Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-09-21

PALMS NEAR ST. JAMES PARK, SAN JOSE.
yond all these is the exquisite natural
beauty and richness of the valley, which
has made it the abiding place of the rep
resentative wealth Of the entire slope
and given It . distinction peculiarly it,
OWL. cannot think Of any one hundred
miles Of railway in the civilized world
presenting on its line anything like the
number OF attractions, famous here and
abroad, that are seen on the journey
from San Francisco to Monterey through
the lovely valley Of Santa Clara.
First, then. Is Menlo Park, the summer
home Of the Floods, the Mackays. the
Crockers. the Stanfords and other Occi-
dental millionaires-which has about IL
an exclusiveness and repose not unlike
Lenox, Mass. Here. too, is Senator Le-
land Stanford's "Palo Alto" the equine
paradise, a ranch of nearly ten thousand
acres, where eight or nine hundred
horses live better than half the humans
of the world, where two hundred men
are employed to care for them, and
where the celebrated Electioneer, valued
at 800. 900, heads the stud. As patted
the grand old horse in his roomy stall.
thought of few years ago when he was
bought in the east for mere bagatelle.
His get, thus far, has been sold for
round million at least.
To the north of Menlo Park Is the Le-
land Stanford university. l wandered
through its superb yet unfinished walls
Of yellow stone, which, when completed,
will have cost twenty millions of dollars.
The senator pays this twenty millions
and then endows it all with thirty mill
ions more, as a beginning. Upon what
Q large scale these California millionaires
do things! Within sight Of the univer-
sity buildings is San Jose, the prettiest
and most cultivated city in the state,
with a community of much more than
average intelligence. Just beyond the
city, ON 'heaven kissing hill," is the
famous Lick observatory, the Mecca Of
the average tourist. Not many miles
away are the big trees and Santa Cruz,
and near them are the two great estab-
lishments Of Spreckles, the sugar king,
where thousands Of tons Of beets are
made into sugar. At the end Of all is
Del Monte, "a miniature garden Of Eden.
They have legend in Santa Clara
which the loyal native Of San Jose will
kindly tell you, to the effect that in the
far distant, prehistoric times, this was
the home Of the fairies, who watched
over all the provinces or counties in en-
bryo of CALIFORNIA;; that when the Span
ish padre came with his bell and book
they departed from the Pacific to other
undiscovered lands; that before going
the fairy representatives OF all the coun-
ties met at Santa Clara and into her lap
poured the gifts for which they were
each most noted. Thus it has come to
pass that this valley and county of Santa
Clara has something and the best Of
all the other valleys and counties pos
sess. and is therefore so rich in natural
treasures that it is called tho earthly
paradise. OF course this pretty legend
is shrewdly advanced by the worldly
wise resident as part of the glorification
Of his home, but the gist and implication
Of the fairy tale is not far from the
truth.
| The visitor to the Lick observatory has
q sentimental journey If nothing more.
The distance up and down the mountain
side--or there and back-is fifty-two
miles, the fare is IS, the time occupied
about ten hours. The road is an excep-
tionally fine one and the scenery ex-
quisite. 1t suggests poetry and things,
and they say that miles of tender verses
have been written by inspired tourists,
who leave the Vendome on the big Con-
cord stages in the early morning. If
you take the ordinary conveyance, not
built for ordinary mountain travel, you
are likely, however, upon your return to
San Jose in the evening, to fully appre-
ciate Horace Greeley's remark when
Hank Monk, on a wager, drove the great
editor over rocky roads from Virginia
City to Placerville, l12 miles. in ten
hours.
The old man, getting down from the
coach with much difficulty, observed to
the waiting and gaping mob: "Gentle-
men, I'll bet $50 that Hank Monk is the
best driver in America, and that I'm the
sorest man." The observatory is built on
the crest of what is now called Mt. Ham,
ilton, a slightly eminence which the
Spaniards a century ago gracefully chris
tened Mt. Ysabel. The now name is a
gross impertinence. Some village doc
tor wandered up there one day, and in a
burst Of tremendous egotism called the
mountain after himself. He wrote some.
thing about it and then-decently died.
When the visitor gets to the Observa.
tory he stays there couple OF hours,
wanders through the buildings, is told
several times that 'there, sir, is the larg.
est telescope on Gods wide EARTH" and
that under its foundation Of one hundred
tons or more James Lick, pioneer and
Philanthropist, is laid permanently and
deep. He rests under the great dome oi
the observatory, just as Napoleon rest
under the great dome Of the lnvalides ir
Paris. But the Frenchman gives. ever
to this home Of death, touch of artistic
beauty by Frightening it with rich colorl
and decorating it with fine mosaics
Lick's vault. on the contrary. is dark ant
gloomy.
The Lick observatory has been her,
for several years and is yet to be hearc
from. It reminds me Of Charles Dickens
refreshment station at Mugby, "whos,
proudest boast was that It had never re
freshed anybody" can't for the life o
me see how James Lick acquired repu
tation for great philanthropy by build
ing this observatory with its "bigges
telescope on earth" Your correspond
ent may be of the Gradgrind species
and might make palatable soup Of hi
grandmother, but he really cannot se
what practical use the observatory is.
has been here nearly decade and its as
troDomers have accomplished nothing
Possibly there is nothing to accomplish
Astronomical science has virtually