75

Bridge whist had not arisen above the horizon of chance. In the sense that everybody gambled, gambling in the early days of California was no more universal than at present in any other community. It is a historic fact that in San Francisco in the early days when a street preacher began his ex'hortation in front of a noted gambling saloon, the proprietor of the place ordered all games stopped until the preacher had finished. It was an era of fair play. The man of God had for the time no competition in the interest of his auditors.

I do not dispute the fact that in that great rush to California many undesirable characters were to be found. That undesirability was also a purely relative quality. So long as those men and women conducted themselves in a 'manner which did not interfere with the rights of others, they were not interfered with. Whenever they ceased to do so it was not long before, they met with opposition. A man was accepted at his own valuation and was given an opportunity of conducting his affairs as he thought best, regardless of what he had been elsewhere. It was the threat by James King of William that he would publish in the "Bulletin" the "record" of James P. Casey in New York after Casey had told him that he was trying to live down that record which led Casey to shoot King, which act was the direct cause of the '56 Vigilance Committee.

In these days it is difficult to realize the bitterness of political contests in the '50's. All over the country institutions were in a formative condition, and on every topic everywhere party sentiment was virile and aggressive. It is not denied that political corruption existed. In our milk and water purity of politics of later years we can of course have no sympathy with or charity for the frailities of those who were half a century ago sacrificing themselves for their country's good at a regular per diem. Time has brought refinements in methods.

In the "Gray Dawn" we read much of the effect of technicalities of law.

This punctilio was not of California origin. Our legal procedure was founded on that of the other States, to a great extent that of New York and Missouri. The men who were the first to make names for themselves here as lawyers were the bright young men whose training had been in the schools and courts of other States. It is very doubtful whether their efforts in these especial lines of jurisprudence were more noted in California than elsewhere either in the '50's or even to-day. Half a century of experiment has not materially lessened litigation or hastened decisions.

As I was born in a different part of California and had no relatives, nor close friends in San Francisco in the '50's, I feel I can object to some of the statements in "The Gray Dawn" without the imputation that I feel personally aggrieved. It would seem that Mr, White had purposely heaped insults on the memories of many while striving to imagine "local color." I shall not use the quoted words of his characters, but rather Mr. White's own comments.

Speaking of Wm. T. Coleman on page 44 of "The Gray Dawn," the author writes: "His complexion was florid, and this, in conjunction with a sweeping blue-black mustache, gave him exactly the appearance of a gambler or bartender!" Again on page 206: "Coleman, quite, grim, complacent, but looking, with his sweeping, inky mustache and his florid complexion, like a flashy 'sport.'" Was the desire for "local color" the motive for so falsely painting the man who came to California in his active youth and throughout a long life of active business and civic probity, left an honorable name to be cherished not only by his family, but by every Californian? Before me as I write lies the copy of a portrait of Wm. T. Coleman, which was made just as he was leaving the East for San Francisco, with high, intellectual forehead, thoughtful eyes and smoothly shaven face. Before me, also, is the portrait of Coleman in the prime of life. It is the picture of a

clean-living man of affairs. We have no gauge of measuring what is Mr. White's conception of the features of a gambler and "sport" other than a florid face and long mustache, which on one page is blue-black and on another inky. There have probably been several million men who have had

florid faces and who may have worn mustaches. Were they all gamblers or sports?

On page 209, this critic of early morality writes: "Many of these exjailbirds rose to wealth and influence, so that to this day the sound of their names means aristocracy and birth to those ignorant of local history. Their descendants may be seen to-day ruffling it proudly on the strength of their 'birth!" This is an unqualified and unnecessary insult. Society in California rests on as firm a foundation of real merit and worth as anywhere. At the present time, as always, it is less busy in "ruffling" (whatever that may be), than in doing as it has always done, all in its power to help the less successful and to alleviate to the best of its abilities the sufferings and needs of others.

