest in those
great gatherings and awakened discussion
as to the best method of removing some of
the evils that have attended them of late
years. One OF the greatest of these evils is
the immense crowds that attend the con-
ventlons and not infrequently interfere
with them. The evil effects of such crowds
is one OF the strong arguments now urged
against holding any future conventions in
Chicago. That great city has not only
turbulent population of its own, but it is
so centrally located that thousands of out
slders throng it whenever a convention is
held there, and as a consequence the dele
gates have to deliberate in the midst of an
immense mob. Other large cities in the
East are, of course, just as Objectionable as
Chicago in this regard. One of two
things must be done to save future con-
ventions from these evils-either the con-
ventions must be held with closed
doors and the public shut out, or
they must be held in cities large enough to
accommodate all the delegates and alter
mates but not SO huge as to have vast mobs
of people to disturb the proceedings by
trying to stampede the convention toward
some particular candidate. Concerning
this alternative, lively discussion is now
going on in the East, some of the disput-
ants favoring small halls in the large cities
and others large halls in the smaller ones.
There is certainly no reason why a
Presidential convention should be arranged
for like hippodrome, but there is good
reason why it should be open and as free
as possible to the public. ANY convention
held in comparatively small hall with
closed doors would be a serious handicap
upon the candidate it nominated. To
take the conventions, therefore, from the
larger cities to those of the second size
seems to be the best way of getting rid of
mobs without excluding the public. This
view OF the case can hardly be overlooked
by Eastern people, and fortunately it
presents San Francisco as a convention
city under a peculiarly attractive aspect.
A Presidential convention held here would
| not be fretted by mob any more than it
would be sweated by hot weather. This
| City for such purposes is, in fact, ideal,
| and the best way to get our Presidents
nominated far from the madding crowd
is to hold the conventions in San Fran
cisco, where the crowds are gladdening.
Charles a. Dana has recently fluttered
the newspaper world of the East by an act
which has been denounced as professional
discourtesy and personal surliness, and
which is certainly a departure from
| journalistic conventionalities. Having re-
ceived from the Chattanooga Times some
| special editions of that paper issued in
commemoration of the Chickamauga cele-
bration, with letter asking his opinion of
them, he replied in the Sun: ''We don't
think anything of them at all. Any fool
can get 100000 papers printed if he can
raise the money to pay for them, but to
get good sense, simple truth. genuine wit,
good feeling, steadiness OF mind and
honest, manly purpose into them, is
another matter" This may be surliness,
but it is the truth. Mr.. Dana was prob
ably speaking within his own experience
in saying anybody can print 200, 900 papers,
but that good sense and simple truth is
another matter. He may have tried it
himself one time.
at the recent meeting of the British
Association the champions of science
turned aside for moment from their old
contest with theology and boldly chal-
lenged civilization itself to combat on the
plains of truth. The challenge came
mainly from the explorers of the world
and took the form of a defense of the
savageries and superstitions that our cul-
ture holds in utter abhorrence. The leader
in the defiance was a certain Captain
| Hinde, who, in describing the prevalence
| OF cannibalism in the Congo region, said:
"In the country of the Baletela one sees
neither gray-haired persons, halt, manned
nor blind. Even parents are eaten by
their children on the least sign of old age.
Under such circumstances, the Baletela
| are splendid race" 1t was furthermore
declared that the custom of eating the
dead saves savage races from epidemics.
| Another traveller who had been in Guiana
argued that the fierce vendettas which
| prevail there have an undoubted influence
for good by thinning out the weaker mem
bers of the race. In the discussion which
followed the papers, there was shown
marked agreement among the scientists
I k~A4-