The San Francisco call., 1899-02-19

A friend writing from Berkeley COM
mends the remark made in this column
concerning a proposed Sunday law, and
asks that I say something about the
exemption of churches from taxation.
thank him for his appreciation and
blame him for his neglect. The latter
subject was treated before the one
which seems to have pleased him. L
do not wholly approve of his allusion to
religious bigots. There are others, and
possibly he and I are among them.
People who think Senator Simpson
Will have a sober second thought are
oversanguine. Drinks are coming too
easy now.
That people will flock to see so hide
Gus an exhibition as that given by
lot of strong limbed and empty headed
bicycle riders in this city, when for SIX
weary days they ate, drank and slept
astride their wheels shows that the hu-
man race has little right to quarrel
with the savage who thrusts bone
through his nose. Each is a form or
torture, one as useful as the other.
These fellows, for a pitiful prize, rid
ing their lives away, misusing their en-.
ergies, shocking the senses of the in
telligent, afford disgusting Spectacle,
but they are not wholly to blame. The
public goes to see. to stretch it's curious
neck and to wonder which of the suffer-
ing fools will first fall utterly exhausted,
and if he fall dead the public will re-
joice in an assurance of having re,
ceived its moneys worth. God made
man in his own image, but presuna-
bly, not for the purpose of having the
image broken on the wheel. If people
choose to commit suicide by miles and
laps, would take no step TO prevent
them, because there are plenty of fee
BILE minded to be cared for anyhow,
and self-destruction to the tune of
band and in the glare Of electric lights
is as good as the less transformations
methods of gas or poison. But to
tempt men to suicide is distinctly
wrong, and therefore a burden of guilt
rests upon the promoters of these alb
horrent affairs. Nevertheless, they are
the ones who make the money out of
them. They are not going crazy, nor
losing their eyesight, nor shortening
their years. When the riders are dead
or asylumed or crippled the managers
will collect a new set of dupes, and
the public will pay to get in.
Senator Simpson has been the chief
advocate at Sacramento of Sunday
law. The high moral ground he must
necessarily assume in defending this
measure is one upon which I do not see
how he can feel at home. Possibly 1
am mistaken, but during the weeks 1
was in Sacramento, seeing Simpson
frequently, he always impressed me as
being drunk. Perhaps it is not sur
prising that he should advocate the
law, either, for to do so a man would
have to be intoxicated on liquor or
blinded by a selfish egotism which
would turn his mind awry as thorough
ly as the climax of jamboree. OF all
the measures which have appeared this
session I regard the Sunday law as the
most vicious and iniquitous. It's enact
ment would do more harm than the
election of the veriest scalawag to the
Senate, than looting the treasury, for
it would be deliberate setback to Cali
fornia. No Sunday law is wanted here.
Men crave the liberty to attend divine
worship if they wish, to rest If this
please them better, and they cannot be
legislated into the Westinghouse,
which is the sole object of the scheme
to introduce the Puritan Sabbath. Min
listers should be ashamed to lobby for
it. When they preach sermons worth
listening to they will have an audience
apiece and the collection plate declare
fair dividends. I am not defending
wanton violation of the Sunday nor
any other day. but simply pleading that
y,oc
in matters entirely personal, the right
to be guided by conscience.
"OId Rawhide'' of Grub GuIch: I
fear you are too good to be true.
Attention of the police is respectfully
called to the collection of hoodlums,
male and female, who lend riotous
clamor to the night in the vicinity of
Ellis and Powell streets. Some of these
should be cuffed and sent to their
mothers, more belong in the reform
school and large proportion will never
outside of Jail find their proper en-
vironment Responsibility in passing
that corner is always subject to annoy
ance or shocked and insulted at the
ribald shouts and comments of the
abundant tough.
News dispatches from Chicago state
that 700 soldiers lately discharged from
the army have had to be assisted bv
charity there, having no employment
and no resources. 1t is a pitiful spec
tacle when able-bodied men, ready to
work, are obliged to eat the bread of
beggary. In social state approach
ing the ideal no such spectacle would
be possible. If the prosperity Of which
We are wont to boast were really in ex-
istence, 1t would not be possible The
truth has to be recognized that about
our patriotic Dragging there is more
than little pretense. One thing which
causes Endorsement of the scheme for
supporting larger army is that it
would afford living to men who can't
make one now, because the walks of
life in which they belong are over
crowded. The remedy, or at least a.
partial remedy, would be in the crea-
ton of new walks 1t is certainly bet