Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-02
THE H1p-PoCKET ARGUMENT


accomplished writer's of the day, and a
most engaging author, has an article in the
November Forum on TYPES of American
Women and, by the way, it is charm
ing paper, and full of truths about and
compliments for our women-in which he,
unintentionally, let US hope, misrepresents
California. In the course of his essay he
comes to the type of American girl and
woman depicted by Bret Harte and writ,
ers of his school as the peculiar product of
the great West, and of the pioneer era in
this State. Professor Boyesen believes
that this type of American women is still
to be found-the young girl who is free in
the use of slang, yet true to the core;
mingling with men of rough habits and
coarse manners, yet having the instincts of
refinement, and lacking only the polish Of
advantage; the girl who shoots in the
woods, rides in the mountains or tramps
in the canyons; who fears nothing and
dares any peril who is so free as to sug-
gest that approach would be welcome, but
to touch whom no man would dare Now,
Professor Boyesen declares that the Cali
fornians he meets deny that there is any
such creature in California, and say that
she never existed save in the newspapers
and the novels. He adds that he meekly
submits since ne is perfectly well aware
that every Californian carries in his hip
pocket an incontrovertible argument in
reply,
This bit of rough humor at the ex-
pense of our people, that the Professor
deems iusti6able, no doubt But there is
enough seriousness in it to also justify re-
ply. The very fact that such thought
should enter the mind of Boyesen demon
strates the pernicious character of the rep
utation that is manufactured for Califor
mans, first by few of the name, but
mainly by those who assume to know their
habits and manners, but are really ignor-
ant of them. Probably the hip-pocket
argument is not more carried in this State
than in the West east of the Missouri.
Californians are probably not armed to
any greater extent than are the citizens of
New York, nor yet than the denizens of
that peaceful burgh Philadelphia. In
truth we incline to the belief that fewer
of our men carry about the hip-pocket
argument to use in reply 10 libels than in
any one of the Southern States, or in some
of those of older civilization than Califor
MIA that border upon the Atlantic coast.
We are aware that Californians have an
inevitable reputation concerning the car
rying of concealed weapons, bat it is
due to the objectionable romancing of
the sloppy novelisls in the STORY papers,
and cheap magazines than to the truth.
Professor Boyesen certainly does not
"Snow," as he asserts, that all Californians
he meets carry an unanswerable argument
in the hip-pocket. If however, he should
insist that he does know, and that we do
not, then our estimate of Professor Boye-
sen must be lowered to the level of the
company he keeps. But we prefer to be-
lieve that the accomplished linguist
and writer INDUCED in a bit of
exaggeration when he asserted his knowl-
edge to be personal in this matter,
of the armament of Californians. He
probably drew upon his knowledge of the
repute of Californians at the East whom
the romancists picture as men who walk
the street with one hand so constantly
upon the posterior portion of the hip that
a Californian can be known wherever
caught abroad simply by the abnormal
elevation OF his right shoulder. Let Pro
fessor Boyesen and all others disabuse
their minds of the error. If he will run
down and disarm street full of New
Workers, Bostonians or Chicagonians, and
corral as many Californians from Saera-
mento, San Francisco, Oakland, or other
occidental cities, he win find the result of
his search to be the disarmament Of as
many men in each hundred of one lot as of
another.
But that lawlessness has been manifest
in this new State we are not prepared TO
deny; that it has injured this State, as it
has others, is unquestionable, and the
wound viii long remain. So, while We con-
tend that our men are not armed to any
greater extent than are those of many
other States, and indeed most States in the
West, we are free to admit that lawless