The San Francisco call., 1898-07-31
... !. a.a.aa.a,
WITH ENTIRE FRANKNESS.
By HENRY JAMES.


l
 It seems to me that the Rev. E. B. Dodge does not know to which side Of his daily bread there adheres com forting coat of butter. The same IS true of any preacher who rises to rail against permitting women to have voice in church affairs. In my worldly Judgment, if the Rev. Mr. Dodge sue ceed in eliminating the feminine ele ment from his flock he will have no flock. Men go to church because their wives want them to go. The women constitute the life of the institution. They have just as much right to be heard In the direction of it's affairs as they have to give orders for dinner at home. But for the women the Rev MT. Dodge and his kind would be hunting jobs, and mayhap have to be content with one tending to callous the palm. The material church would vanish, and the pastor thereof become a blessed memory. The claim that women should have nothing to say as to the direction Of an organization so strictly their own strikes me as absurd, and the nerve of the minister making 1t inspires awe. Surely MT. Dodge does not think they would be so silly as to sit under the drfppings of his wisdom, listening with meekneSs to all he might have to say If they were to be treated as inferior. l have enough respect for the sex to believe that they would resent so marked a slight. Will the reverend gentleman please tell me what 1t is women lack? Is 1t soul, or is it intelli- genee? In the meantime, sinner though I am, I have the grace to be ashamed of him.
 w. D. Crabb has written some poems which he calls Lyrics of the Golden West" The neat volume in which they appear has been handed to me with the request that I notice it. I decline to do so. Just because the Local Tyre man of the Visalia Delta stirred me to ad- miration it does not follow that space can be devoted to ordinary rhymesters. Furthermore, MT. Crabb may be good citizen, and to refrain from hurting his feelings shall be a joy of mine.
 One disgusting feature of the war has been that for everybody who has won eminence either through victory or de- feat, up has sprung some woman to tell how at some time she had been wooed of him. While most of these females are fakers, and entitled to no respect, I confess to an absence of admiration for such as may be telling the truth When man falls in love with a woman he pays her a compliment by that act, and if he vainly offer to become her husband, surely worthy woman would treat the matter as sacredly confiden- tial. AS to the Californian girl to whom Cervera Is alleged to have written let ters, l am inclined to believe that she has been led by some trickery into be- trayal of the circumstance, provided there is such person and such cir constance. It must be borne in mind that the letters were published in paper which is wholly unscrupulous, and which I verify believe would rather tell a stupid lie than an interesting truth. For the benefit of the chance stranger within our gates it may be added that the paper is the Examiner.
 An exchange, commenting on the subject of suicide, concludes: "I glean my information from the New York World" Herein the exchange errs To
 
 possible, but information is not in the lot It Is sufficient to say that the World is almost as unreliable as the New York Journal.
 A paper published in Monterey, Mex ico, does me the honor to quote from these columns, but ascribes the author ship to Frank James. I beg to state that Frank is another fellow.
 I have an active sympathy with the noble sport of coursing. It is a little hard on the hares, but they would die some day anyhow, and in the mean time chew young trees, as well as prop agate the active flea. which needs no encouragement. The charge has been made that the sport is not refining, but this has never been sustained. Only recently the official known as the slipper" made mistake which great ly exasperated the ladies present, who, by his error, lost the bets they had placed. It is true that some of these ladies cried Hang him." but this was only due to the first impulse. Their gentle natures prevailed. They did not hang him.
 Cranks who write to me will please inclose postage, not that there Is to be any reply, but stamps are always use- full
 When I speak of the Supreme Court 1t must be understood that it is always with the greatest respect, in fact feeling akin to awe. So far as I have been able to ascertain by observation the duty of this august body Is to up set verdicts carefully arrived at by the courts below. That a tribunal fitted to do this is beyond adverse criticism and recks not of commendation is a plain proposition. Still. I have ven tured to be surprised that absolutely no regard seems to be paid to consid- erations of justice. The question ap- pears to be not as to mans guilt, but as to whether his guilt has been es- tablished by certain formulae. The truth Is of less importance than the manner of its setting forth. we find ho xx,biJ ha foy,