The San Francisco call., 1898-07-03

he is no brother of mine? The term is used merely for purposes of iden- tif1cation. l regard him as an un- washed and unregenerate rascal with the morality of hyena and the saving grace of a toad. He pretends to heal by the laying on of his filthy hands. l commend to him the beauty of soap and the utility of exclusiveness That the man Is a wretched fraud is pal pablo. He deserves the hose, tar and feathers, ride on rail. A person having the gift of magnetism, and through 1t the power to impart strength to the invalid, may be in some measure a beneficent entity. Francis ayers that his power Is divine, and as he operates on the credulous prays ungrammatically and lies like drunken sailor. It is strange that he can secure dupes, while even to the mind of the worldly there is shock in the blasphemy of the bogus prayers pouring from his lips. He affects fa- miliarity with the Author of all being In ribald phrase he gives counsel to God. The average man has for the al- mighty force which set the worlds in motion and keeps them in their paths reverent respect beyond expression He does not always formulate into a set creed his notions of the Supreme. lie does not necessarily believe that the details of each petty life are directed by the infallible intelligence, or that this incomprehensible intelligence can be wrought upon by a maudlin peti- lyron Francis does. He knows why the ig- noramus, coarse unclean, repellent, Is permitted to take His name in vain: Human Judgment is that there should be law against quacks Yet the Francis creature, prating and mouth ing and handling, is not wholly to blame. The way had been made easy for him by people seemingly gov erned by lofty impulses and on certain lines possessing degree of ability to think. I would not speak with disre- spect of Carrie Judd Montgomery. Her good works are known and cover the sins of her babbling and irrational faith. She has a habit of descending to the jaws of death and being snatch ed therefrom miraculously, to the glory of her Creator. l do not believe that any miracle was ever performed In her behalf. do not believe that God is en- gagged in the small business of adver- Using. Side-show methods are strictly human. The woman is simply deluded. She mistakes mysteries for the tumul- tuous working of the Infinite The very allegations she makes as proving the of ha Nn111d fhaIr ha esta blished, would demonstrate exactly the contrary. If to feel the body re- lieved from pain is to experience more than blessing, is, In fact, to know the appreciable token of a miracle, what epithet shall be applied to the cruelty which permits the body to become the tenant of suffering? If Mrs. Montgom- cry and her sort will apply to- this ques- tion moiety of common sense they will reach the conclusion that the uni- verse is built on a large plan and that there are phases of it not to be meas ured on the scales like a pound of sugar. The ridiculous Francis and Mrs. Montgomery are two opponents of the same theory. For correction of the first the police ought to. be sufficient. The second is beyond remedy, and it is to be as much deplored as the other. But for a Montgomery the harvest would not be ripe for the sickle of a Francis, and the charlatan would earn his bread in the sweat of his brow or go hungry.
 This column Is not a depository for gossip, or it would contain this week a. pretty story about a row In the office of yellow local sheet I cannot, how ever, refrain from congratulating a number of newspaper men upon having broken away from the disgraceful Lawrence regime. hope each will get a good job in respectable surroundings and strive to live down the past.
 Tn Philadelphia a candidate for Mayor visited public bath and after making a speech plunged into the tank, wearing his dress suit and a silk hat. I do not see how this can advance his prospects any. If he were a candidate for something else, for instance. in- mate of lunatic asylum, it might help him some.
 For an evening paper to jump upon, buffet, hit, strike and otherwise mal- treat the Cuban letter of Hearst was not giving the amateur correspondent a fair trial. AS a matter of fact, the letter might have been worse, and many of Hearst's men have demon strated as much. The striking point of the communication was not it's subject matter nor construction. but the un- speakable conceit inspiring 1t manifest in every line and between lines. Hearst seemed to be exalted by the belief that the world was holding it's breath for his verdict as to the conduct of the war; that the universe had paused on its accustomed rounds while waiting to know whether to praise or condemn. Hearst gravely instructed it to praise, and the planets, distinctly relieved, re- suned the circle of their orbits. This phase of the letter was absolutely funny. How Hearst ever got to Cuba without informing civilization in ad- vance, without blaring a horn or wav- ing banner, must ever remain a mys- tery. But since he has arrived there the brassy bands of Hearstlings have her