Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1889-04-11

A Religious Paper Exposes a Real
Estate Confidence Game.

1LSCaVC confluence oALACs
A writer in the Christian Witness, pub
lished at Boston, Mass, deals the Cali
fornian boom some hard blows, Speak
ing of church work, he says religious
interest is on the increase, revivals gen.
eral, and conversions numerous. 'The
downfall of speculation" he says, "has
been the uprising of spirituality" All
this is. of course, encouraging, but the
article in the main, is devoted to scath-
ing review of California boom methods
in general, and the booming of ''Redendo
Beach, in particular, and it Is to this
feature that we wish to call attention.
Speculation, the writer AYERS, has been
promoted by all kinds of deception.
Towns which never had an existence, ex-
cept IN name have been reported in east
ern papers as hourish1ng cities and peo-
pie urged to purchase lots with view to
large profits. Continuing the writer
says:
We were greatly humiliated few days
ago, in reading an article in the October
number of the Chautanquan, in which
"Redendo Beach, place where aChau-
tauqua assembly is sought to be estab-
lished, was described. The writer says:
The assembly usually held at Long Beach,
Southern California, has been transferred to Re
dendo Beach, sixteen miles southwest from Los
Angeles, on beautiful cove of the Pacific ocean.
The assembly has $3.50. 900 worth OF property in
city before which it lies. The buildings in
course Of erection are on large campus, finely
! terraced, with amphi.heater in the center. Tie
latter is enclosed in brick, surrounded by u
gallery, and furnished with opera chairs, with :.
seating capacity of four thousand. The hall Of
philosophy is copied after the one at Chauta,l-
qua, save that the architecture is Cerinthiau
! There is splendid gymnasium and dhildren's
temple. A hotel costing S35o,oo0 is building,
and altogether the outlook for grand Cllauta,l-
! q,Gl is magnificent.
How this account got into the Chau-
tauquan, and why the projectors OF this
scheme should have allowed this report
to go out uncontradicted, is marvel to
u.s. Here, we are told, is "city'' before
which lies $25OOO0 worth of property be-
longing to the Assembly. Here is a
Finely terraced campus" in the centre of
which is an 'amphitheatre' "enclosed in
brick" surrounded by a gallery, and
furnished with opera chairs, with a seat
ing capacity of four thousand; not one
item of which was found within ten
miles of the place. Then there is Hall
of Philosophy, copied after the one at
| Chautauqua," with a splendid gym
nasium, and children s temple" AL these
are represented as being done, when not
a brick was laid, not foot Of timber had
been erected, and the whole city, social
ed. was as destitute of any these build
1ngs, including the $3.50 900 hotel, as the
! desert Of flowers, except few scattered
| tents.
| Such things are not only damaging to
the country, but to the cause of religion,
in the interests of which this Chautauqua
movement claims to be carried on.
If lots have been sold at Redendo, on
these Misrepresentation of the Chau-
tauquan, we hope the purchasers may
! realize their expectations, but the out.
look is not hattering for such.