The San Francisco call., 1899-09-10
EDITORIAL VARIATIONS.
cxN*MxAxmxAxmx@x@*~x~*% OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
BY JOHN McNHUGHT.

Ledger and the Washington authorities
will give attention to that statement Of
the Sun. A race of people whose SOL
diers when slaughtered one day on the
field of battle rise next day In the gar
ments of peace and on the third day are
ready to fight again is certainly race
worth putting on exhibition. IN fact,
the sight OF a single one OF them is
worth the price of admission. rms is
the time for Eastern tourists to come
West and see our show.
In these days a new form or politlcal
iobbery is about as hard to invent as
was a new pleasure in the days When
Sardanapalus offered province 10 any
man who would devise one. NeVerthe-
less a novel Job has been forthcoming
and Pennsylvania is the land OF It's trl-
umph. The State Zoologist of that good
State wrote q small treatise on the dis
eases and enemies of poultry. When
printed it formed a pamphlet OF less
than 100 pages. He submitted 1t 10 the
LEGISLATURE as q work which should De
in every household, and the legislators
believing him and seeing no harm IN
poultry pamphlet, nor suspectlng any
in a zoologist, authorized its publication
by the State with such alterations anu
additions as the author should see ut TO
make" The author saw fit to make
good many. His little pamphlet eX-
panded to a volume Of 749 pages. The
courts were appealed to in vain. Inc
act authorizing the book is valid, ana
it must be published even though 1t
rakes the treasury.
In it's expanded form the work seems
to be a treatise on universal knowledge,
with special adaptability for use in pub
lie schools. One critic says of it:
without doubt the volume is worth
an extended review If only because 1t Is
an example of probably one of the most
barefaced perversions of the plain In
tent Of an act ever presented in the his
tory of the State. There are a few col
ored plates illustrating diseases Of poul-
try, and there are upward of 100 pictur-
ing birds, mammals and wild birds
eggs. There are numerous half-tone
pictures Illustrating picturesque spots
in PENNSYLVANIA and of men dressed in
grass cunning suits. There is a two
page story pathetically describing how
twelve ducklings belonging to a cross
old hen, who scolded' because her fos-
ter offspring took to the water, disap-
peared one by one in the most myster1-
Gus manner; how several innocent cats
were suspected and shot; how faithful
pointer was beaten and tied up for the
same reason; how a boy was held under
surveillance because of belief that he
was the guilty one, and how swapping
turtle was finally found to be the Grim
| Tc+1I 6yy n
the dog was released from imprison-
ment and signalized his joy by half kill
| ing a favorite kitten belonging to an
old maid; how the boy was petted, and
how, in fact, all were made happy ex-
cept the poor, slaughtered cats, whose
bodies were used as fertilizers for some
! grapevines which needed rich nourish-
ment. There are other stories scattered
through the book which may be consid-
cred very entertaining even though
they have little relation to diseases of
poultry"
| One would suppose an official having
such small opportunities as fall to the
lot of a zoologist, who could make
coup of that kind, would be at once
placed upon a pedestal as standing
candidate for higher honors, but such
!
He has been forced by the clamors Of
an unlearned popuace to resign his Of
fee. and is now tormented by inquiries
from librarians as to whether his book
should be catalogued under the classif-
cation of agriculture, ornithology,
mammalogy, ichthyology or general
! sports.
From the designs submitted for the
buildings of the University Of California
| it is evident the competing architects
took our large words literally. We said
we desired the biggest thing on the
globe and they prepared their designs
accordingly. Such superb masses of
architecture have not been seen since
the DAYS of the Caesars. One enrap-
tured gazer upon the plans said to an
other: what do you think?" and the
other responded: II think I should like
to live to see the last building Of either
! set completed"
The vastness of each structure de-
vised for carrying out the vaster plan
of the stupendous whole has staggered
the general public. We expected some
thing that would surpass Stanford, and
we have received something into which
all Stanford could be placed and lost to
sight, remaining not even to memory
dear. If we make a stagger at accom-
plishing such marvellous aggregate
of palaces in our present mood it will
be something like a case of blind stag
gers. For the moment we are beat"
and feel much like the peasant to whom
the raiah gave the elephant.
Fortunately for us, the human mind
| orOutc nm tO the level of whatever II
contemplates with a sincere aspiration.
Magnificent as the plans are, they are
in truth none too magnificent for Cali
fornia. They present to us an ideal of
architectural beauty, and it is now our
duty to live up to it. Something like
| fortune will be required to construct a
single one of the principal edifices OF
either of the designs, and it is not likely
any Legislature will vote a sufficient
appropriation for it. We must rely
upon the munificence of millionaires