The San Francisco call., 1910-06-14
SAN FRANCISCO'S
SELF F-REPROACH.
Finishing Touch Is Pugilistic
Decoration in Black,
White and Red
By WILLIAM FORD NICHOLS,
Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of
California


California
Editor Call: In a cemetery near
well known eastern city there is said
to be an epitaph as follows:
Here lies ..
Who came to this city and died
For the benefit of his health"
The unconscious humor of the mall
arrangement of words in the para
graph perhaps expresses a sentiment
which is just now a good deal in the
air about the moral conditions of our
falr-as l ever believe it really at
heart-city. The national notoriety of
our civic misdoing, the immoralities
which nay be mere haunting here,
though not necessarily more formidable
than in other cities of the metropolitan
class, the general readiness to stir up
strife over personal and local issues,
these and like indictments against a
whole city have put our American pub
lie somewhat in that mood toward us
which is best described as one in the
street term Ito jump on San Francisco.
In other words our moral health as a
city is rated as about equivalent to
moral death or worse. And now as a
finishing touch to our epitaph comes
the immediate prospect of heavy pugi-
l1stic decoration in black and white,
CORY with red; and this, too, on the day
we celebrate for that independence for
which our forefathers bled in a de-
cidedly different way. Again we seem
to bid for the worlds opinion that any
who enter here had better abandon hope
and die, for the benefit of their moral
health.
1t is pretty bad and st. Francis might
well frown at the things that are done
in his name. And little wonder is it
that every legal resource is tried and
every citizen who believes that he is
the citizen of mo mean city" should
speak out his mind strongly to stop the
Impending spectacle. AS Grand Army
men try to save their memorial day
from ignoble uses. SO healthy national
sentiment revolts at such an observ-
ance of our nations birthday Some
thing yet may possibly save us from
1t. But as so far prompt non pos
sumus has come over all the stated
processes of injunction, and humanity
at large has. a sort of barbaric interest
in seeing men pummel each other into
subjects for shambles and our sporting
constituencies the world over have so
much at stake and San Francisco has
always inherited something of a fes-
tive spirit which loves a combat, the
outlook is not very hopeful for a
quiet fourth" hereabouts
That apparently being the case at this
writing denunciation and plant and
wall do not disturb the promoters a
Bit They fear troubles of their own
more than troubles that can be made
for them here. They are more con-
cerned in the number of rounds the
contest will last than they are in the
protests from one quarter and another
that are going the rounds. They are
not lying awake nights to think up
ways to impress upon the husky prin-
cipals the difference between a boxing
contest and weltering blows to a finish.
No, let us not be under any delusions.
They are not. Secure from interfer-
ence by the law. as they naturally
look at il, other interference is negli-
gible. And perhaps in this instance
it is.
But there is such a thing as an out
ra ged sense of civic self-respect, which
in the long run is not negligible. And
If the coming event must have free
course and we are to experience, on
the largest and loosest scale all the
infections of such big battering prom
ised by the extent of interest in it,
the racial elements cutting not a small
figure in this particular bout, the colos-
sal gambling the world over, the skilled
savagery of two mixed up giants at
the highest point of excitement, the
waves of flushed excitement spreading
over the thousands at the ringside and
the thousand and one marks of the
trail of it all in the crowds and in
f1uences, there will be a fine opportunity
for civic self-respect to come to its
own again. And it will, If our voters
and citizens will then come out, be it
said, with half the courage and clear
ness of eye on moral and civic lines in
many needed directions that 1t takes
on physical lines to make two hercu-
lean pugilists toe the mark and hammer
and mar each other as they hammer
and mar an American holiday and the
reputation of our proud city.