The San Francisco call., 1898-06-12

| that he had no objection to letting
 loose this trivial amount, but said he
 would rather it would go to charity than to Mrs. Mahoney. Now comes the
 lady and says she is willing to give the
 Red Cross the amount if Kelly will pay 1t over. Of course he will not hesitate
 Here is a worthy cause and a lucky es-
 cape from further litigation.
 regret to observe that the college presidents of the land as a rule seem to be selfishly unpatriotic. It Is, how ever. cheering to note that the stu dents do not pay any attention to
 them, but cheerfully lay down books
 and take up guns. President Gates of
 Iowa College Is the latest to put him. self on record as a cultured dunder- pate. He tat the head of one of the
 best of Middle Western institutions. Some of the students who were trained
 ban waters, and my heart goes with
 them, for I knew them as boys and as
 babies, or knew their people, or wan
 dered over the campus with which in later years their feet became familiar.
 Yet President Gates declares he can not see how the conscience of the coun-
 try can ever escape qualms for the
 war with Cuba. What sort of a con-
 science does he suppose this country to possess? He must think 1t Presi- dent Eliot conscience or one of the Pro- lessor Norton variety. Speaking as a plain American citizen, to whom the
 honor of this land is dear, I am glad
 to tell him that the conscience of the country is clear. If there was ever holy war waged 1t Is the present one, which he deprecates. There is no use of entering into details. When the mind of college president Is made up the impact of a thirteen-inch shell would not jar it. But I hope some of the boys who went from under the Gates tuition with a back-handed bless ing from their chief instructor will see and understand. If ever I get rich it shall be my first joy to endow chair of patriotism, not for the students. for they do not need it, but for the college presidents, who do need such benefits. and in honor of the old school days I will present a scholarship to Gates. hoping to make a better citizen of him.
 There are always people eager to nose out evil conditions which would seem to the clean minded to be devoid of guile, and my first impression was that the reports in relation to the morals of Camp Merritt were due to people of this unpleasing variety. How ever, such is not the fact. The camp has been too open. Where thousands of men are gathered and the freedom of their quarters unrestricted, there is certain to arise a condition far from desirable. There has been at Camp Merritt lack of military discipline. and the moral effect is appalling. The most sedate citizen far from home is apt to lay aside the austerity that hedged him about there. The only remedy is to abolish the camp and put it back in the Presidio, from which it should never have been removed On the Government reservation 1t would be possible to exercise powers of exclu- sion which are impracticable in a place traversed by open streets, which the public cannot be forbidden to use I am not blaming the soldiers The fault lies with lot of harpies, who always swarm, and with lot of girls whose mothers permit them to swarm with all the latitude of their abandoned com panions, and who do not have the sense to know that they are treading perilous paths.
 It is not often that there is proprietv in calling down a United States Sena | tor, but if Hon. George c. Perkins has not yet been subjected to the process 1 do not correctly interpret the cores pondence which recently passed be- tween himself and the Chamber of | Commerce. The Senator seemed to be | fearful that in the absence of the | Monterey and Monadnock some long. low, rakish craft would come in. at | tach cable to California and tow the | State into the hitherward Pacific. | There does not appear any real danger of such dire mishap. Undoubtedly | when the Senator returns he will find | the Golden Gate just where he left 1t | and the entire shore line intact.
 
 The idea that a woman lacks bust- l ness instinct has received another 1NOlIlIlS COulQ well nave been | more business-like than the action of | Mrs. Merry of the Woman's Exchange. | In her official capacity she collated a | lot of recipes some of them coming | from sources where no grub less aristo- cratic than angel food was supposed to | be recognized. Tn preparing the recipes | for publication Mrs. Merry deftly in- | serted in each the instruction to use a | certain brand of baking powder. Of | course the contributing ladies were dis | pleased, but the authors of the baking powder have doubtless shown signs of appreciation.
 1t seems to me that Fred Lawrence | has grievance. A few months ago he was in Cuba for Hearst, prancing along Weylers trocha, lodging barb-wire and Then he was called home | and honored by having his picture printed. The other day Doug White started off to relieve Dewey and take charge of the Philippines until General Merritt shall get there. Necessity arose for printing the picture of White, and yxyQc cn