The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-23

ceSslou ol any 'ooutncru ctule Souiu iuioe Il
corporal's guard in the South to coerce her. A
soulless corporation may with IMMUNITY extort
from the wealth-producing operative the maxi
mum of labor which his health and strength
can yield, relying upon another who stands
ready to step into his place whenever he fails.
But that process cannot be carried on between
the sovereign Sntes Of this confederacy, until
their respective citizens shall become recreant
to the exalted trust with which they have been
so nobly endowed.
eFy- The whole history of the rise, progress,
and prospects of the State of California" re-
sembles fiction more than fact. The wild
dreams Of the earlier Spanish discoveries
seem to have found a consistency and local
| habitation there; and the circumstances con-
nected with this unprecedented history have
given character to the incongruous mass that
constitute its population, peculiar to the place,
and this wondrous time of ours.
Four times has the city of San Francisco
been almost totally reduced to ashes, bury
ing in its ruins the hard earned wealth which an
|
INFLATED in the hands of the more fortunate of
its citizens. Yet undismayed and disheartened
by such series of disasters, the men who have
thrice made fortunes there to be swept away in
a night retiring to rest millionaires, and reused
from their slumber only to see it taking wings
unto itself }" these men, we say, abate no jot of
heart or hope-but manfully and hopefully set
| to work to retrieve their Losses. Our readers
are aware that it has not been our practice to
laud the land of gold, or its floating population,
nor have we RETAINED from fully commenting on
the pictures of social progress" afforded by
the recitals in their own papers. But their con-
duct in adversely does much to soften the stern
| ness with which the moralist must view the ex-
cesses induced by sudden prosperity-and what
ever sins may have been laid to their door, it
would be ungenerous now to dwell on, after the
purgation by fire which they have undergone.
The spirit to which we refer is SO powerfully
illustrated in an editorial of the Alta California
of May 18th, that we cannot refrain from ex-
tracing it.
lfit be indeed true that /. brave man, strug-
| Cling with the storms of fate" is one of the
most instructive and interesting spectacIes this
varied life of ours presents, then indeed no one
can read the subjoined statements without ad.
miration:
MlsFoRTUYEs AND PERsEvERANcE.-There
are in this city gentlemen who can recount more
instances of misfortune, aud more trumphs over
them, than perhaps any other on the face Of
the earth. Men have come here after many
manly struggle elsewhere, and after many vary
ing successes and Disappointment, have occa-
sionally found themselves above their bad luck
apparently, and on the high road to wealth. In
an hour, they have found themselves PROSTATE,
burned out, flat. The next day saw them start
again in the race nothing daunted determined
to conquer in the strife. And such will conquer
Disaster itself cannot keep them down.
One of our well known auctioneers informed
US that the recent fire. which swept his place of
business as clean as wind and flames could do
it, was one of his Oldest and most FREQ uent Gus
tomers-it had taken bis whole stock Just
twelve times, that being the number of times
which he had been burned out. Yet the next
day his sign was hung out on his adobe, where
his Jests were frequent and light spirited as if
neither smoke nor flame had passed near him.
Such n superiority TO misfortune is better and
more valuable than the richest mine in Cali
fornia. happy spirit cannot be purchased
This is the spirit which will not only deserve
success, but command it.
We wish TO give one more instance out of the
many Astounding in our midst The name of
the Parker house is known as Ear as the name Of
San Francisco. II was the first considerable
house in the city. It's fate has been chequered
one. We do not know exactly the costs and
history OF IT. but for year and half past il
has been about this: 1t was purchased on the
goth of December laA9. IL was then paving
$4,000 per month rent. On the Gath OF the
same month it was burned down in the first
great fire which visited this city. 1t was built
up again at n cost Of $4,000, and was ready 10
be opened on the 4th of May, 1850, when it was
burned down again. Once more it was built up
at various times, portion of it converted into
the Jenny Lind theatre and more recently the
larger portion was in good stage Of progress
toward completion of beautiful and capacious
! theatre with three tiers, when the last fire of
May 4th once moro and for the third time laid
| it in ashes.
| The building of the last structure, and the
various changes and improvements, must have
cost the proprietors, Messrs ]. Hart & Il. Ma
guire, more than 100000 The income from
this property would have paid of all its debts in
four months. The fire at once bloited out all
its receipts But now mark the spirit which
rules in California. Already the proprietors
have new building in progress. The lumber
is ON the ground The workmen are trimming It.
a wooden building is to be first erected, TO be
followed just as soon as possible By substan-
tial "sure enough" fire proof brick building,
which will be erected over the wooden one, and
will coniain an elegant theatre capable of seat
ing three thousand persons. We give this as n
specimen of the spirit of This city, while abundar
others of similar character could be name,I
San Francisco will yet work out her own great
destiny in spite of the false deductions of poo
pie up the bay, in spite of the worthless councils
and Botany Bay convicts
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