The San Francisco call., 1898-04-03

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 with me for not mentioning Ambrose Bierce in recent article touching upon the merits of the two Bret Hartes, the | one of the West and the long ago, and | the one of England and the present. | The occasion did not seem to me to re- Quire it. The reputation of Bierce is secure. In the field he has chosen ! Bierce is without peer. He has the power to make the shadows he creates culver with horror, to portray the pas sion of fear as no other has done it. Under the spell of his imaginings the nerves creep and sleep fees away. There may be question as to the utility of employing so strange gift, yet if it must be asked as to the work of Bierce so also must 1t of that of Poe, De Quincey and De Maupassant. What he may or may not do in the newspa- pers is of little consequence. Good or bad, in an hour 1t is forgotten. At its best it displays weakness of which there is never a hint in his books.
 Comes forward by post another sam- pie of the trouble am delighted to share with friends. The signature is withheld because it happens to be the writer's real name. This verse is the first of a number, and by dropping it and the several coming after, the polne would be notably improved. I leave the justice of this verdict to readers: What color's conceded the fairest on earth?
 Our flag
 In Hberty's cause came forth souls of true worth.
 And with travail for freedom was brought to its birth,
 There can be no fault found with the sentiment, which, so far as it can be discerned among the wreck of words and punctuation, is distinctly patriotic. The expression of it lacks coherency, leaving too much to be guessed at. do not favor the publication of the entire pome, but there might be a use for it. Let some of our rabid-f1re Congressmen commit it to memory, spout it through a megaphone pointed in the direction of the Spanish fotilla and the torpedo boats will whirl around with so short a turn that they may break their own backs.
 It Is not a duty imposed upon me to try cases which have been through the courts. Therefore, the fact that Dr. Hall has been acquitted again is mere ly recorded here, despite my impulse to add an expression of belief that he ought to have been hanged long ago. It may be that Hall is an angel of light, on earth for the purpose of do- ing good works. At any rate, there must be some reason for the consider ation shown him. When he desires ac- quittal 1t is only necessary for him to assist a patient to leave this world of woe. Then he is tried, his guilt made manifest, and released. I am inclined to believe that these experiences which to some doctors would be disagreeable awaken within the bosom of Hall an emotion of pleasure.
 With every passing day I grow more confident that woman's right to be treated as a sane and sensible entity cannot be reasonably disputed. When a man has had mother, and perhaps acquired a wife, or vainly sought one, itis not easy to see why he should desire to pose as a superior creature. He knows the bluff is palpable. There is no sense in treating women as though they were incapable of behaving them selves, or in making the stupid pre- tense that because a lady or a group of ladies may have the joy of being with out male escort, they lack thereby any element of responsibility. I mo- tice in a certain restaurant to which people resort after the theater to lunch and listen to music, that women unes- corted of gentleman or gent are sent into side rooms, curtained off from the main hall. The unattached gentleman or gent goes where he pleases, and if he choose to tag the ladies into their exile under the pavement, there is nothing to hinder. Now, why is all this nonsense? Surely If it is for the protection of the ladies it is a failure They would, in the main hall, be far safer from the ogling of impertinent snips who are given to this form of insulting attention than in side room cut off from general observation. I be- lieve woman has just the same right in a restaurant that man has, and that any other view of the case is an affrOnt to her. Observation has led me to think she has a habit of conducting
 
 least, if the boss of the place Is deter mined to keep up this fool distinction. he ought to allot to the ladies an apart ment as well lighted and ventilated and of as good acoustic properties as the one from which they are banished. And if the men who visit the restaurant in question are not fit for ladies to as- sociate with in the casual contact of elbows, in the full glare of electric lights, 1t is time to yell for the police and close up the concern as dangerous to the morals of the community.
 With a pessimism almost unneces- sary some people are already counting the pension list to arise from the war with Spain. They seem to take for granted that because the Government has been robbed once, 1t will be taken in again. This is hardly giving the legislative branch of the concern credit for intelligence. Indeed, as soon as Spain shall have been given a lesson in manners, would be a good time for purging the pension roll of fraud. This task would not be hard one; it would