The San Francisco call., 1910-12-12
RECTOR DENOUNCES
views OF BURKE
Rev. George E. Swan Declares
Doctors Thesis on Love
Is Poisonous
PHILOSOPHERS of Man Accused of
Dynamiting Lu Eta Smith
Torn TO Shreds
By HARRY DAvIDS
TSpeoial Diseaich 10 The Call

denounced by DR.. Willard P. Burke in
turn denounced the physician today.
when Rev. George E. Swan, rector of
the Episcopal church of the Incarna
ton and one OF the foremost clergy
men in Sonoma county, declared from
his pulpit against his teachings, call
ing upon his parishioners 10 view them
with the utmost loathing and abhor-
renee
The denunciation was a prelude to
the regular sermon and was the out
come Of the intense interest aroused in
the community by the publication Of
the thesis Of love by Doctor Burke,
given as evidence in his trial The
minister did not mention Burke's name,
but he made il evident to whom he. re-
ferred. He tore to shreds Doctor
Burke's PHILOSOPHERS and, in emphatic
language, pointed out that the present
condition Of affairs was but the natu-
raj outcome Of the efforts to put such
beliefs into practice.
ANTIDOTE Is PRESENTED
"As q prelude 10 my formal dis
course" he said. IT should like to pre-
sent a few considerations, to antidote
as far as is possible some of the pol
sonous immortality concerning love and
marriage which is tsinting our atmos-
phere with its pollution.
What's life bereft Of love? It's a
vast abyss Of nothingness.' So sang
the poet and we all approved. But
the love of which he sang is not the
fiery. scOrching blast which withers
and DESTROYS the object. Not that foul
miasmic breath which poisons and
Stays. Not that Shiny touch which de-
files and degrades.
1T is not difficult to find the under
lying falsity of the lying philosophy
Of free love. II lies close to the sur
face. and absorbing individualistic
selfshness becomes the very antithesis
and contradiction of true love. For
that which is love, indeed, loses all
thought OF self in seeking to bless its
object. It finds its happiness not in
its own well being, but in that of an
other
. A thin veneer of false reIigionism
Is sought in order 10 add respectability
to that which rightly deserves the
reprobation Of all decent people. God
IS good and all is God. therefore moth
ing is bad or wicked. Such is the re-
ligionism as has been advanced, and
it contains as much untruth as can be
well crowded into it.
1T would seem to be self-evident
that in spite OF this logic that evil
and wickedness are ever present fac
tors in life which can not very well be
must reckon.
1T requires no great brilliancy of
intellect TO realize that such things as
are set up in direct opposition to and
denial Of the plain commandments Of
God can not he of God and can not be
good.
And we see the misery and degra-
dation which results from playing with
the truth and slightly regarding the
viii Of the most high. We have before
us the logical and legitimate result
the dreadful communicating result
which is defling our whole state, de-
grading the most sacred institution of
home and the family and which is pol
luting even TO the dust that holy love
which comes from God himself
VIEWS ARE ANTI-CHRISTIAN
1T viii be well for US to realize that
most Of the views upon this subject
which we deplOre are based upon
fatalistic and materialistic view of life
and Of the universe, and are not only
unchrisUian but anti-chriStian. They
are subversive and instructive of all
that christians and all that the ages
have held as God given. While we
must of course, have charity for in
0iNiduals, we can have none toward
those erroneous teachings, but must
regard them always with adherence
and lOathing- j beg you that you in
struct your children so that, on this
subject they shall share our feelings
and grow 10 manhood with sweet and
wholesome views on it"
Though Rev. Mr.. Swan was the only
one Of the clergymen of Santa Rosa to
come out in open opposition to the
views Of DR.. Burke, the others generally
share his opinions. The majority had
prepared their sermons on the anti
saloon topic before the thesis became
public. The probabilities are, however,
that in the face of the wide reading
given to the physicians free love views
and to general interest in the case
many of them viii make special efforts
10 eliminate the effect Of the teachings.
That the district attorney Will en-
deavor TO bring out through Lu Eta
Smith the conditions at the sanatorium
is generally believed, but there is doubt
as 10 how far he can go along this
line Miss Smith is being watched with
great care. She has been instructed
by the attorneys for the prosecution to
keep silent on all subjects until she
has given her testimony Among the
witnesses for the defense to show that
Dr. Burkes teachings could be con-
strued as being eminently noble and
high minded and that therefore they
could not have been for the purpose
Of his relations with Lu Eta Smith, it
Is expected, viii be several of his
woman patients and friends.
One Of the points which the prose-
cution intends to bring out is that If
DR.. Burke considered Lu Eta Smith
weak minded. how came he to give
her TO read a thesis on evolution, a sub
Ject requiring the best efforts of the
well educated and normal minds?
RESORTS COMPOUNDED
Attorney Leppo, representing DR..
Burke gave out statement today de-
claring that a notion in many minds
as TO free love conditions existing at
the sanatOrium was due to the con-
founding OF the physicians resort with
another, about two miles from his
Place
Some kind OF colony existed
there" he said. where its members
practiced strange ceremonies and were
popularity thought to hold free love
ideas This colony had nothing to do
with DR.. Burke's resort, but because
they were adjacent 10 one another. a
belief seems TO have become prevalent
that the two were the one and the
same institution. This colony has
passed out Of existence
The strange ceremonies mentioned
by the attorney, included. according to
popular rumOr, based on the observa-
tiOns Of citizens of community. one in
which the members of the colony
gathered at some pool or stream at mid