Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-11-04
Bssnop Haven ss Descriptive
writer.


MethodistEpiscopal Church North.
While here the Bishop fourished
the "bloody shirt'i in the most I'M
canonical fashion. 1t is not too
much to say that his utterances
wera exceedingly ill-advised and
were such as to create ill-will and
heartburnings amongst such a pc
culiar population as that which
composes Los Angeles. But the
Bishop is nothing if not an enthu-
siast. Not Henry Ward Beecher, in
his Sharp's rifles days, before drear
and deadly scandal had robbed him
Of his energy, was ever more ire
.pressible.
We are happy to be able to chron-
icle the fact that Bishop Haven's
natural impetuosity gives highly
roseate and poetic fervor to his pen
as descriptive writer. In the
Christian Advocate, of October 23d,
he gives his Impressions Of Los An
geles. Were an editor of this city
to write in similar vein he would
be accused of having exaggerated,
and Of aiming at hyperbole. We
know whereof we speak for. occa-
sionally, we have thrown reserve to
one side and ventured to express
our sense of the beauty and fruitful
ness which encompass us round
about on every side, with the result
that most people who are ignorant
of Los Angeles supposed that we
were INDUCING in the favorite Cali
fornia pastime of drawing the long
bow" No one will suspect that
Bishop Haven, however, is influ-
enced by any undue Partially to
our city. He has discovered q
striking resemblance in Los Apge-
les to Damascus, 'the jewel of the
DESERT Hear him:
So the reader will imagine the
Bishop has been met by his friend
Judge Hubbell, and driven by him
to the latter's pleasant residence on
Orange street, and" Lo Damas-
Gus lies before US. Take it in. The
walls of the valley on the northeast
are perhaps ten miles away. On
the west they hug the town closely.
On the south and southwest they
fall away, till you see gap that
discloses the ocean twenty miles
off. The northern hills are high,
abrupt, treeless on this side, golden,
brown, purple, violet, all those
brilliant and changing hues which
cover verdantless mountains in
tropical chimes. Unclothed, they
are clothed upon. From their base
to our feet, and far away to the
south, lies the richest garden of
green that ever rejoiced our eyes.
l thought the gardens of Mexico
indispensable, and Naples green
to be forever unequaled, and
Egypt's level lawns engirting its
Nile, and Liberals perfection OF
verdure to be of the superlative.
Each blotted out its predecessor.
But each is blotted out by this out
look. The contrasts complete the
picture. Those great, gaunt noun
tains enwall this emerald level.
Orange groves stretch far, far away
In verdant loneliness. From near
to far the same glowing green fills
the eye. Elm, and cottonwood,
and oak, and other familiar trees
abound. The streams that make
glad this city flow adown every
street through every year. The
eucalyptus is the favorite tree.
This springs up swift and tall and
stately, and is more abundant than
all its fellows. Australia has given
the world four novelties-a bird,
q beast, a weapon, a tree. Dodo,
kangaroo, boomerang, and euca-
lyptus are its donations. The bird
is extinct, but beast and trick and
tree still flourish; the tree the most
of all.
But 1t is not trees, nor even or
angeries, that are the chief marvel.
See this pretty yard-a common
front yard, no larger than an ordin-
airy front yard in any suburban city
of the east. Here is an exquisite
hedge, three years old, six feet
high, as round aud full as if raised
in conservatory. Here are roses
blooming all the year. Here are
geraniums in abundance, and tall
as rose bushes. The heliotrope
twines itself up the pillars of the
portico full of blossom and fra
GRANGE. Here are rhododendrons
and oleanders growing like trees,
while fuchsias are as numerous and
varied and lovely as in their own
aboriginal homes in the valleys of
Cuernavaca. All this in u front
yard twenty-five feet square,; all
grown by lawyers wife, who, had
she stayed at home, would have last
winter been shut in by snow for
nearly half the winter. Here net
frost-bite mars the life and lowell
ness the whole year through. A
few feet lower down the moisture
occasionally turns to frost. but the
dry hilltop is perfectly tropical.
At our permanent stopping place,
the genial home of Brother Brad
ley, the lay delegate to the Gener-
al Conference, there was u like pro-
fusion. A geranium grows so tall
and stout as to almost prevent the
opening and shutting of our blinds.
We pushed it away with difficulty.
This was not on the second story.
These stories are only one.story
high.
A hundred times at least have we
directed attention to the wonderful
variety OF flora, fruit and cereal
which abound in Los Angeles city
and county. Bishop Haven thus
descants on this same charming
popularity:
Come little nearer the town, to
another mem Der Of the bar. Judge
Widney's house stands flush with
the street, an unwatered, and there
fore gravelly-looking walk admits
TO the dwelling. Don't stay inside,