Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1873-08-27
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
SANTA BARBARA. CaL., y
Aug. q, 1873. 1,

ago, having spent week at San Buena-
ventura Meanwhile Il loaf and enjoy
NV SOUL" as Walt Whitman says; bu:
absolute idl.ness in droning. seaside,
Southern California Watering place is
such exceedingly dull business tina; l
feel constrained to have recourse to
such scraps and ODDS and ends, sweep
inss, chips and tailinss as are l-t. to me
after my rather Loose working-up OF the
larger and nlore obvious materials Of my
note books
Il would seem ct first thought that:
there could be nothing novel TO q sage
trusher in any sort Of stage riding. Bg:
til. trip from San BaaaaventurI dis
abuses I'll, sophisticated Nevad.n mind
a. this fallacy: for bow and when can l:
l.. possible for the dweller in the Great
BASIN to experience = voyage on wheels
through the sursinc surf OF tie salt sea
wave: No: less than three miles did We
.iie over the sea washed sands, our
horses AMI our "nly,.l wagon" actually
maxim, tracks beneath the waves. Il
was :l2-el sensation, this Of fO-;iing
tne e.ise .: fishing tides; ami one with
al obvious wit, could1'; resis; the OF
portunity OF emitting Dangling pun
about =. n. stage of water while there
were given out playful apprehensions OF
helm. Obliged to take . reef in our lead
CTS and scad under bare poles until the
floods should srIbside. d,
On our way up We passed through
that loTeliest of all the lovely little val
ieys OF the California coast, the Cdrpiil-
te-ia. This very charming spot-none
the less charming because of the sudden
and unexpected contrast which it makes
to the bleak hill sides and treeless plains
Just LEFT behind, owes its beauties to its
tangled forests of moss-hung ive-oaks
whose trunks and arms are so disposed |
to one another and the earth and sky as |
to suggest ones older fancies of the look |
Of fairy-land and the dells and jungles |
when msrrie-men skirnished round and |
performed illicit but romantic feats of |
archery by day, and witches and brow
mics cut up their weird shines by night. |
This enchanting Carpinteria is about |
twelve miles hence and has a landing or
Quite n pretty settlement |
is there, justifyinS nice little church in |
q grove Of oaks and Postoffice of de- |
cidedly rural sort.
The Mission church at San Buenaven-
TARA is very like the one which Ihave de-
Scribed as q famous landmark at this
point. Indeed the general structure Of
these old Missions is Substantially the
same in all instances; but l note that
The San Blenaventura church is in a
much better state Of repair than this, its
outside having been newly whitewashed,
tnd the floor Of its interior being laid
with modern redwood planks. Father
Juan, the parish priest, very kindly e1-
planned the history and Specification of
lie pictures and symbols which hang
ioon the walls; and learned that the
paintings mostly came from Peru, aIa
hat the altar, which is after the barbsir-
BUS magnifcence of Mexican church
was built in, and brought
from, the City of Mexico. 1t is resplend-
mt of gilded Corinthian pillars. gilt
framed looking-glasses and full-length
efficies in wood and plaster-of-Paris and
sanity garments and t;nsel, of st. Jo-
seph and the Virgin. The pictures are
Of the cheapes. of ecclesiastical daubs-
III bat one, which is the work OF an ar
list and represents st. Francis Xavier;
md the walls are covered with the gro
esque gingerbread frescoings of old In
.ian workers in '-disteInper." L wound
ny way up into the old tower by more
han half-ruined stone and brick circular
There are four bells in the
,elfry. One of these is of splendid tone
md Was cast in 1923. It measures
hree feet in hight and as mach across
he month. On one OF the lesser bells
re the words, San Pedro -A!ca'tdr;,
7Si,
When we came down from the belfrv |
&c stepped quietly into the gallery set
part for the choir. The choir in this
Instance consisted of two octcSenarian
indians dressed like two poverty stricken
flutes. One of these held fiddle in
us hand, and with that instrument and
is own voice and TIE aid Of that OF his
Id brother in sacred harmony, he made
he responses. These were the ghosily |
trains Of an old ancient, almost extinct
Laracter of worship. There was an
Their instrument standing upon the
DOR of the gallery. 1t was bass drum.