Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-10-22
Wednesday, October 22, 1890.
CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH.

Judge Sheldon's Lecture Last Kven-
ing on His Experiences Upon His
Recent Trip TO California-An Able
Discourse on Points OF Interest I'm
the Far West.
At the Church of the Messiah last even
ing Judge Sheldon delivered a very inter
esting address upon observations and
Experiences Upon the Pacific Coast" The
Sunday school room of the church was
well filled with an audience that listened
with rapt attention to the remarks of the
speaker. Judge Sheldon is an able, fluent
and entertaining speaker and the lecture,
which was given under the auspices of the
Young Peoples society of the church, was
a most enjoyable one. The speaker has
but recently returned from trip to the
Pacific coast and was in consequence fully
able to do justice to his subject. The
judge carried his hearers with him in
thought across the continent, describing
and explaining in his own inimitable and
pleasing manner the various points of in
terest through which he passed.
During the course of his address, in de-
scribing the country of the far west, he
said: The plains of the Platte river is
vast fertile tract of land, but not nearly so
fertile as the valleys of the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi. In some parts of the country the
sage bush, about which we in the east hear
SO much. grows in abundance. This bush
is not, as many suppose, the typical sage
bush of New England, bearing no resem-
blance to that bush except in name 1t
grows only in very dry, low tracts. The
enormous size of the state of Wyoming is
II. r. II l. e
have never travelled through it. The state
is II, 900 miles in extent. The valley of
the Sacramento is covered with the most
luxuriant foliage and very large
trees, giving one the impression of
great orchard the trees of which
had been neglected and allowed to run to
wood, instead of being carefully pruned
and kept in order, and this is the general
impression one gets of California. The
state has 700 miles of seacoast and is $50
to 200 miles in breadth. Every sort of
vegetation grows at a very rapid rate, but
fruit best of all. Even the turnips in this
state endeavor to grow to the height of the
great trees, and in this respect they are
only equalled by the wonderfully exager-
ated stories of the citizens as to the re-
markable fertility of that section of the
country. The city of San Francisco in
appearance is much like New York city,
but of course only in miniature. The
buildings and structures are built in the
same massive style as in the me-
tropolis. ALI the millionaires and
rich men do not live in the city proper
but upon Knob hill, sn elevation just be-
yond the city limits. The horses of Cali
fornia are to my mind the finest in the
world and the residents there take great
pains in raising them. Mr.. Leland Stan
ford, who is building great university to
be called by his name, is most enthusiastic
in this branch of industry. He has about
700 horses in training, $50 men being en-
gagged in instructing them The recita-
ton rooms of the university are all fin
ished and are but one story in height,
|-the dormitories, which are situated some
distance below, being but two stories.
Judge Sheldon then spoke of the won
derful impressiveness and grandeur of the
canons and trees of the state. The aw-
full majesty and grandeur of the
canons especially filling him with awe and
veneration. In describing the large trees
he said they grow to a height of about $50
feet and end in a most ungainly top. In
height they are not nearly as large as some
of the fir trees of Oregon, but in bulk are
much larger. The bark of these trees is
eighteen inches in thickness and of e
spongy substance. In closing the speaker
paid a very high tribute to the intrinsic
worth, character and ingenuity of the peo-
pie of New England, who, he said, furnished
the brains and enterprise for the rest of
the country, California itself included.
At the close of the lecture unanimous
vote of thanks was rendered to Judge
Sheldon by the society.