Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-03-16
THE "PIONEERS."
The Second Lecture in Aid Of the Free Dis.
psnsary-Col. ]. j. Ayers on the Familiar
Thsme-An Interesting Discourse.

lHe duuleilCS WillCu uSseulDIGu III
Good Templars' Hall last night to
listen to Col. J. J. Ayers on the
California Pioneers was up to the
full seating capacity of the room.
Our best and most cultivated peo-
Pile were on hand.
Gen. Briefly, who presided, an
nounced that the first thing on the
programme was song by Madame
Mara. That lady acquitted herself
in the exquisite fashion that has
made her so popular in Los An
geles.
Col. Ayers was next introduced.
He was warmly received and deliv-
cred a lecture which was notable Q
for its logical arrangement and for
the elocutionary and pictorial
powers exhibited by the speaker.
His early training for the stage has
given him an animated and artistic
delivery which much heightened
the enjoyment of the audience. He
altogether evaded the hackneyed
aspects of his subject by opening
with the discovery of America by
Columbus, an the lust for the gold
and precious stones of the new con-
tinent which, springing up
amongst the people of Spain, led,
within thirty years from the death
of Columbus, to the thorough ex.
ploration and conquest of Central
and South America and Mexico.
In 1910 the Spanish Viceroy
Mendoza sent an exploring eXpedi
tion from Mexico, which penetrated
as far north AS the Territory OF
Arizona. Repelled by the desert
eXpanse of the Colorado plains this
party came to a halt, deemIng that
they had reached the boundary of
the treasure belt. This was a prev
idential circumstance, and Illus
trates OH what triflIng events the
destinies of nations often hang.
This portion of the lecture
was replete with historical ref
erences and philosophical analysis
of the character and civilization of
the early conquistadores. If there
was u blemish in the whole pro-
duction it was that preface, in
teresting in itself, might have been
a trifle too long, considering the
scope of the lecture. Doubtless the
lecturer desired to emancipate him.
self rs much as possible from the
traditional method OF handling his
subject.
The fortunate miscarriage of
Mendoza's expedition left, three
centuries later, the way to Califor-
and most enterprising race on the
American Continent. Had the
conquistadoras found their way 10
the Golden Gate-if, indeed. the Col
den Gate at that time eXisted-lit-
tie would have been left to tempt
the cupidity Of their successors in
prospecting and emulators in en-
! terprise.
| Il WAS at this point that the
speaker wound into the heart of his
subject. A series of American hu-
morists, chief amongst whom were
Bret Harte and Mark Twain, had
drawn pictures of the early Pioneer
as different as could well be con
ceived from the original. They
had represented him as coarse,
crude, uncultured Never had Il
word painting been more unfaith-
full. The early pioneers were tn e
flower of American manhood.
They were either young men, or
men in the prime of life. The very
ability to reach California AT that
time pre-supposed that the Argo-
nauts came from that social stratum
of the trans-Mississippi States in
which culture and refinement were
most likely to be found.
California sprang into being as Il
State at Il bound. The Argonauts
embraced amongst them law. givers
and men OF q knowledge so various
and exact that the laws framed by
them are to-day those which, with
a few trif1ing exceptions, form
the organic law of California. 1t is
true that the characters described
by Mark Twain and Bret Harte eX
listed, but they were of the later
immigration. They were vagrants
of the plains, who had hung on the
emigrauts wagons, or mendicants
of the forecastle. They had nothing
in common with the sterling fell
lows who to-day proudly call them.
selves pioneers" They came from
Australia, from South America and
elsewhere, but were not in any
sense pioneers.
The man who comes to California
In 1878, and who looks upon him.
self as new conner, may take
heart of grace. Those who arrived
in 1919 encountered the same expe.
riences exactly. There was blue
blood amongst pioneers. The pio
neer of 1S4S looked down upon the
pioneer of 1S49, while the fellows
who had come over in Stephenson's
regim ent looked with profound con
tempt on both. They, in theirturn
were regarded with shrug and sar
donic look askance by those wht
come in at the back door of Cali
fornia, with the "path-tinder.o Blu
the speaker should never forget thu
thrill of awe which ran through
him when q tall, lean figure wa!
pointed out to him as that of {
man who had come to California
away back in 1880. He need hardly
say that that gentleman was a res.
ident of Los Angeles, and that he
met him every day. The old time
awe, however, had vanished with
familiarity.
In those early days every ont
who went to the mines had {
partner. The adventures naturally
gravitated to their opposites. Th,
lean man hunted up fat partner
the tall man sought his af1i nifty il
a short one, the natural desperate
in Il man of mild manners. Tue lee
turer gave a description of his sen
sations on first looking down, from
an altitude, upon camp of miners
Mt work gathering gold with picl