New-York tribune., 1886-05-23

and amusing though its productions may pc'
The story of tho discovery of gold and the rush
of Immigration is vigorously and clearly sketched
only shetched however. not told In great detail.
because our author is less concerned with taieS ol
adventure than with the course OF social ana po"'-
icaj development. Tins he gives us an cXcelieh1
account OF the mnngcamp communities, win
the notions of r2blic order gradually estaDilsleu
IN than, and makes n c,;rious showing Of the differ
ent grades Of civilization whlc" nocesSly rcS"''"
from succes,iye methods of mininS. beginning
with the SOLITARY method of the primitive pa'. ana
advancing to more and more complicated machines
and more and more artificial society. lie speaks
with scornfu impotence of the romance with
which poets and tale writers have invested the
early days of s,ccing and digging. peophng the
canvas towns with sentimental rulians. genteel
gamblers. parsons run to seed, and herolnes VITA
lofty sonls and no particular morals: but sone
admirable traits of character were displayed Id
those rude settlements. During the hIst year OF
the rush a certain degree of order was pretty well
maintained. The "miners Justice which was
almost Immediately established in the camps, was
originally fair substitute for regular law, ana
upon the whole il was dccorously administered.
But if it was necessary at the start. 1t was con
timed long after anv need of il had ceased. and
perhaps there was no time when it could have been
positively distinguished from mob-law. Lynchlng'
with whatever solemnity and imitation OF legal
forms il may have been conducted. became iear-
full agency of decentralization. and the worst shHer-
ers from it We're the honest but falthess citizehs
who neglected. their public dutles until they SAW
society brouaht to the very ed-e OF dlssoInti'h
Crime and mob-iustice grew worse and worse
together. for two three years Iheh so'he VI
the communities collapsed. and Others saved them
al-r ion of the lDlStakc.
Save in thc newest camps. and IN those most
remote from regular courts, one can sly al"ps1I
universally that. in so far as the Nhch M ~" nii I
been orderly il had Deen ut best the y Ji"',oil ''
outcome of n reasonable popular caItIes>htSS
while. in SO far rs it had been dlsordefh 1t ndi
been brutal and dcmorazing. ana III ItscI an ur, ,
mixed evil. Almost every where, moreover, a. We
hn,,e secn il was not an externally produced
nccessitv forced from without upon me cohi'h.n-
ty by tine violence of invading cilhlnals; o"t ~ ~
was the SYMPTOM of an inner social disease. for
th;s disea se the honest men themselves were the
ones most responsible since they were neSt aoe 10
understand their duty, me lesson OF lne .I', wnoo
denied ly a romantic pioneer vanity: and our true
prjde as we look back TO those days OF sturdy ana
sinful life. must be- not that the pioneers cond so
successfully show b, their popular justice their
undonbted 'instinctive skill in self gOvernmcnt-
although indeed despite all their sins they showed
euch skill also Int that the moral elasticity oil
our pcoplc is SO great their social vitality so mar
vellous that a community of Americans couid SIN
as fearfuly as in the early years. the mining COM
munlfV dlQ sl0, ana cONlN vet i've w PhlllN l'Nil
within so short a time not by revolution. bat by
simple progress from social fOOllshness to social
seaGfastnrss.
The social evolution Of San Francisco WAS little
like that of the mining camps-not III IT'S external
features but in the dearth of public spirit the con-
sequent introduction of disorder. and then the
shock of a sudden Awakening In the city as well
as in the mines the beginning of reform IS placed
about ls5l. the date of the first san Francisco
n. Il ere plI
TO discriminate between lynch law and the opera
tions of this organization and of the much more
imnortant and formidable committee of l~56. II
can hardly he said that he saves lis consistency.
-. "a shows no great eagerness 10 discuss the
,iohao,5 =, ~ongs of "ths greatest Of the popular
'..=.,t. ~ r." 'ornia history Under the cir
,,n,storcos dit was in, liable. What had made
it inevitable was longcontin"-' '"'''' VI
apathy. of reasonable public carcies,-''' I''
il represented was not so much the dignity u. '''
sovereign people as the depth and bitterness OF
popular repentance for the past What l. accom-
plIshed was not the direct destruction Of criminal
class. but the conversion Of honest men 10 sens
ihle and doyout local patriotism.' The essentials
of civilization Mr.. Royce d Ids, were ganej, oad
tle san FRANCISCAN ,cas hepc forN fre 10 srre God
os his o,ca consci nee d'cfa'cd' We never before
heard this result claimed one OF the brnenls ol
the Vigilance Committee, and indeed we bad not
supposed that freedom to serve God was privilege
about which The san Franciscan Oh l>J' was es-
pecialiy worried.
The truth is that the reform is represented ~
Mr. Royce's pages too much as coAmcr"iai
speculation. Nothing did more to put down lynch
law in the camps than tie cxtensior o, sluicc-
mining. which involved the combination Of cap tai
and the builllng up of vrstcl interests. Quartz
mines ard deep placers introduced conservative
idea, Of law and order. Violence vas discouraged
when it menaccd industry. The honest citizens
found their political conscience as soon rs they
had remuneratve use for the article In san
Francisco public spirit woke at the touch Of trade
the Vigilance Committee. says our author, was Il
Business Mans Revelation: the suhstantlnl
citizens whom Chief Justice Terry described as
sd pork merchants.' started on a crusa lc
against crime and corruption because they conld
not afford not to. We cannot help thinking OF this
aspect Of California reform when Nr. EOyce asks
us to admire the moral heroism which raised the
State out of its degradatIOn The history Of Cali
fornia i. an exhibition of the worst and the best
sides of the American characters brutality, mean
ness reckless and irresponsible humor in conflict
with moral strength, courage patience, docility,
and social skill This is Just But the business
basis of morals is not entirely satisfactory toI a
community of the highest type; and We are not
surprised to be told that the reform of 1>jG WAS
not attended by parallel progress in virtue and
intelligence. There never was any snch general
recklessness and dissipation in san Francisco as
"old pioneers" are fond of recalling; but the habit
of the town was always Over-excited. cXtraYag1nt,
and sensuous; gambling in all forms was pas
SION; tile family was less sacred than elsewhere,
and the extreme laXity OF social intercourse had
most dcDlorablc eject IN the home circle " Pubhc
opinion believed il sort OF lrrelieions liberty,
that considered every mans vices however oiien-
sive and aggressive they misht be short OF crime
as q private concern between his own soul and
Satan" That most of the description of pioneer
times fits the San Francisco of to-day no one can
deny. But in the meantime, as Mr. Royce rightly
says, the State has learned valuable lesson:
1t is the State the Social Order, that IS divine.
We are all hut dust, this social order gives
Ms life. hen we think II our instrument, ohr
playthinC and make our private fortunes the one