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

graduate him. His warning for me to
write less concerning topics of which
know nothing shall be needed. for If
know nothing about phrenology as
suredly l care far less. But it strikes
an observer as strange that the pnre-
nologist who makes business of guild
ing other people into the paths for which
nature has designed them should him
self usually be out at the elbows and
spend time in disgusting with blacking
the sections Of socks which project
themselves through his shoes. How
ever, that there is not room for the
communication of Mr.. Curtis is a mat
ter Of regret.
My attention is called to the use by
Mr.. Bierce of bad grammar. This is a
matter which ought.t to be called to the
attention of Bierce himself if to that
Of anybody. He says he is an authority
and an opportunity to prove it would
doubtless be welcomed by him.
An inquiry as to whether the term
good grammarian" is correct opens a
wide field for discussion, In my judg-
style a man a grammarian is to imply
that his verdict is to be regarded as in
fallible, undoubtedly this is too much
to be ascribed to any human being. AS
well contend that there is no ground for
using the term good historian" The
recorder of history may be guilty Of
error, some of his data being not found
ed on fact, and yet he is an historian.
To be a grammarian is not to be per-
feet, nor final authority, any more
than to be an historian is to be be-
yond the reach of doubt or subject to
correction. There are good historians
and bad, and there are good gram
marians and very bad.
The other night street preacher at
tempted to talk at the corner of Market
and Fourth streets. I have noticed the
man often. He is ignorant, uncouth
and has not SO much as the magnetism
of clam He is sincere. This is evil
dent in his impassioned harangue, his
wild gesticulation. 1t Is evident. through
the fact that there is nothing in preach
ing for him save the ease which may
visit his conscience. Once he took a
collection, resulting in 15 cents. An
observing loafer reproached him with
being on the street for gain. MY
friend" said the preacher, come into
the nearest restaurant and 1 will gladly
spend 10 cents on you So 1 cannot
believe that the acquisition of wealth
is the object of the itinerant. Never
theless the crowd on Market and
Fourth would not let him speak. 1t
swayed up against him, trod upon the
hat he had placed on the pavement,
jeered, hooted, jostled. In fact it was
as ill-mannered a collection of hoodlums
as 1 ever saw. Where were the police?
They were at the next corner trying
to prevent Lucky Baldwin from COM
uniting murder with the ruins of his
hotel. The preacher had to quit, and
as he left the place he was pursued by
a gang of ruffians, with too little sense
to know themselves offensive, and too
little character to have been concerned
anyhow. 1t was a shameful episode
This is the close of the nineteenth Gen.
fury.
The latest tragedy hereabouts has
been the murder of a husband by his
young wife. There appears to have
sprung up an idea that a woman suf-
fering from a sense of wrong has a
right to arm herself and STAY the par
ticipant in her troubles. It is a falla-
cious notion, and the time seems to be
here for correcting 1t. Mrs. Mantel has
stained her hands with blood. 1t may
not have been an excellent quality of
blood, but to shed it was no part of her
duty. She has created for herself a
shadow which will be over her while
life lasts and brought to her family a
needless sorrow. In the first place, a
girl having good home and parents
who love her, in conserving to marry
secretly man of whose worth and
honor she has no assurance, of whose
inability to provide for her she must
be aware, who to do all this has to
sneak from the domestic shelter and as
sumo an habitual disguise, pretending
to be that which she is not, has in her
a form of weakness which easily turns
to vice. Had this girl been misled into
an unhappy and undesirable alliance
and, discovering the truth, told her
father and mother about it, they doubt
less would have shielded her to the ut
most, the law would have come to her
relief; there would have been no scan
dal, no open shame, no murder. The
bride who terminates her honeymoon
by couple Of bullets fired into the per-
son of the groom may be never so
pretty, and weep with a touching copi-
BUSINESS, but she ought to be punished
just the same. If acquitted amidst the
plaudits of the throng she might try the
same game with No. later, or some
other addle-pate observing that to be
heroine one must engage in slaughter
may be prompted to employ the scheme.
When a wife has to arm herself before
seeking an interview with her husband
it is far better that she dispense with
the interview or use a long-distance
telephone. Or better yet, let her send
her message by her father
James Meadors is on his way to the
military prison at Fort Leavenworth
to serve term of ten years For a
man who should be in the condemned
cell at San Quentin awaiting his turn
on the gallows Meadors certainly has
no reason to repine He is the private
of the Eighth California who deliber-
ately and with the utmost malice muir