The record-union., 1896-01-09

press of San Francisco reports the pro-
ceedings of the State Board of Educa-
tion on the bias Garbled deceptive,
incorrect and colored reports of the
school-bo examination question have
predominated, and clearly are intended
to lead readers to the belief that great
waste, scandal and wrong have been
committed in the matter of the editing
and publishing of the State textbooks.
The fine Italian hand of the Eastern
book ring turns upon a cunning wrist 1t
will be a lamentable day for California
when this same ring once again rules
in triumph over the State.
The dispatches from Johannesburg
and those from Cape Town, and like
wise the accounts of action by British
officials in South Africa now settle it
beyond all question that Jameson's s
| plan was to arrive in front of johann
nesburg just at the time the Uit1anders
were to rise and seize the city. There
upon Jameson, uniting with them,
would declare the Government over
thrown, and set up a provisional Gov
eminent, which would promptly ask to
be absorbed by England, which would
graciously comply with the request,
and thus another national scalp would
dangle at the British belt. pretty
scheme, but it did not work.
The Record Union" has repeatedly
called the attention of the authorities
to the inadequate and dangerous char
acter of the exits of some of our public
buildings. Recently it took up the sub
ject again and indicated clearly that the
exits of the Sixth-street M. E. Church
are dangerous, and invite to a tragedy
whenever a large congregation is as
sembled in the building. This last
reference was SO entirely just and true
that the church authorities have been
more considerate than the city officials,
and men are now at work constructing
two new and wholly different exits, so
placed that discharging crowd will be
divided into two streams moving in op
posite directions. Under the old plan,
so long threat to life and limb, the
whole congregation was discharged
through one hall upon fight of con-
centric steps. The wonder is that
calamity has not disgraced the church
for this fragrant disregard of the rights
of churchgoers. Now let other public
| buildings be looked to. Let the matter
| of placing more than a hundred loose
| chairs in the aisles of the Congrega-
tional Church whenever there is a great
| crowd gathered be prohibited, not
merely by the letter of the ordinance,
as it now is, but by the action of the
police authorities. We call Mayor
Hubbard's attention specifically to this
matter. Suppose when the next enter
| tainment in that church takes place.
and the three aisles are filed with loose
chairs some one exclaims "Fire" Then
fancy what will result with thousand
people struggling through the aisles
half-filled with loose chairs. In short,
let the new Mayor make inquiry into
the whole matter Of exits from public
halls and churches, and into the prac-
tice of filing aisles with extra seats,
and he will discover where reform is
needed.
The American flag was Kissed in
Rice's play of 1892" in Montreal the
other day, and the audience would not
allow the show to go on until the
| American marches and colors were
eliminated The manager telegraphed
to Rice, his principal in New York,
asking what should be done, and Rice
replied, mo flag, no show" He then
started for Montreal with the inten-
tion of draping the interior with Amer
lean flags, and giving the show with
the tri-colored banner in full view
whether the people liked it or not.
That was all we'll enough, and we ad-
mire Rice's pluck to that extent. He
has the right, so long as he rents the
theater to give his show in it, as it's
text demands, and If Montreal people
do not like it they can easily avoid be-
ing offended by remaining away But
when Rice declared that he would drive
from the depot to the theater in Mon
treal in a carriage decorated profusely
with American flags and otherwise dis
tinguished by American insignia, he
was wrong. If he tries it and is soundly
thrashed for his pains he will be enti-
tied to no sympathy. The audience in
Oakland the other day that hissed the
British flag at Herrmann's show was
wrong, grossly so, and was properly re-
buked for its lack of sense and decency.
But had Hermann driven through
OalSland's streets after that with the
English flag Haunted in the face of
the people, he would have invited as
sault and have provoked a breach of
the peace. Sentiment is carried too far
when it is made the means of trouble
such as would result in either of the
cases described. The Montreal and the
Oakland audiences were indecent in
their manifestations. England and the
United States are not at war, but at
peace, and it is a gross insult for the
people of either country to degrade the
flag of the other. But Rice has no right
after the occurrence in the theater to
defy English sentiment, as he pro-
poses to do. 1t is not patriotic, but
foolhardy, to incite riot in Montreal
streets that Mr.. Rice may pose as a
patriot and make his show business the
subject of international difficulty
Santa Rosa. has a new evening paper,
called the Press" We had supposed
that Santa Rosa was well provided
with newspapers already. but the new
paper is we'll filed with advertisements,
and is a rather healthy-looking infant.
--------------------------
In most tropical countries, particu-
larly italy, Spain and Mexico. there is
superstition that the bite of the taran-
tula is certainly fatal It is always
painful, sometimes throwing the pa
tient into a high fever. but the fatal in
stances are said to be rare in compari-
son with those which survive