The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-01-24
Calif..rnia Letter.
ORANGE, CAL, Jan. 10, 1888.

ORANGE, CAl.-, Jan. lU, 1855.
To the Editor of the ENTERPRISE.
Dear ENTERPRISE: We give such rap
turous greeting to you, as you make your
weekly visit to us, that we fancy you will
smile kindly on us if we make you a call,
a remarkable example of "reflex action"
and vanity. You look at the name OF this
place, "Orange," and visions of beauty i'm
mediately rise before you, in short, nothing
short of Paradise satisfies your imagina-
tion. But alack-a-dayi What differ
ence there is between reality and imagin-
alton. We too, had visions" when we
called Ohio, home, now we realize as we
never did before, that California is land
of gold, (unless you have the gold you can
not live here,) In order to purchase a
comfortable home, you must expend a
small fortune; the same amount of money
in Ohio would give you luxurIes. Orange
groves? Oh certainly they are beautiful,
the foliage deep Itch green, and the flow
ers exquisite, lading the air with their
perfume, and the golden fruit peeps from
between the thick foliage to challenge
you look at the ground. Grass is strictly
tabooed in an orange grove, the ground
constantly hoed TO keep down the weeds
and give free sway to irrigation Irriga-
ton now we have the wore to us il is
synonymous with irritation. And the
waterl But we forbear, and yet we must
say as word of warning, California is
like patent medicine, advertised beyond
its worth. Be content in Ohio.
We think of Wellington lovingly, and
the advertisements with avidity. We con-
grstulate you upon the possession of tele-
phone, and rejoice with you in the agita-
ton of the question of "gas light" Moth
ing impresses a stranger, looking for a
location, more favorably than town well
lighted with a good quality of gas. We in
fer the system proposed is the same that is
in use in Fostoria, and which we remem-
Ger very we'll as being very brilliant and
pleasing to the eye, and if you can secure
as good an article as that at $3.50 per 1000
#, compared with coal gas, with price
y
it. 1t is TO be hoped the City Fathers will
do all in their power to aid the enterprise,
and get rid of the nuisance and danger of
coal oil. We are influenced to write at
length because of our horror of coal oil
lamps, horror intensified by recent ac-
cident of the many every newspaper re-
cords. A child, in joyful glee, jostles the
stand, the lamp is overturned, explodes,
and then the tragedy. And we look back
a few years and sec beautiful young girl
dressed for her first party, lightly she trips
down the broad stairs, her fieecy draperies
floating cloudlike around her, suddenly
the heel of one tiny slipper Catches on the
carpeted stair, she loses her balance, the
lamp falls, breaks, and the cruel flames tn
velop the doomed girl. Weeks of agony
follow, and face, marred past recognition
remains 10 haunt all who were once fa-
miliar with its former exquisite beauty.
Since then our housekeeper has resolved
herself into Il vigilance committee of one,
she follows the servants releutlessly, Il ver-
table Nemesis, and the tales she could
unfold of lamps about to be filed when
burning; smothered Goals with the coal
oil can suspended over them, and lamps
supposed to have been filled that go out
ingloriously when company comes. And
so we would say if you are fortunate
enough to have escaped the tragedies
which have come near us, in kindness to
the mother of the family, relieve her of
the oversight of the lamps, and thus make
life brighter to her in more senses Than
one. You observe this is our hobby. Par
don US for riding it so long in your pres
ence. II. III.