Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-06-03
s.s,. mon,eo.

a visit TO Santa Monica Sunday
t9xosted to us q number of reflec-
|ons and "reminiscences which may
- of Interest to our readers. It was
= July Of 1875 that Santa Monica
ioe opened to the public as water
W place. It had much to justify
As haptIsmal name bestowed upon
y IS the silver.tongued Fitch, Of
1.-The City by the Sea.n Probably no
nhryo town was ever before SO
ynunted If we except the "Eden' Of
)tokens's "Martin Chuzzlewit."
xondreds of we'll meaning peo-
~ Invested In the new enterprise
= their faith In these rosy proph-
61on Of future greatness. The prob
NIFTY Il that il Senator Jones's
1toonAl fortunes had not expert
6need : slight check, that ircom-
nrably energetic and generous
man would have taken pleasure
n making Santa Monica all that
~ eloquent Lieutenant had
alnted her.
We were . believer in Santa
Monica in 1875, although not to the
o6tent outlined by the eloquent
10 Of Fitch. Notwithstanding all
~ Disadvantages under which the
xounG town labors at present, we
=nro even more q believer now than
them In her future.
Suffering as she has, during the
Epast two years, from formidable
nsries of set blacks, the pretty little
town has made surprising progress.
The tres.growth there is really
Emarvelous. The first view of the
town from the cars is excessively
! attractive, aud the favorable inn
pEession is deepened and strength
oned when one reaches the oceans
edge. Flowers Of all kinds flourish
no Less luxuriantly than the trees.
All that Is needed to make Santa
Menica the most charming place on
the Coast is that her citizens should
keep up, for period of five or six
years, the praiseworthy efforts
1hey have already made to beauti.
N spot made uniquely lovely by
nature herself. There is one thing
ohout Santa Monica which should
not be forgotten, and which will
lave great influence upon her fu-
1ure. The place has almost the
most exquisite climate in the world.
A. matter of fact, we do not be-
lleve that one of the most famous
health resorts on either the italian
or African coasts of the Mediter-
1snean can compare with Santa
Wenics. San Diego is the only
spot on the Southern coast which
4 entitled to compete with the
"Ctty by the Sea, Pas sanitarium,
and there is this to be said as TO
the merits Of the respective places,
that, for one far gone in the last
Z stages Of consumption San Diego
ought to be preferred on account of
the genlality and equability of her
( climate; for all who would benefit
by q stimulating and tonic atmos-
phsre, Santa Monica is incompara-
bly, the better resort.
1t is hardly possible to resist the
conclusion that, some day or other,
when the whole of Southern Cali
4 fornia has recovered from the pa
ralysis which rides her like night
mare, the town will be the center
Of . consider able trede. The crea.
7 tion Of an artificial harbor there is
one Of the most practicable things
in the world. The whole configura-
tion Of the coast suggests the expe-
disncy of large governmental out
lays to add another secure bay to
the scant facilities of that kind
Z which. have been allotted to the
Pacific Coast. Should such q
scheme Of improvement be under
taken, either by the government or
by powerful corporation, in addi-
tion to her attractions as a water
ing place, Santa Monica could not
fail to become, In time, the termi-
mus OF some transcontinental rail-
way which was seeking short cut
across the continent. While the
center Of the trade of Southern
California will always remain in
the city of Los Angeles, Santa
Monica may reasonably hope for O
good deal Of life and activity, COM
mercially, in the near future. We
are AL, everywhere hereabouts, in
the dumps just Eow, but there is a
see-saw balance which will, very
shortly, send Santa Monica, in com.
mon with all Southern California,
away up.