The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-23
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BY HENRY JAMES.
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in the weed, the vegetarian makes out
strong case, and SO does the other an
cient person who does not care for veg
etables, but wants meat three times
day, and prefers it rare. Then triumph
ant over all arises the antique soak,
who has been drunk for threescore
years, who has chewed and smoked
since boyhood, and has eaten whatever
might be set before him, and often gone
hungry when nothing was set. do not
believe there is any rule by which old
age may with anything akin to GER
tainty be reached. Whether acknowl-
edging the fact or not, we are all to an
extent fatalists. OF two people born
under apparently similar conditions,
one dies in infancy; another in his
nfnety-ninth year is telling great
grandchildren how he happened to be
preserved. Doubtless he speaks In good
faith. but he doesn't know anything
about 1t.
Murderer Clark was hanged at San
Quentin Friday, and according to his
own ideas, expressed the day before, is
now in heaven. Il know" he had said
that the gates will open for me-"
hope Clark was mistaken. My idea of
heaven has always been that good peo-
pie were to have the joy of going there.
II such degenerates as Clark are to be
welcomed l say in all reverence that I
der of which Clark was guilty was one
OF the most appalling. He killed a.
brother so as to have undiSputed pos
session of the brothers wife, his vic
tim having ventured mildly to dispute
the claim which had been of long
standing. To emphasize the iniquity
of his unnatural soul Clark was ex-
tremely ptous. He was one of the fell
lows who hallelujah loudly and implore
the rest of mankind to turn from the
errors of their ways and be like
them. 1t happened that I had to visit
him in his cell a few days after the
crime. He had a Bible in his hand.
Immediately he began to question as to
my spiritual welfare. You must have
the love of the Lord in your heart" he
said. Did you have any Of 1t when
you shot your brother because you de-
sired his wife?" I made bold to inquire
when he had solicited me to be con-
verified from the world. Clark then
quoted some irrelevant Scripture.
knew the man was a liar and an aSSaS-
sin, and all his maudlin mouthing later,
after his guilt had been established.
tended to make healthy mind suffer
pangs of disgust. The only feature
more sickening than the Clark beast
was furnished by the misguided phi
lanthropists who went to see him, took
him by the hand, prayed and sang with
him and promised to meet him in the ce-
lestial home for which he had secured
through passage. I think such people
bring upon the cause of religion re-
proach not second to that brought by
the psalm shouting slayer himself. For
Clark to have expressed penitence
would have been seemly, although a
man who declares the happiest moment
of his life will be when he stands on
the gallows Is not penftent. He is,
rather, inclined to glory in his, deed,
and no wonder, since by reason of 1t
he is taught by enthusiasts that the
hands of God will be outstretched to
receive him. When a man so violates
law, written and unwritten. that a