The San Francisco call., 1904-02-28

Great speakers are hooking InerSs nlu-
sicians are opening studios there, and
behold, the society women are giving
musicales, parIor lectures and all sorts
of cultural stunts. 1t is said that the
only subject barred by common consent
from these drawing-rocm affairs is the
subject of zoology-because it will-dis-
cuss-pork.
The latest cultural craze there is
Griggs-our own Professor Griggs of
Stanford. Here is what we read of
him and his work:
"The name of Griggs has become
paramount in the landl
I'm street cars it strikes the tym-
panum from a far corner; at luncheons
it is the words and thinkings of Griggs
that are praised and discussed, at din
ners it is Have you heard Griggs?'
and on the highway, L am hunting for
Griggs; where is he speaking to- day?'
1 was little prepared for this epidemic
of Griggs as he struck New York last
winter, and the Griggs cult there ragged
unabated all last season; people talked
of this brilliant young professor till
the subject got absolutely to be a bore
and the men who hadn't heard him said
whenever the hated war cry of Griggs
was sounded: Dash this Griggs; can't
we talk of somebody else to-night?'
But Griggs wore we'll in New York.
His lectures continued to be the vogue
and people tore on about him all sum-
mer, and possibly are tearing still.
Professor Edward Griggs came out
of the West, even so far as Leland
Stanford University. He now lives in
Morristown. In the interim, believe,
he has been abroad for years, in Italy
and Germany, studying. One of his lee
ture courses here this winter has been
on the great spiritual leaders, like st.
Francis and St. Augustine, and the
course at the Art Institute has been
on the italian cities and early Italian
art, Ravenna and art of the sixth CEN
tury being his subjects last Tuesday
afternoon in Fullerton Hail. These art
lectures are illustrated by stereopticon.
His talk at Mrs. Coonley Wards Mon
day night was on Browning's ideals of
manhood and tomorrow night in the
same drawing-room he speaks of
Brownings thoughts of 'womanhood.
and very beautiful are Griggs' own
words on women. After hearing him
speak, with his marvellous eloquence
the stamp of newness, of originality,
the mind is so uplifted by the charm of
it all that when he ceases to speak
and other voices begin to tinkle round
about you it is as a poetical woman
expresses it. Like coming out of an
opera house with your ears full of har-
monies and hearing the clang of the
cable car and the harsh grating of car
riage wheels on the roadway
''Griggs is young, light. slender.
smooth of face, long of hair. earnest.
sincere. Furthermore, he is married
and, still further, there are four little
Griggses at home in the family nest"
Now We of the West discovered
Griggs. We learned of him when Rev.
anna B. Shaw discovered him years
ago, and pointed him out as the perfect
type of man. Therefore, is he not ours?
Albeit, we will lend him to Chicago
cheerfully, but we must meanwhile get
busy at home and do alittle along the
same lines ourselves.
There is already a. tendency toward
this in a few San Francisco homes-no-
tably that of Mrs Horace Hill-who in
stead of giving inane and imbecile teas
which every one declares to be pests
and bores," and vet gives them and
goes to them-gives musicales. Now,
there is some motive in such an enter
tainment, and the pleasure derived is
whetted by the contrast of sense and
nonsense.
Mrs. Hill gave a delightful affair re-
Gently, when old fashioned songs
(Which, by the way. are quite the rage
now in Gotham) were sung by Caroline
Little, the talented Oakland girl who
recently returned from Europe.
Let us pray for the return of the
musicale, or anything-any to
supplant the inane teas, where semi-in-
telligent talk and imbecilic chatter
threaten the complete overthrow of the
debutante's BRAIN
Is smoking among the maids and ma
irons growing in favor? 1t would seem
so-judging from the publicity with
which many of our smart set send up
curling wreaths of smoke from their
pretty lips. At dinner now the cigar
cites are passed to the ladies with as
much sangfroid as are cigars to the
men. But herein is no sin-it is simply
a little luxury the men have taught
them.
The Jack Valentines returned to Oak
land last week from their short we'd
ding tour. They will reside in Seattle
for ear, but will probably eventually