The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-10-29

Dear Friends Of the AgGssiz
Club While you baYe been rest
ing and visiting through the weeks
OF long summer vacation, l have
been at work l commenced teach
ing upon the lG of June, in q Nor
NAL school whose teachers depart
ment alone has more than 300 pu-
pills; of my five classes, the smallest
numbers 45, and the largest 81; SO
that the summer has been anything
but play-spell thus far. My first
holiday came a week ago, when the
pupils and teachers united in q
grand excursion by rail to San
francisco.
l shall speak of but q few things
that 1 saw during the two days of
our soiourn in the great city of the
Pacific.
WOodward's geological garden
lies nearly ia the center OF the city.
1t is the property OF q millionaire,
who seems to have rausacked TIE
globe in his search for curiosities.
The collection OF living animals,
stuffed specimens, cOrals, fossils,
shells, and crystals is truly wonder
fui in extent.
The aquarium is II great artificial
grOtiO, with many windows open
ing outward and upward into huge
reservoirs OF fresh water and sea-
water, crowded with forms of
aquatic life. A young whale, sew
erHl sharks, two great sea-devils or
siingrays, q marvellous collection of
living sea-anemones and other 20
Ophytes, innummerable speckled
trout, salmon, aud rainbow-flsh
looking like living jewels these oc-
cupied the several compartments; ;
and as looked upward at the sun
through such scenes, could hardly
imagine myself still on terra firma.
From this we passed into a trop.
heal forest, sheltered under glass
from the perpetual March winds of
San Francisco. The air was heavy
with moisture, from perpetual
showering: great tree ferns lifted
their ragged stems far above our
heads, and ripe bananas hung down
In marvellous clusters from amid
their vast leaves. There were
strange epiphytes and parasites, and
an amazing wealth OF flowers.
Having heretofore visited Yankee
R..biusOn's big show, l treated the
Iseng@l tiger. the African lions, and
all their companions, very cavalier
ly. but FASTENED to the lakelet whers
Ill" sea lions were sUjOurning. II
WAS their dinner hour, AID they
we're perfectly aware of the fact
These creatures are eight feet in
length, and must weigh a ton or
more. They seemed almost frantic
as feeding time approached; stand
ing upright in the water, roaring,
climbing the rocky islet in the CEN
ter of the lake, and otherwise ex-
pressing their feelings. At last
Pat appeared, with a huge basket
full of fresh sturgeon, and was
greeted by these pre-adamite mon
sters with yells of joy, and incredi-
bic gymnastics.
After q delightful halliday in the
garden, we rode out to the Cliff
House, at the opening of the Gold.
en- Gate. A stretch of desolate
drifting sand hills extends miles in.
land from the coast, but great
rocky promontory here jHts out into
the Pacific, and the vast breakers
dashing among the rookie, sent their
spray into our faces as we stood up
on the veranda of the hotel. Over
these rocks the sea lions swarmed
by thousands, and their roaring al.
most drowned the thunder OF the
surf they are protected from
slaughter by statute, and seemeG
entirely uncOncerned by our near
ness. These footless monsters ar,
as ngiIe as squirrels, climbing up +,
GO foot precipice at a wonderful
speed.
We spent nearly day at the Me
chanic's fair. For this q substantial
building has been erected 500 fec
in length, and covering four acres
One acre OF this Is miracle of trop
icAl bloom. Five beautiful fount
aims were playing, the central on
nearly to the roof, the jet risini
over seventy feet. l will not at
tempt any description of the i'm
mense collection of works of ar
and industry that filled the grea
building. More than ten Thousand
people thronged it's galleries an,
corridors; in the evening man.
thousand gas Jets were lighted
the fountains played over bases O
colOred fire there was a great con
cert OF instrumental music and W
at last went to our rooms uttcrl
exhausted with admiration and won
der.
We went to the Lone Mountai
cemetery, and stood by the caske
OF Ralston, which rests in a super
mausoleum of black and white maj
BILE, and was that day buried /
wreaths of white roses and iDaDO,
telles. We visited the Palace Hote
incomparably the finest IN tn
world. upon which five million do
lar have been expended. We visit
ell the great granite foundation uT
on which is rising the public build
ing of the city aud county of Sa
Francisco building to cost fly
millions, upon which a million an
. half have already been expended
and which covers more groun
than the capitol at Washington.
This State is certainly going yer
fast; but then, II has an annual il
come of seventy millions, not I
mention the wealth of the Nevad
silver mines, which mainly pour
into San Francisco. No crash {
l.