There is scarcely a chapter that does not bristle with inaccuracies. The geography of the book is ridiculous. The opening sentence is an index to the author's ignorance or lack of care in the little items that tend to make for "local color." It has been said of Sir Walter Scott that when planning a romance he was so careful to secure true "local color" that he visited the proposed scenes of his story and even noted in his note book the wild flowers growing in the several localities. With libraries full of accurate data he seems to have been content with the most hasty and imperfect gleaning. The story begins: "On the veranda of the Bella Union Hotel." There never was a hotel of that name in San Francisco, and the building bearing the name was destitute of a veranda. The thrilling description of the georgeous dining room is a pure fiction. A little care of investigation would have suggested the Portsmouth House on the corner of

the Plaza diagonally opposite as the home of the Sherwoods.

The time of the story is definitely established by the statement on page three, "which was the year of grace, 1852." Passing over other haphazard statements, we come to Chapter XIX which details the beginning of Keith's legal advancement. How dramatic is this chapter: "His door opened, and a meek, mild little wisp of a man sidled in. He held his hat in his hand, revealing clearly sandy hair and a narrow forehead." How interesting! And to think that that little man, who gave his name as Dr. Jacob Jones was to be the means of Keith's wealth and advancement under the careful manipulation of our author. How breathlessly we read "Little Doctor Jones came to him much depressed." How cleverly does Keith tie up the money-grasping Neil and astonish all the perverse dilatory lawyers of the city. It is all superb. It is history paraphrased, for, in the "Annals of San Francisco," we read the full account of the Dr. Peter Smith claims for the same services as the story-teller's, "Dr. Jacob Jones," and note that even through the maligned courts of the time, judgment had been rendered on the 25th of February, 1851, and the sales of water lots to satisfy the judgment, all took place prior to "the year of grace, 1852," when the interesting personality, "Milton Keith, a young lawyer from Baltimore," appeared in San Francisco. How the "Gray Dawn" really reeks with local color! More than a year after a certain incident occurred, which is used to make the hero celebrated, a garbled recital of the real incident is dished up for our entertainment! Why could not the book have been dated: "In the year of grace 1850 or '51?" Or is it possible that Keith might not have been weaned so early in his life. Thus we see the entire structure of Keith's legal financial and social advancement is laid on shifting sand of inaccuracy.

A fair sized book might be written in correcting the palpable errors without investigating the implied person

alities referred to or hinted at. It is enough to allege that the entire performance is at such variance to fact that it can be accepted as valueless as a portrayal of the period. The story, as a story, is outside the purview of my criticism. The literary style might be improved materially. The use of the words "chink" and "piffle" is uncalled for introduction of modern slang. "The decoration committee had done. its most desperate," can scarcely be styled elevating literature.

Each writer has the inalienable right to the life and liberty of his characters into whom he has breathed the breath of life to make each a living soul. His success as a writer depends on his creative ability to produce mind-children worthy of life and development. He can place them in any environment that suits his fancy, and by cleverness can let their lives de

77

velop and produce natural effects on the lives of other mind-children in his story. He should be given reasonable choice in the development of his story, and may use to the exigencies of his work such local atmosphere as best fits his purposes. But when he includes in his story by implication or by direct mention historical characters he owes it to those characters and their descendents to adhere to the fixed record of history. It is to be regretted that Stewart Edward White has carelessly done his work. To the uninformed reader he has given false ideas of historical perspective. He has advanced arguments on false premises. For this there has not been the excuse of necessity in the development of his story. He has given us a book called "The Gray Dawn," which might as well have been called "The Lurid Awakening."

WASHINGTON VAN DUSEN.

MASTE

Bible Restored After 1200 Years.

F

ROM the time the Nicene creed was thus foisted upon the people until twelve hundred years after, the Bible was an unknown Book to the people. During those twelve hundred years there were, I think, seventeen Councils held, and many of these produced creeds having different variations, all with much of nonsense for people to be worried with. And all this was done by those deceived men who thought they were Apostles and were not. It is all this stuff that has given the so-called Christian world so much trouble.

