The San Francisco call., 1904-09-18

torie7. they appear to excite no more
emotion than few cold expressions of
civil surprise or indifference. Feeling
warm. honest, active passionate feel
ing for any cause is more difficult TO
rouse than the sloth from its slumbers.
1t would, in truth, seem to be dead.
The church cannot move it. The drama
fails to stir it. Patriotism-national
honor-have no power to lift it from
the quagnire of inertia. But let there
be a sudden panic on the Stock Ex-
change-let the Paris Bpurse be shaken
let Wall street be ablaze with sinister
rumor-and then hey and halloo for a
reckless, degrading, humiliating, mis-
erabIe human stampede Like. infuriat-
ed maniacs, men shrek and stamp
and wrestle-with brains on fire, they
forget that they were born to be
reasoning creatures. capable of self
control; their much boasted of 'edu-
cation" avails them nothing-and they
offer to the gods spectacle of frantic
fear and ignominy Of which even an
untaught savage might well be
ashamed
But perhaps the most noxious sign
of the blight in the social atmosphere
is the openly increasing laxity of NOR
ais, and the frankly disgraceful disre--
gard of the marriage tie. Herein the
British aristocracy take the lead as the
choicest examples Of the age. What
ever Europe or America may show In
the way of goddess and dissolute living,
we are unhappily forced to realize that
there are men in Great Britain, re-
nowned for their historic names and
exclusive positions, who nevertheless
stand by, the tame witnesses OF their
own marital dishenor, and who accept,
with cowardice too contemplate. for
norsewhipping, other mems children as
their own, all the time knowing them
to be bastards. We have heard of q
certain. "nobleman" who-to quote Holy
Writ-sneighed after" another mans
wife to such an extent that to stop
the noise the obliging husband accepted
100000, q trifling sum, which was duly
handed over. Whether the gentleman
who neighcd or the gentleman who
paid was the worst rascal must be left
to others TO determine. 1t was all
hushed up quite nicely-and both par
ties are received "in the best society"
with even more attention than would
be shown to them if they were clean
and honest, instead of being soiied and
disreputabIe. The portrait of the lady
whose damaged virtue was plaStered
up for 100000 Is often seen in pictor-
ials, with appended letter-press suit
ably describing her as a lily-white
dove of sweet purity and peace. one
blames the sinners in this sordid COM
edy less than the fashionable" folk
who tolerate and excuse their conduct.
Sinners there are and sinners there al
ways will be-modern Davis will al
ways exist who seek after p. .hsheba
and do their level best to get Uriah
the Hittite comfortably out of the way
--but that they should be encouraged
in their sins and commended for them
is quite another story. Apart from
the Dernicious influence they exercise
on their own particular set" the ex-
ample of conduct they give to the ma
tlon at large not only arouses national
contempt. but in some cases where
certain notable politicians are con-
cerned may breed national disaster.
With looseness of morals naturally
comes looseness of conversation. The
conversation Of many of the upper
ten if England at least shows a re-
markable tendency towards repulsive
subjects and objectionable details. 1t
is becoming quite common thing to
hear high bred men and women
talking about their Little Marys," a
phrase which, though invented by j.
NJ Barrie, Is not without considerable
vugarity and offense. Before the very
excellent and brilliant Scottish novel
ist chose this title for a play dealing
with the digestive apparatus. it would
have done him no harm to pause ard
reflect that with very large portion
of the Christian world, namely, the
Roman Catholic, the name of Mary is
held TO be the most sacred OF all names,
second to none save that of the Divine
Founder of the faith. 1 am told on
good authority that Americans-espe-
cially American women-have been
amazed and more or less scandalized
at the idea that any portion Of the
cultured" British public should be
found willing to attend a dramatic rep
resentation dealing with matters per-
tanning to the human stomach. 1 hope
s<ee>S&>SH>NH>SeSSHS