The San Francisco call., 1904-09-18

table laws, invisible in their working.
but sooner or later made openly mani
fest. Crime meets with punishment as
surely as night follows day. If the
retribution is not of mans making-if
human law, often so vicious and one
sided in itself, fails to- give justice to
the innocer. then Something or Some
One steps in to supply mans lack Of
truth and courage, and executes
Judgment from which there is no ap-
peal. What 1t is or Who 1t is, we
may not presume to declare-the Ro-
mans called it Jove or Jupiter-we call
it God, while denying, with precisely
the same easy fiippancy as the Ro
mans did just before their downfall,
that such Force exists. It is con-
vepient and satisfying TO Mammonites
and sensualists generally to believe in
nothing but themselves and the pres
ent day. II would be very unpleasant
to them to have to contemplate with
any certainty future life where neith-
er money nor sex prevails. And because
it would be unpleasant they naturally
do not admit it's possibility. Neverthe-
less, without belief in the Creator and
Ruler of all things-without faith in
the higher spiritual destiny of man
as an immortal and individual soul,
capable of progressing ever onward
to wider and grander spheres of ac-
ton. life in this world appears but
poor and farcical futility.
To pace the same dull round on each recur-
For seventy years or more till strength and
To trust and be deceived. and standing fear
And ind no resting place; Can this be anF
To live as lives the grass. and the autumhal
Born Of the sun and sod. and fertiIizing rain,
And pass away like them at scythe and sickie's
call
And leave no trace behind Can this be all?
Yet it is precisely the poor, farcical
and futile view of life that is taken
by thousands of European and Amer
lean people in our present period. Both
press and pulpit reflect it; it is openly
shown in the decadence of the drama,
OF art, OF literature, Of politics and of
social conduct The blight" is over
ali. The blight of atheism, infidelity,
callousness and indifference to honor
able priEciple-the blight of moral
cowardice, self-indulgence, vanity and
want of heart Without mincing mat
ters, Il can be fairly stated that the
''aristocratic Jezebel isl the fashion
able woman ofthe hour, while the men
vie with one another as to who shall
best screen her from her amours with
themselves. And so far as the sterner
sex are personally concerned the
moneyed man is the one most sought
after, most tolerated, most appreciated
and fattered in that swarm of drones
called society" where each buzzing in
sect tries TO sting the other, or crawl
over ii in such wise as to e the first
10 steal whatever honey may be with
in reach. And worst of all things is
the selfish apathy which pervades the
majority of the well-to-do classes. AS
little sympathy is shown among them
for the living as regret for the dead
The misfortunes OF friends are far
more often made subject for ill-na-
tured mockery than for compassion
the deaths of parents and relations are
accepted with a kind of dull pleasure,
as making way for the inheritance of
money or estates. No real delight Is
shown in the arts which foster peace,
progress and wisdom; and equally lit
tie enthusiasm is stirred for such con-
siderations of diplomacy or government
which help to keep nations secure. A
great man dies one day and is forgot
ten the next, unless some clumsy and
scandalous biography" which rakes
up all his faults and mistakes in life.
ard publishes private letters of tho
most intimate and sacred character.
can he hawked to the front by certain
literary vultures who get their living
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