Our San Francisco Letter.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5328, 19 September 1888, Page 2

Our San Francisco Letter.

[PWS CORRESPONDENT. J

Oakland, August 24. Notwithstanding the long account I gave you last month of spiritualism in California, and even at the risk of being considered weiirisomo, I cannot refrain from giving , an account of an amusing scene that took place the other evening between the champion mind-reader—Washington Irving Bishop, who has, I believe, appeared in the colonies —and Slater, the spiritualist medium who is, us he modestly describes himself, •• the giant who overshadows them all." Bishop, who has lately returned from a trip to the Sandwich Islands, was the hero of an adventure the other night, whereby he nearly lost his life, and altogether his mind, as he was found insensible in front of the Palaoe Hotel, having been drugged and robbed, 8O he said, of 40 dole, in gold, and a goldheaded cane, presented him by the king of the Cannibal Islands—l mean His Royal Highness King Kalakau. Uncharitable folks, of which San Francisco has a fair share, nay that he (Bishop) had been gambling etc., in some questionable company. However, the fact remains he was unable to read the minds of his assailants, and was found in the etate described. But to return to the encounter between the champions. Bishop announced an entertainment in the Metropolitan Temple (a large hall used almost exclusively by Slater on Sundays to give seekers after truth (P) messages from their friends from the spirit land just on the other side ; and he is, in fact, a very powerful medium), in which he (Bishop) would explore spiritualism. This attracted a large audience. On appearing before the audience Bishop alluded to his experience ;with the robbers, and asserted that if they came within thirty yards of him he would recognise them at once, so I presume the robbers will be scared from this time forth and. evermore. Then he went on to say that before he exposed Bpiritualisin he would require a committee of well-known gentlemen on the etage, and after several names had been called over of bankers, merchants, &c., a Jewish Rabbi •was the only one brave enough to defy the spirits. " I want a man on this oommitttee who is a spiritualist. I will show you the tricks of which they boast so much can be done by everyone, I was here last Sunday, and saw some man who inspired me with, the belief that he was an imbecile march up and down the stage, pretending to seethe spirits of dead people standing behind their friends, and he could not speak three words of Queen's English. Now, I don't thiak the spirits would give commissions to illite~ rate men like that. I will welcome this man or any other spiritualist on the etage, and I will give a thousand dollars to him if I fail to do any trick he can do." On this a tall man, who happened to be Slater, the illiterate person referred to, jumped up and said "I'll take you." He dashed on to the platform, and then ensued such cheeringand shouting that I began to be afraid th& roof would be lifted. Slater took no heed of the uproar, but" rolling his eyes to the ceiling—probably in search of the spirits —and his cuffs to his elbows, pranced round about the stage as if all the spirits of the murdered English were aftec him. " I asked for a spiritualist, not a pedestrian, quoth Bishop. Slater cracked his fingers, but made no rejoinder. After & while, when the spirits were under controlSlater said, "Now I will show you a phenomenon," and he commenced to toll Rabbi Cohen what everybody did not know about him, but as he did not reveal anything very startling, the audience hooted him off the stage. Before he left, however, he challenged Bishop to meet him another m^v , »T d A - h t wo " ld , cx P°ee aU his. (Bishop's) tnoke. Bishop immediately repliod by exposing Slater's supposed intercourse with his friends, the spirits, and the audience fairly howled Slater out of the hall. Thursday night ia now anxiouely looked forward to by the curious, bet whether both parties will turn up on that occasion is doubtful. However, lam the more and more convinced that modem spiritualism is a gross fraud, and altogether unworthy the attention of the numerous intelligent people who place such faith in the imposture. I trust that the old priverb "When thieves fall out honest met'j iret their rights" will ho applicable in thin case, and that, like Kilkenny cats, Biehon the mind-reader, and Slater, the "ftfunfc who overshadows them all" medium" will leave nothing but the memory of. them

The one absorbing topic, which is exercising everyone, »t , forthcoming election for President, to take p kcoon *$* 4th November, and nothing e k e j 8 thought of. Business is quite neglected, and ot- ufessional pohtuuan a _and their name is legion-are in thrfr glory. The abmudUy of the whole proceeding strikes a newcomer with such intensity that he is sometimes, tempted to ask himself whether he himeelf is not eraoked instead of the noisy enthusiasts he meets everywhere. Can T oo imagine sober middle-aged tndeauem marching through the streets wtavinft Ettte flags-eithor the stars and stripee", the emblem of the Republican party, orlcolored pocket handkerchief, th& emblem of the Democrats-letting off fire crackers, and preceded by a noisy band, horribly discordant, solemnly setting fire to heaps of firewood placed at intervals in the busiest thoroughfares of the city P Yet suSTI scene as this can be seen at short intervals. Inen everyone, even to the small bove must wear a button with the party device! The shops of every description seem to expose nothing but party emblems, made up in neckties, walking sticks, ahirts, hats, &0., .Are., and the papers give nothing else but politics, excepting when they have soma disgustag scandal, or tho sayings and dwngs of some condemned criminal, andi descnbuig the gifts of fruit and flower* from somo senseless giddy girls, and requests for atithographs of the wretch condemned to dio, who has poisoned hie wife, or slaughtered an innocent sohoolsrirl and ot such items are the daily papers made up oL A copy of last Saturday** Chronicle .winch accompanies thie, contains an article that out-Zolas Zola. But to continue about politics. Even the very churches are called into service. I heard a reverend doctor the other evening discourse as to the respective merits of the candidates and to assure his congregation that no doubt all th.c .Republican papers said about the candidates was eemot. Aβ for the Democratic papers, he never read them This rawed « kagh and applause within the moved (h buildings. Every IMe officet n h l.\.r matter > % ones likewise—is< field at the pleasure of the party in pe*ier and everywhere may be seen notfteJ of candidates for the position oS Wires coroners, recorders (registrar of deeds), tax collectors, assessors, &c, & c ., aU of them qualified, with the sana ? clause "subject to tho decision o$ .foe Republican or Democratic Cowity Convention." Just imagine your judges, or residout magistrates oe registrars of deeds, holdW c»S*.'e for two or four years at the pleasure of the mob, and tho mob generally meaning those who gei their lmngr uround oalron counters, who are actually paid by the would-be oflk« holders, who voluutarily tax themselves in a lose degree, and their supporters in a greater degree, to keep these snmo loafers. Why the very papers thumseJves ..dmit alltliis, and mention it as ordinary newit. Of course, the papers nre Jilway ß ready to bo sold to the highest bidder. Nos'eorotis made ot that. Why in »H this trouble taken to elect a president, who is *fter all but King Log? It ig not the president that is wanted. Any on*does for that. It is the party that cam get uppermost. There are upwards of 000,000 civil servants in the United States besides tho thousands of others in theseparate states, and these all hold office at the pleasure of the party in power Directly that party is defeated, and another comes in, out go the 600,000' stronir and the waiting 600,000 toko rheir places That bribery, corruption, .speculation are tho natural consequence of such a state of affairs cannot be wondered at, and it L* doutbtf ul whether thee XlWl se of ni'untoiSi royalty m England easts us nnieh as caw- , wig on the Government of the Uaftwii States, thong}, its chief only "alary .eqwl to that of the Lm-d^^ r o f London. You may think that I am c ". Wgwating, but I have not said tae half "of what I have learned from a close study of." their best and most reliable papers, if awr arorohabe. And I should say that S Gonetrtutaon of the United States and iU lawe are the most perfect in theory, and the worst interpreted mid administered in the