The San Francisco call., 1899-09-17
EDITORIAL VARIATIONS.
BY JOHN McNHUGHT.

oldlC5 Id5 SOllc Win Oh SOOo Hlduy
occasions and from wide variety Of
causes in my time. but he has never
been quite so hysterical as over
the conviction OF Dreyfus. can
remember when he wished to have
Congress hurl defiance at Bismarck
because of what he called ''the
persecution of Won Arnim"; I recall
the vigor with which he urged the
President to demand of Victoria the
immediate release of Mrs Maybrick;
but in neither of those instances was
the man on the street quite so uproar-
iously furious as he is at present. Two
or three of him the other night
threatened to close up one of our best
known restaurants because the musi-
clans Of the place started to play the
"Marseillaise." Others of him insist
upon a general boycott of everything
French and. would have US all .forswear
a visit to the Paris Exposition of 1900.
Such performances and demands are
intended to show that the man is a
friend of humanity and lover of JUS
tice, but the effect is very different
from the intention. For my part l am
inclined to believe the men who are so
eager to have Paris boycotted are SIM
ply lot of impecunious fellows who
won't be able to attend the exposition
themselves and don't like any one else
to go. To stay away from France for
the sake of "avenging Dreyfus" would
not be logical, nor would it help Drey-
fus, but it sounds well to persons who
think If the Parisians should happen to
miss US they would feel hurt and be
sorry.
The innocence of Dreyfus is pro-
claimed by "the civilized world that
didn't hear or read the evidence, and
his guilt has been pronounced by two
scoundrels" who did hear the evidence.
Such is the statement of the case gen.
orally made on the street. On that
showing man of reasonable GOODNESS
will at least reserve judgment enough
to avoid hysteria. That an innocent
man should be condemned by villains
in high office is no doubt very bad, but
why condemn all France, French music
and French expositions?
The advocates of Captain Carter,
whose case is one of some celebrity in
our own country, assert his innocence
as vigorously as ever that of Dreyfus
has been asserted. They maintain he
was unjustly convicted by court
martial composed of eminent officers of
our army and that his persecution and
condemnation were brought about by
a conspiracy on the part of a giant
corporation whose iniquity he was
about to expose. Suppose the French
should take up the Carter case and
boycott us? Suppose they should say
no American goods shall be exhibited
at their exposition and no American be
permitted to see their Midway Plai-
sance"? Then, indeed, there would be
occasion for hysteria and the man on
the street could have full liberty to
dance war dance and disturb the de-
corum of our public resorts at his
pleasure. Until that happen, however,
the Dreyfusard should be abated a lit
tie. 1t isn't our year for revolution.
Here are a few extracts from an ac-
count of a religious meeting by
writer in a recent issue of the New
York Times: "As we entered the room
an order was given in a stern voice to
all fall on their faces and pray. Being
unused to the customs 1 knelt at a
chair and was surprised to hear shouts
while the prayer went up to humble
the proud spirit Of the woman who was
kneeling. Looking around 1 discovered
1 was the only one not with my face on
the floor, so 1 got down rather than
create a scene After the pray
ing had gone on for short time the
leader jumped to his feet and shouted
tn tIa
and that God would not listen to his
prayers I will go to the turret and
talk with God and find out what the !
trouble is' AS he said this he walked |
out of the room, stepping on the pros
trate forms on the floor on his way to
the hall"
That sounds like description of |
some abomination of Buddhism in Asia
or fetish worship in Africa, but 1t isn't
1t Is an account of the way certain
class of our fellow countrymen of the
good old State Of Maine carry on the |
religious observances Of Christianity. |
Had such a scene occurred in Fracce it |
would be easy to class it among the |
Jroofs of the degeneracy of the race, |
but as it is we shall have to let it go
unclassed and call it zeal"
Bv way Of contrast to the perferviG |
devotion of the revivalists of Maine, it |
is worth noting the cool and perfume
tory way in which camp meetings are,
sometimes at least, conducted in Geor-
gia. At the close of such a meeting in
that State short time ago a set OF res
olutions of thanks were adopted by !
rising vote. The resolutions contained
eight clauses after the preamble, each |
Of which gave thanks to some particu-
lar person or set of persons; and the |
last two, according to the report given
in the Atlanta Constitution, run thus:
"Seventh-To the railroad for the re-
duced rate of one and third fare for
round trip to persons attending the |
meeting.
"Eighth-To Almighty God, the
Father, Son and Holy Ghost, for call
ing so many of his people together,
and meeting with them in power and |
demonstration"
To give thanks to a railroad company
and to God in one set of resolutions
and in the same form may not be the |
baiol,t of daoor11rp and dignity but 1t is /