HUMAN LIFE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 56, 4 September 1923, Page 2

HUMAN LIFE

CHEAP IN CALIFORNIA

GREAT CARE FOR THE DEAD

IMPRESSIONS AND AFTER-

THOUGHTS.

_ Life is lived at high pressure in San Francisco, likewise in Los Angeles. Judging from some words let fall by a wjcent scientific visitor from New Zealand to California, San' Francisco "sits serene, indifferent to fate," as her poefc Bret Harte described her, and pays little regard to the sacrific of human life w> lawlessness that goes on day after f V ISF v} &wed by a- representative 01 me Post,,' the visitor gave the impression that" if one might judge from the _nßW S paperß of San Francisco, the tahfornians have very little regard for the sanctity of humanlife, limb, or personal ■ property. - ■ "The; staple industries of this free and energetw West," he said, "appear to be bigamy, bootlegging, shooting to kill, matrimonial^ differences fin most acute lorm) which could only be settled out of Court, and last, but by no means least/ raotor-car |e teahng. These are the standing dishes xn the daily papers " It wa s suggested Uiat these incidents were news, records of actual happen- ?< SAy. a msre record of events. a « n V ' yel'" was the nPty-' "One hag ample confirmation of it. I met many People m. California who fully confirmed the .impressions I had gained of the Stet Pn6SS a" life in' that Brea*

ti DARING ROBBERS. Jnl h! motoJ" car stealing is done-in a most daring fashion, and the thief:does not hesitate for a moment to shoot dead the owner or driver of a car. One method is for the robber to drive some'old car, and tinker with it until another driver comes along. Then he holds up his hand, as if for assistance. The other car stops. It i s a good one; its driver is covered with a revolver,- and the thief hops into the car and is away in an instant. If the car: owner resists he is shot, and usually shot dead. This kind of thing takes place even in city, streets It is all done very quickly. J-.he police have a special and armed secOn fo, r, deali,ng with this class of motorcar robber—a most dangerous class too. lhe police never hesitate. If the driver fails to stop when challenged.he ib shot without more ado. : -...-.. ■

■ j-l 'f' san irancisco is seemingly inherent to human life, it sets an Example; to-the-world in its care for the dead, in so far as its morgue is concerned. The city authorities have spared no pains, no money, no time to pay respect to the poor unknown knocked down in the street. Their system of inquiring int° accidental death is very thorough, and thus care for the dead is beyond all praise.- The Coroner is an elective office and is usually not a lawyer. _ "The gentleman who holds the office at presenthas been elected several times, and so there has betoa continued policy ■of improvement. '-. . • '

FINEST MOEGUE IN THE WORLD. . "ban, .trancisco can. justly boast," of having one of the finest morgues m the worla. 1 accent tnat, lor i nave seen morgues; in ;JHiii ß iand, .faris, Vienna/Ber< iin/and elsewhere. The Sanjbrancisco building is attached to an administrative block. Uu the ground level is s, line'airV Court capable, of aeating about one huncued people. There are side .rooms,, where .. relatives ; of the deceased can Wait, technically within the Oourt, and yet unable to hear all the gruesome details of the ordinary or scientific witnesses. .There are a blackboard and Bcreen behind the Coroner's chair upon which diagrams may be drawn or sketched, There Is a projecting apparatus which can -throw pictures on thS screen,- go .that-the jury can actually see a reconstruction of the accident if need bfei . .■'.-■

'By well-lighted ■ sfcairfi the jury, or friends can proceed to'the morgue proper. There is always a jury sitting With' the Coroner. I have seen nothing to cotne up to the Sail Francisco morgue in utility., good taste, and reverence. The icliamber resembles the entrance hall of the sober, old-fashioned hotel or house It is lit by, electric light. tri the centre is a long table with dark red clothplenty of flowers are there always. On each sido. as you enter this one large room are the movable tables upon which the Jjodies rest covered by really clean Uiletf cloths. In the further right and left-lUnd corners are chapels always" lit up with flowers on the altars, which can be iised fdir any kind of religious service. , ''Quite, away from this chapel or room of the dead, but aeily acceseiWe, are the rooma for the examination of the.bodies. In their, design) equipment,- and cleanliness they might be. the operating rooms of a modern highly specialised hospital. The rooms are. all agreeably. Warmed, and the-amount of in and out air is regulated. •...■.

Reverence for the body.

"Quite cut bffj but forming part of the general easily-Worked schtme, is a room the sides of which form eases' iti which unidentified bodieß. may be kept at a temperature, which, while it does not alter the features ojt the dead, preserve them for months or yearst Everything that could make for identification, justice, and reverent treatment fif the dead has been carefully thought jout even to the opedirig df the dead person's eyes to help in "his identification. "How few would be able to recognise even a well-known friend if he saw him laid out in the usual raiment of the dead with, his eyes closed? ; .

"Of all the things I saw in San Fran' cisco this truly was the most ijitefestinjjt both from . a scientific and a political point of view. Scientific, because accurate and useful records were kept; economic or political, because here m this'land of alleged 'graft' so much Wag being done -for- the man or woman, who had forgotten the difference between Bepublican and Democrat, and, in any case, had lose . his' or her vote. ; Truly they are a wonderful people. I have forgotten the name of the officer" who eiplaihed the whole system to us, but, strange ax it may seem, acultured hiaii, he regard* ed this building _as a neyei'-ceasing source of interest, "and an object which he was always u-ying to improve. "What about pur local resting-place tor the. lost.one?" ... .._: ■