The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-03-09

rises into undulating hills, now fairly
matted with verdure and flowers, and
between these grouped hills, email
side valleys, misty and vague in out
line, wind down to ths sea, whose
blue waters can be seen from favored
spots, though forty miles away. But
this description furnishes only the
skeleton. I cannot throw over the
scene the southern sun that sets the
snow .agleam, bathes the valleys with
warmth, and wraps the hills in soft
blue haze; that beauties and yitalizes
all. I think that joaquin Miller is a
little excusable for verifying some.
what extravagantly and a good deal
incoherently about his Aztec sun. +" Fol
myself there is little too much of it
too many days in the year Of it-fol
me, but he would be q churl indeed
who would not admire its rare splen.
dor and softness. The valley lie in a
high state of cultivation for some forty
miles east of Los Angeles and Pasa.
dena, and one rides through an almost
endless succession of orange groves aud
vineyards, orchards of peach, pear,
apricot, prune, English walnut and
other trees. and occasional fields OF
wheat aud barley recently sown. The
worst thing about 1t all, as about all
Of Southern California, is the ubiqui-
tous town lot stakes, They are white
and elaborate and look like tombstones.
And 20 they are. the majority Of them;
tombstones of buried capital. It looks
almosta pity that this Arcadian spot
should ever have been desecrated by
tn, gross footsteps Of a ''boom." I
took forty mile carriage drive through
the valley from Pasadena the other
day, and in the course of it dropped in
to vespers at q Catholic mission built
about hundred years ago. A queer
old adobe 1t Is, brown and streaked
with the rain and sun of q century;
and q motley crowd of worshipers it
was chanting their endless aUes and
oras-grizzled greasers, Indians, beau.
tiful spanish girls, and comely Irish
maidens. During the services train
Numbered by and drowned for awhile
the hum of voices. A commentary of
progress indeed; for the stained and
hoary temple was built before the
power of steam was discovered.
SAN FRANCISCO, FEB'Y. "a.
It is about five hundred miles from
Los Angeles to San Francisco, and
about three hundred miles lie in
the San Joaquin valley-the largest
and moet noted in California. Again l
was disappointed, or rather greatly
surprised at the appearance of the
a. have been from the frat
in California. This immense valley
lying between two ranges Of noun
tains is an unbroken plain; and the
northern half Of 1t is almost an UNI
broken wheatfield-reclaimed from
sand, cactus and sagebrush. For that
is what it was originally. The land lie
owned in large tracts, and wheat and
barley are raised on an immense scale. |
In one field I saw ten ten-mule teams |
for wheat with gang plows.
irrigation Is not used for
grain. but is necessary for fruit. The
farm houses are large and comfortable,
and indicate prosperity. Good land
can still be had in this valley for forty
md sixty dollars per acre.
OF course, it would be useless in the
limits left me, to try to write fully of
his imperial city-seated on her seven
ills Tor thereabouts). and looking out
the Golden Gate-veritably q
Iate Of gold for her-upon the sea. San
biggest "lions" are lions
ure enough-sea liona. Here they
refer to call them seals. On the beach
bout five miles out of town, just a few
DDS out in the water, are three tiny
stands called "Seal Rocks, I" consisting {
ntirely of huge rocks thrown up in
yramidal shape. At all tim es Of day
hese rocks are absolutely alive with =
Gallons, of all sizes, from masto- t
Onic monsters down TO little babies. e
here are hundreds Of them, and t
'ould doubtless be thousands but for t
ant Of room. They gambol, fight, 9
lress, do everything consistent with e
heir peculiar build, that indicates the il
ighest kind Of time. and their con. :
nual hoarse barking heard above the v
'ar Of the surf dashing around aud p
yer them adds substance to the scene. t
should Ike to take you to the beau
ful Golden Gate Park or to "Nob'
i'll, the abode Of marvellous wealth, .
have you hold your nose aud take a =
roll through the reeking depths and r
annies Of Chinatown; but space for =
de. IL
>,
California ID not all good nor all bad Il
I'd two classes Of people would do #
ell to bear that fact In mind, to-wit, Ia
e colossal real estate liars of the coast Il
I'd divers disguised tourists from the 70