The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-24

mounds whose familiar and musical vo;oos o,.-
costing all the joys of rabbit and 'possum buntne
make me feel delightfully."- at home even awav ont
here in the Pacifc) oo'
mentioned In previous letter some evidences
s"a' 'ne west Is not yet Easternized, but could
not nave dreamed of reporting so wild hi+ of
western news as l found all San Francisco apog
over as | came into the town Yesterday Tho
s'eamer buckman had just came into port after an
experience reminding one of the days of Black
oearo' Cavendsh. and Captain Kidd. Two steer
age passengers from Portland turned pirate night
peiore ast killed the captain, held the other pas
seneeIs speechiess with terror, and might have
iooted the ship but for losing their nerve at the
pinch. One of the two freebooters is now in San
francisco JAIL the other jumped overheard
reno nevada, at which stopped for few
minutes coming across, is, in appearance about
WHAT might De expected from it's reputation: of
eieven store fronts counted from my car window.
eight were saloons. 1t requires only few weeks
residence at Reno to enable one to get divorce
on almost any pretence. Nevada. believe, is also
the only State which has no anti-gambling laws.
gambling houses being recognized and regularly
licensed like saloons.
California, too. is apparently only little less
wide-open than Nevada. When I was here ON
sunday nVe years ago. l found the carpenters reg
uiariy at work and women going to market while
the church bells rang and the earthquake has NOT
improved its morals. 1t is said that but for it's
aHecung pubic sentiment adversely to the pro-
posed Panama Celebration, Jeffries and Johnson
would have been permitted to fight in California.
IN san francisco there is no Sunday-closing law,
the only restriction even on saloons being that
they snail not run their dance halls after a. M
More significant. perhaps was the story In Sun
days San Francisco Examiner Of q reporters vain
attempt to borrow Bible among his acouaintances
in the city, concluding that in San Francisco as a
whole, gone is the big Bible from the bottom
shelf and gone is the little Bible from beside the
bedside table,"
thing which hope will never be said of the
South.
There's man on board who came from Shan
ghai to see the Reno prize-fght, and is heartily
disguised with the whole affair." as everybody else
Is, Jenries never having been for a minute in any
condition to fight, the whole affair being sheer
luke. In this connection. be it said. that perhaps
the acutest observer at Reno has searchingy set
forth my own impression of our sporting gentry
In the following words:
THE professional gambler, the man inter-
ested in sports from a monetary standpoint.
had always seemed to me sardonic, sheer
ing, incredulous, cold, heartess person. He
Is quite the reverse. All his sneers are sur
face sneers. At heart he is an optimistic babe
amazingly childish. He believes every
thing is for the best"
Another evidence Of Western laxness is found
even on board our ship where Cinnamon, with
tables squarely on the line between steerage and
cabin passengers openly run dice games piles of
silver spells lying alongside the gaming tables I
do not believe this would be tolerated on an At
antic liner.
".
Sacramento, through which we passed yester-
day, has million-dollar art gallery containing
not few masterpieces; which reminds me that
with the increasing wealth Of the South we should
have some art gallery of distinction apart from
those in Baltimore and st. Louis which are only
in border States after all. / think have hean To