At the close of this period, in the year 1526 A. D., Professor Tyndale, a scholarly Christian man, not fully in accord with the Bishops, because he was too Scriptural, but tolerated because of his learning and good Christian character, translated the Greek New Testament into English, that the people might know what were the teachings of Jesus and His Apostles. He felt that there had been too much of the teachings of men. By that time printing presses and paper had been invented. Professor Tyndale was compelled to go to Germany to get his translation printed, after some difficulty succeeding in having it done in the city of Worms. This step was

made necessary because of the adverse influence of the English Bishops. The Testaments were then imported to London. They were placed in the shops for sale. The matter became noised abroad, and the people were anxious to get them. They desired to know just what was taught by Christ and the Apostles. It was proposed that Bible classes be started and educated men employed to read to the people.

What did the Bishops then do? They heard about the movement, and being world-wise men, they knew what the effect would be if the people learned of the real teachings of the Bible. Their own power and influence would soon be gone. The people would be asking, "Where did you Bishops get your authority to make creeds and to call yourselves Apostles ? We find nothing of that kind in the Bible." So the Bishops shrewdly determined to nip this matter in the bud. Accordingly they bought up the entire edition and burned the books in front of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. The spot is marked to this day. It is a matter of history. And these were Protestant Bishops of the Church of England! Moreover, this faithful servant of the Lord, Professor William Tyndale, was later apprehended and imprisoned near Brussels, and after

a protracted trial for heresy, was strangled and his body burned at the stake. How terrible are the blinding influences of Satan!

For forty years after the burning of the New Testament in London the people kept complaining and wondering why the Bishops took the Bible from them. Finally the Bishops concluded that perhaps they were going too far, and that policy demanded that they let the people have the Bible. So they got out a special edition, which they called "The Bishop's Bible." They put them into the shops and told the people they might buy them. They assured them that it was the Bishops who were giving them the Bible. However, they solemnly warned the people of the great risk they were incurring in reading the Bible for themselves, and impressed upon them the necessity of giving it no other interpretation than what had been given by the Bishops, because they were sure of going to eternal torment if they did not prove loyal to the creeds.

This warning had its desired effect. Everybody was on the alert to keep in line with the creed. The Catholic Bishops soon were practically forced to do as the Protestant Bishops had done, and they issued the Douay Version of the Bible, prepared at the clerical university of Douay, France. They gave this to their Catholic flocks, accompanying it with the same warnings as the Protestant Bishops had given to their people. Thus the influence of the Bible was for a long time largely nullified, and the people were kept in superstitious fear and under the influence of the Church authorities.

But the Bible could not be fully put down, and in time the entire Scriptures were translated into the various tongues of the people, and as education after the beginning or the Nineteenth Century became much more general, and Bible Societies sprang into existence, the people began to read for themselves as never before, and superstition has been gradually breaking down, the people are daring to

79

think for themselves. Some are still fettered by superstition, but the number is gradually lessening, and the shackles breaking. It is the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that all of their own people are to go to Purgatory after death to be tortured awhile. No Catholic expects to go at death to Heaven. He must first have certain experiences in Purgatory to fit him for Heaven. To be a heretic, from the Catholic standpoint, is to commit the worst of crimes, and not to believe the creed and their priests is heresy. Heretics are bound, not for Purgatory, but for eternal torture. So a devout Catholic has geat fear of being a heretic. Thus we find but comparatively few Catholics even to-day who dare to read the Bible.

Drunk With the Wine of Babylon.

How much trouble all this nonsense and false teaching has caused! Instead of reading the Bible in the light of the creeds, we should read the creeds in the light of the Bible. Then their absurdity is at once apparent. They have been a sore bondage upon God's people. But all this will be overruled for good. It will teach mankind a never-to-be-forgotten lesson. The Bible foretold it all. The Apostle Paul declared that "many would depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons." (1 Timothy 4:1-3; Acts 20-29, 30.) It is upon these seducing spirits that we lay the blame-Satan and his fallen angels. We are not claiming that our Catholic and Episcopalian friends have really intended to perpetrate a fraud. But with the Apostle Paul we claim that they were deceived by the great Adversary and his hosts of evil spirits.

We are beginning to see that a God of Love could never arrange any such Plan for His creatures as is claimed by the creeds. Our loving Creator has been painted blacker than than the blackest Devil imaginable. "Oh, that is too strong!" says one. No, it is not, my brother. If you will take a pencil