The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-12-04
WITH ENTIRE FRANkNESS.
BY HENRY JAMES.

"
fore, one who writes personal opinion
and attaches his name to it is treated
to series of surprises. Sometimes the
most innocent paragraph evokes YER
table storm of disapproval. In that
case it is we'll to pass the matter over,
and then in a day or two it is forgotten.
On the other hand have had the pleas
ure of being commended for having
taken a position on matters 80 trivial
there was no reason to suppose any
body would care one way or the other.
Last week. for instance, there was a
line devoted to the hobbling and abor-
tive term varsity, and, to my sur
prise, several people have taken the
trouble to express agreement. That
varsity is an outrage no person with
an ear needs to be told in print. 1t is
at best an absurdity, for university
cannot by anv rule recognized of san
ity be abbreviated and twisted into
such a meaningless, idiotic, Earring bit
of jargon. If a man were to speak Of a
university he would justly be set down
as an ignoramus. 1t is my blessed priv
ilege to thus set him down after he has
beheaded the visible evidence of his
foolishness.
A correspondent level of head calls
attention to the fact that the season ap>
proaches when the paretic writes
Xmas" Of course there is no excuse
for this symbolic lunacy, yet rather
hate to say so for Bierce has yearly and
proper spasn1s about the same thing.
To so DESIGNATE the anniversary of the
birth at Bethlehem is token of i'm
measurable laziness, ignorance, and to
the devout must have the appearance
of blasphemy. There is, however, no
utility in protest. The lazy will not be
stirred to an extra stroke Of the pen,
the ignorant we have always with US,
o1tnumbering the poor, and the unholy
wretch who wantonly commits the
crime of Xmasing has NO. conscience to
which to appeal.
From Mendocino County comes a let
ter written in such apparent good faith
that I am glad to answer it. The writer
of the letter calls attention to an &C
count of the crime of Rosser, who,
while drunk, killed an inoffensive citi-
zen, a good man, kindly and indus
trious provider. He then adverts to an
editorial in this paper concerning the
wine industry. The editorial set forth
the advantage of the use of wine at
dinner. Evidently the intent of the
Mendocino gentleman was to point out
an inconsistency. I must confess to in
ability to see connection between the
crime of drunken soldier and the
I'D cfyry IF inc
people were to drink more wine at din
ner and less coffee, if they were to quit
tanning their interiors and racking
their nerves with tea, substituting the
juice of the grape, I think they would
be better mentally and physically and
certainly not the worse morally. If the
grape is the destroyer of virtue, the
primal mistake concerning 1t cannot be
ascribed to man, who neither created it
nor so constituted the hills Of Califor-
MIA that vineyards flourish there, draw
ing abundant sustenance from soil in
which nothing else would thrive. If
because some abuse the bounty of ma
ture, people who have more sense
must refuse to accept it, this would be
a hungry and thirsty world.
There has been laid upon my desk
a copy of 1.-THE Invalid's Visitor" with
a request that a notice be given it.
There could not be duty imposed to
which response could be made with
more sincere pleasure. The Visitor is
not literary, and makes no pretense to
being so. But in every line it breathes
so sweet faith, so patient an endur-
T.. o10@ 7
be hardened indeed who felt no thrill
of admiration. l would not say pity,
for no pity is asked. The Visitor is
the medium by which invalids denied
the joy of mingling with the world,
shut in from the sun, communicate
with each other. The letters they ex-
change are full of brightness and
hope-surely a lesson to those who
have health and who still repine, and
to the sufferers themselves a message
of cheer. People who, bed ridden year
after year, can praise the Lord for
goodness and mercy, are of different
fiber from most of u.s. Pain has refin-
ed them. Nobody would have inclina-
ton to quarrel with their theology. In
heroism and in true nobility they con-
stitute an example for us all.
Mr.. and Mrs. Brandes. who rest I'M
der the shadow naturally environing a
couple accused of = wing murdered
their daughter, objected 20 being pho
tographed for the enriching of the
rogues' gallery. While as to their guilt
/ entertain an opinion such as would
unfit me for jury duty, so far as the
photography is concerned they have
my full sympathy. In fact the officers
had no right to take the pictures. In
doing so they ignored the presumption
of innocence. They have no knowledge
that the two are guilty. If Brandes and
his wife shall be col 'cted there will
remain ample time in which to pose
them in front Of the camera. If acquit-
ted, there will be no occasion for posing
them. To place rogue's picture in
the rogues' gallery is right enough, but
In all justice there must first be per-
formed the duty Of proving the
roguery.
While to deride newspaper English is
considered laudable there are about it
some singular beauties. For instance,
an evening journal published in this
city lately recorded that Clara McDon-
aid met Chris Markham in saloon and