Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-23
FROM THE PACIFIC SLOPE.
The Overland Trip.

FLOWERS AND POLITICS.
-tCorrespondenc of THE START
SAN FRANCISCO, July Is, 1881.
On the Fourth of July we started for the Pa
cific cOast-my son and myself. There was
pail, as of midnight darkness, hanging over the
nation. AS we sped westward, all along the line
of travel, there were anxious hearts, hushed and
eager qaestionings, sorrow-worn countenances,
and illy-concealed anathemas against the perpe
traitor OF SO atrOciOus crime as that which sent
thrill of agony through the national heart.
There was a funereal sadness apparent every
where. The poets thought was verified in our
country's organic life:
Break but one
OF q thousand keys, and the paining Jar
Through all will Eun."
President Garfield, in this mighty affiiction,
has broken the alabaster box of national atfec-
tion. and the fragrance of the ointment has been
scattered abroad. He has been anointed with
the prayers and tears of united people for his
recovery and return to his great work
We whisked along, in that triumphant device
OF luxurious ease, the palace car, with brace of
travelling companions that would have trans
formed desert into an oasis. Our party was
made up of Hon. I. c. Pound Congressman from
Wisconsin; Rev. DR.. Hemphill. delegate to the
general assembly, and Rev DR.. Briggs, the last
Two both OF San Francisco, the former covered
all over with glory, with his quintette of calls
from prominent churches in the east. The towns
favel out into the vast prairies Of the west. and
thrlfty-l0Oking homes, with rich and productive
farms, are on every side. And. now. we sweep
ahead into the bOundless mOnOtOny of prairie
Prairie to the right of us, to the left of us, in
front of us, behind us-nothing but prairie! We
pass Omaha-the news is still dubious from the
wounded President. Prayersg up and hope still
clings to faith. We climb the heavy mountain
range. Vast towering ledges of water-worn,
lichen-coyered rock stand out, bold and defiant,
against the sky. At Sherman we are 5000 feet
above the level OF the sea, and yet we seem to
De scudding over the plains on the top Of the
mountain.
THE LAST TIE.
PromOntOry Point! immortalized as the spot
where the Union and the Pacific struck hands
laid their last tie, and drove their last spike
That spike has been scattered over the country
in the shape of some five thousand mementoes, it
is averred, and yet it still survives. Like the
widows cruise, it is inexhaustible. am not in
dehted to my memory for wit in this matter. nor
to my imagination for facts. Carlin-and such
scenery. Neither pen nor pencil
could do justice to such majestic beauty. Just
as Tar as the eye can reach, snOw-tipped noun
tains rear their lofty, glittering heads. defiant
alike of sunshine and of storm. Grand old pa
triarchs are they, with all their numerous pro-
geny OF children, grandchildren and great-grand-
children following hard after them until the
proud old mOnarchs of mountains melt away
into infantile, grasscOyered hilOcks, and finally
spread themselves out into velvety lawns, rem
dolent of perfume and flowers. and musical with
the voices of dancing brooks from the mountain
born, that go chrirruping in their gambols at our
very feet. But now we come to the creme de la
creme OF the journey. as the tugging, snOrting
engine pull us steadily up the grand and ma
Jestic Sierra Nevada range. Sublimity and gran
deur on every side! We creep, cat-like and eau
tiOus, over tremendous tresselings and mammoth
bridges, that bear us midway between earth and
sky. We go crawling around Cape HOrn-a bold,
ugly, ragged Cliff that juts out in sullen gran
deur, and seems to compel reverence by turning
us back again to the other side, to the exact
point from which We started. Donner lake lies
like huge serpent on the mountains crest,
tragedy that resulted in the death of nearly the
whole of large family bearing the name of DON
ner renders this lake historic. They were over
taken by mountain storm and periShed.
CITY OF HILLS.
San Francisco is not a city set upon hill, but
a city made up of hills. All the streets seem to
charge up hill. There is nothing of the provin-
cial town about San Francisco. All is hustle.
activity, driving, pushing, dashing life.
Strangers receive cordial welcome. New
cOmers are regarded with favor. 1t is essenti-
ally a cosmopolitan city, and to be cosmopoli-
tan is to be generous. The Palace Hotel, at
which we are stopping, is great caravansary,
a world in miniature. 1t is a grand monument
to William RalstOn, whose memory will ever
remain green in the hearts of the people of San
Francisco. Open-handed hospitality is con-
spicuOus virtue in these parts. There seems to
be no counterfeit about it. 1t is of the genuine
this Open-handed hospitality. It has hint of
better things about it.
THE CABLE ROADS
To me the cable roads are one of the most in
teresting features of the city. They 60 charging
up the tremendous hills, like things of life, and
with far less effort. One keeps wondering hOsc
they go. sympathiZe with the amazement of
the bewildered Chinaman who rode on one of
these street cars for the first time. Hisface was
alive with establishment. He peered out of one
end Of the car and then the other. He looked
this side and that side He turned an exploring
gaze on the conductor. He seemed ready to
burst with compressed wonder. In his utter
bewilderment he finally broke out in the follow
ing exhaustive announcement: "No hossee, no
pullee, no pushee-gO like -" etc. That
Chnaman will never rest till he invents a cable
road for the Celestial Empire.
STROLL THROUGH CHINATOWN.
ChaperOned by Rev. A. w. Loomis, D.. D., the
honored missionary of the Presbyterian board,
who has devoted lifetime to the Chinese. we
explored the inner depths of Chinatown. We
saw all sorts of homes We saw the typical
Christian home in the very heart of the Chinese
quarter. There is very interesting school car
TIeU Oh lOT CilllcSc CIIUTcu III the Ola GlODe
HOTEL on the corner Of Jackson and Dupont
streets. This school has been in operation eleven
years, and several of the second generation are
now pupils in the school. The children seem
bright eager, patient facile, obedient, industri-
Gus. They speak English well. They write ad-
mrably. They are up to the average American
child in the ordinary branches of primary Eng
lish education. They are well instructed religi-
Ously. They seem to have an intelligent idea of
God and of goodness. They sing their songs
with great fervOr, but their tones are not of Sc
raphic sweetness. They make up in ardor what
they lack in harmony. This is the very best
method of getting at the Chinese The hope OF
the world lies in the children of any nation.
THE CHINESE CONSULATE.
We visited the Chinese Consulate. Col Bee,
the American Consul, is man of great suavity,
and kindness of manner, and proffered us
every courtesy. Although the days of
mourning for the Empress are not yet ended,
we were privileged an introduction to the CHI
nese Consul General, a very dignified and
genial man, and member of the First Presby-
terian Church of San Francisco. On learning we
were from Washington, his first inquiries were
concerning the President, and he proffered us
the Bulletin Extra, in Chinese which is published
every day and scattered broadcast through the
Chinese uuarfpr oiviuo fl1ll and couv%c,,% a..