The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-12-04

mate themselves. In the scheme OF the
universe this globe is as important as
a drop of water, and ourselves as i'm
portant as the tiny organisms occupy
ing the crystal globule. 1t is sacr1lege
to proclaim that God is directing mum
dane affairs as a general directs an
army, for if this were true such af-N
fairs would be run better. If there are,
as the creeds -set forth contendlng
forces of good and evil, the latter must
have to do with the direction OF events
for the devil himself could not Gun
trive injustice more radical nor brutal
ity more pronounced than is to be read
in the history of nations, religions All
individuals as has been recorutd
since men began to keen records, and is
daily being added to the sorry tale of
life. The fly struggling helplessly In
the clutch of a gummed sheet of paper
is no more helpless than the man strug-
Cling in the Glitch of whatever circum-
stance may environ him. The fly
buzzes; the man groans. Both die, and
one leaves as great gap as the other.
1t is folly, I think, to attempt to scru-
tinize and analv the purpose OF the
Infinite. That the Creator of the Uni
verse is competent to direct the mo-
lions of the planets, to cause suns TO
blaze for a space and then EXPIRE
faith asks no question. That II Is an
impertinence to ascribe to the minute
the petty motives which govern the
finite mind, to measure the fmneasura-
BILE with the yard-stick of commerce, IS
so palpabie as to need no sustaining
argument. The vast scheme OF Whlcn
we catch a vague and yet Wondrous
inkling is beyond comprehension TO
pretend to have solved it is an ao-
surdity, to attempt to read and inter-
pref the emotions of the Almighty Is
nonsense or blasphemy. There is no
need to worry about anything or to as
cribe mortal greed to divine impulse.
friend told me the other day that in
400 years there would be twenty people
to every square mile. Perhaps he said
square inch; + have no memory for hg-
ures. Don't let that trouble you," 1
responded, with intent to cheer him.
God made the world, and when 1T gets
so full that people have to stand on
each others feet perhaps he will send
it to smash and use the material for
another and better one"
It is impossible not to feel a degree
of sympathy for Becker, the forger, al
though this does not go to the extent
of wishing him less than a life SEN
tence. Becker was one of gang, each
as guilty as himself, and one by one
these precious rascals have deserted
him in the hope of saving their own
worthless hides. I would give each
one of them a life sentence, too. This
thing of turning loose a lot of scoun-
drels now firmly in the grasp of the
law does not conform to any lofty con-
ception of justice, and on the pur-
chased testimony of such scum I would
not convict yellow dog of stealing a.
bone.
It is a strange commentary upon the
morals Of the metropolis that since the
gambling rooms of Honest John KEEL
ly have been raided attempts are be-
ing made to explain why it was done.
Some ascribe it to a sense Of displeas-
ure anent Kelly's decision in the Cor.
bett and Sharkey peace pow-wow, 9TH
ers to politics. The s pie fact that,
Kelly has defied the law and that the
men hired to enforce the law may have
considered themselves in the perform
ance of duty does not seem to have
occurred to a single New York intelli-