The San Francisco call., 1906-04-06

u plain of life, and the army was di-
vided into numerous companies OF
varying size.
What is this army?" traveller inquiries
of the commanding general.
why, you certainly do not mean to
suggest that you do not knowf" the gen
erai responded. with every indication OF
surprise.
Unfortunately ! do not" was the re-
ply, "as am a stranger in these parts.
This is the Army Of the Wise" the
commanding officer proudly remarked, at
the same time assuming particularly
martial air, land / am the far-famed
General Ignorance"
81 suspected as much concerning you as
soon as l looked at you." the traveller re-
marked But what makes you think that
your soldiers are wiser"
why, they themselves Shave admitted
it, was the response, ''and, moreover,
they have demoDstrated II"
How have they demonstrated it?'
.By abiuring the childish religious su-
perstitions of their fathers. They have
become so wise that they will have noth-
ing to do with those simple faiths which
have soothed and tranquilized countless
generations of men and women as they
sank TO their long sleep; to them the
prayers breathed by loving mothers by
the couches of their little ones are but
meaningless prattle, and the heaven OF
their fathers is but country Of eternal
blackness Many of them are so wise, so
extremely wise, that they steadfastly re-
of Cod
because they cannot put their finger on
him. This is the fipsncibfe host of the
truly enlightened, the peerless battaiions
of superstition renouncers, the !
But why are there SO many companies
of 1henn?p the traveller INTERRUPTED.
| "sOfI that is merely a matter of conve-
nience, as 1 find that it conduces to har-
mony in my troops. Let me explain. For
example, here is a company composed of
believers in astrology. When they abjured
the religious superstitions of their fathers
they turned TO the beautiful belief that
men and the stars are mixed in a con-
glomerate mess, which only an ancient
Egyptian could thoroughly clarity. Here
are the believers in palmistry, who can
tell all about your life by the wrinkles on
your hands, if you are careful not to get
your hands SCARED and thus knock the
life lire, for instance, into picturesque frag-
ments. These are the ones who are Soft
Snap and an Easy Mark for any old me-
dunn. These know more about healing
than all the physicians with all their med
ical science. These would not start an
enterprise on Friday-not on your life!
These hear dog howl and hunt for the
resulting death. These see the moon over
the wrong shoulder and faint away. And
so they run. At the present time have
4S9,71S such companies under my COM
mand. Wouldn't you like to step in the
ranks and march with us?"
No. responded the traveller, II am a
Plain, Ordinary Fool, who knows that the
religion of my mother, whether or not it
was mistaken, resulted in high living and
beautiful devotion. On the whole, it looks
better to me than any article in the long
catalogue of claptrap and bunkum."
So while General Ignorance attempted
I to get his multitudinous companies into
some sort of line the traveller departed
on his way.
Moral-when a man abjures the relig-
lOuS SupeIStitlouS ol MS IdtASAss Keep youi
eyes open to see what sort sof a supersti-
ton he sets in the place OF it.
-"If all the ghosts could come back to
earth from all the years, which one OF
them all do you suppose would be most
surprised at the deserved fame which
Shakespeare has attained?"
"Give it up,
TO one that it would be that of Shake
speare.'
CONCERNING BACTERIA.