The San Francisco call., 1898-07-03
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 WITH ENTIRE FRANKNESS. s

By HENRY JAMES.

os e co co co co oS 90 os @ 60 es cS 6 e e e sion that 1t has, is joy to the Hearst understanding, and who would be SO heartless as to try to take it away?
 From time to time there seemed to be necessity for mentioning Soapy Smith, late of Denver. now of Skaguay. From, the latter point Soapy writes to ex press disapproval. He. says among other things that he has never been in trouble in his life. Perhaps this is true. There are different standboints from which any incident of life may be. viewed. Perhaps to be arrested for various forms of theft, so be that there Is pull sufficient to have the case dis missed, does not from the vantage ground of a Soapy constitute trouble. This man Smith is professional swindler. He has lived for years by confidence games. To steal money Is his business, and he does 1t with. an: adroitness only equaled by that by which he has managed to keep out of jail. I do not understand his purpose in writino. a letter. If 1t was to exact an apology he will have to rite again and secure an indorser:. From what I can learn through the public prints. lle is the same rapscallion. he. was when he used to cut five-cent bar of laun- dry soap into small bits and sell t0 gaping yahoos three small bits for half a dollar. He would win their atten- tion by wrapping bills of large denom- nations around the soap, but after the purchase the bill was never there. It, was by this feat he won his title, and after he had graduated from the soap: stage of bunko the title stuck because it fitted so we'll But Smith has re- deeming qualities. He Is always ready to divide his winnings with hungry man, conscious that by winning he made some other man hungry This appeases conscience, and gives him the reputation of being a good fellow. I do not see that he has reason for com plaint. He is still unhanged.
 
 An evening paper which will not name, because there are some things not to be mentioned in polite society, has few remarks about San Francis co.'s pavements. We are not afraid to say" 1t ventures, that San Francfsco's pavements are as good as those of any large American city, Washington ex- cepted, and better than those of most of them" Unhappily, the fact that 1t was not afraid to make this assertion falls far short of establishing the truth of the assertion Its courage might lead it to affirm the moon to be made of green cheese without in any manner affecting lunar composition. Praise of crazy cobblestone, tarry bitumens un- even basalt may continue until the heavens be rolled up as a scroll and. yet the sorry truth remain manifest to the human intelligence that pavements here are disgraceful, rotten wi age or dishonest work In all t'' years it. has been. part of my painful duty to glance at such evening papers as are perpe- trated in our midst I do not remember to have seen a statement more. foolish than the one quoted. If there were an- other city so cursed in it's pavenerts the people. would rise in revolt We are accustomed to imposition here and have grown complaisant. There are some good stretches of pavement, but they are passable oases in a desert of obstacles to pedestrtanism and vehicu- lar progress. and are too few to brag about =.
 Somebody has gone to the trouble to write a poem, "Oh, Please Kill a Span iard for Me" It is designed to be. deeply sarcastic and to show that this nation is torn by the impulse to shed blood. Probably nothing more silly: was ever written. I suspect President Love of the Peace Society. i
 While ministers were. recently. en- gagged in discussing the reasons attend ance at church was so meager the Rev ". w. Case interjected into the situa- tion a thought worth embalming.: He was. of the opinion that preachers themselves did not stand by each other: If one strikes firmly out" he declared. and attacks some popular science he Is not sustained in his heroic action. We need more martyrs in the pulpit and few are willing to be ground under foot in their efforts to suppress .popu- lar errors. It seems to me this thought lacks clarity; hence the occasion for embalming 1t so 1t may be studied at leisure. l can see no reason why a minister shoulI reach boldly out and attack a popular science. The laws of. science will be found capable of sus- taining the attack indefinitely and the assailant will find that he could as wise ly bang his head against a stone wall. In the Sermon on the Mount are to be found a number of texts which may be chosen as the seed of discourse with beautiful effect without any question of science being raised If the minis ter feels he must treat of science would suggest that study 1t with a view to expoundlng the harmony of its great truths. He may thunder against evolution, yet material will continue to evolve into new form. Meanwhile, how ever, the pulpit will be accomplishinr nothing toward spreading tie benign gospel of peace. Of course popular er- TOTS" must be exposed, but the Rev. MT Case links them with science in a man. ner not justifiable. If he feels called upon to make war on error he roiebt find plenty of 1t. There is palnistrv yellow journalism, divine heaIiny" There is hypocrisy in high places. sin in all places. The field for endeavor is ample, But do not 500 bory ,e .