Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-12-28
"roo Much sameness.p .


He was gaunt-visaged, talkative
man, and hailed from illinois, He had
an opinion on all subjects and had no
hesitation in expressing it. Ills knowi-
edge Of the meaning Of words was Of the
loftiest kind and showed his utter con-
tempt for the definitions of dictionaries.
He had come from his home on the broad
prairies Of Central Illinois. where not
hill or mountain or river Of any size
can be seen, and was going to San Fran
cisco by rail, after stop over of few
days at Los Angeles. In rolling through
some Of the fine scenery of the Sierra
Madre mountqins, this "knowleegy" fel-
low encountered reporter of the HER
AID and volunteered to give his opinion
of California. He said there was "such
sameness about everything that ho
could not endure the scenery and wanted
to get back home"
How man raised on prairie, three
hundred miles long, can leave its flat and
spiritless scenes, with leafless trees and
mud and snow, and never ending dead
corn stalks. and talk of the "sameness''
of California scenery is one of those
things that are past finding out The
route which this talker from the Sucker
State was passing over embraced a
passage of the green valley of the Colo
RADIO river, plunge through banks of
flowing sands, grotesque and dangerous,
a descent far below the level Of the sea;
all the hues Of the rainbow in the rising
and setting sun; then climbing the Pass
OF San Gorgonio, with lofty mountains
on each side mantled with shining snow.
while the barley was growing green
along the track; then gliding down the
mountain pass, Riverside lay nestled in
emerald on the left. while the grand val
ley and the town of San Bernardino and
suburbs lay on the right, and Cotton
and its terrace in front, and the beauti
full Santa Ana valley green and broad to
the horizons edge. Farther on the little
gem-like settlements of Etiwanda, Her
mosa. Ontario. Cucamonga, Pomona,
springing like magic from the base Of the
grand old mountaips, making fit intro
duction to the matchless valley of San
Gabriel, with its delightsome homes OF
comfort and elegance, all formed rrt
of the variegated panorama.
At Los Angeles, the old and new or
ders Of architecture, the babel of
tongues, the beautiful homes and
churches, and flowers and gardens and
orchards and golden fruits were all
passed by in review In San Fernando,
the great plains of grain were Sin YER
dure clad" the mountains were
pierced through where "the rocks
poured out rivers OF OIL" then
canons were climbed by run
ming streams with pines and cedars
above, clad in snowy garments, while
flowers blossomed beside the rail, till the
crest was reached, when the great Mo-
jave desert opened its box of wIaders to
the eye, grand, gloomy and peculiar,
and unlike anything elso on the earth or
under the earth.
| All these changtfnl scenes for three
hundred m les. varying every moment
with an emphasis and intensity, almost
beyond all comparison, was pronounced
tiresome from its ''sameness'' by this
professed traveller. who looked upon this
wondrous variety of nature and industry
with disdain and sighed for his hog pen
and corn-crib and the binding snow on
the wings of the wintry wind. Such is a
specimen Of the traveller without emo
ton, fancy or Judgment, who visits Cali
fornia and returns home to curse what
he cannot appreciate or understood.
What to him are mountains of gold and
silver rock, grand scenery aud sunny
skies, golden fruit aud perpetual flowers
and foliage, stores Of oil and wine and
honey Such souls are dead, AMI onl-
haunt the earth to show intelligent
minds the perfection of meanness. and
the fitness OF a noble life that loves all
things fair and grand and beautiful.
1