Los Angeles herald., 1890-05-25
BY-tIe-Way.


ance, always, in making visit to San
Francisco. And for why? 1t is GER
tainly very ugly city. And dirty, too.
Always either sloppy or smothered in
flving debris and dust. To be sure, the
bay compensates for many things. But
it maketh the heart of the loyal An
geleiio to swell with pride when he COM
pares the architecture of the metropolis
with our own. Barring very few, the
edifices of San Francisco, of public and
of business use, are vastly like unto
overgrOwn packing cases, fitted with
cornices and windows, and painted of
rusty dirt color. The contrast is pleas
ant of our own artistic structures. Even
the Mob hill residences are, to nv
mind, with all their pretentious ''ginger-
breadery," lacking in the good taste
that characterizes most of our later
buildings, even the most modest cot
tages. And our streets-well, our streets
are a rery little cleaner than those of the
metropolis.
There are two features of that city
that might well be introduced here-the
establishment OF some public place of
resort, however limited as to space, akin
to that of the Golden Gate park, where,
on stated days, people might gather and
meet, air themselves and their fnery,
and "hear the lily-white bandsmen
play" We have space enough; both
the SiXth-street park and the Plaza are
suitable. Save in the very largest cities
none OF the plazas of Mexico are so
large as these, yet our neighbors unfail-
ingly turn out twice week by hundreds
for an hour, or two at these breathing
places What we need is the music and
some movement to give impetus to this
custom.
Then the daily afternoon promenade
down Kearny street. 1t is enlivening,
slightly and beautiful. Why do not we
Angeleilos have similar informal par
ade or drill on one of our fine long
streets?
And the Friscans do understand the
seating of audiences-an art sadly in its
infancy in Los Angeles. How many
people yet feel retrospective indig-
nation when they remember how,
having made a point of early taking
their seats for Henry Georges first lee
ture, they found themselves, for ca
price, relegated to places half across the
house from their numbers. When one
suffers from defective hearing or imper-
feet vision, such transpositions are no
joke. One pays ones money for GER
tain specified accommodations, and one
has right to the fulfillment of the bond
and that, too, without being ''sauced"
for protesting against imposition.
Same thing at the cornerstone laying
ceremonies at Whittier. People who
had gone early to secure the seats they
were invited to occupy, arbitrarily and
roughly turned out of them, to stand
about in great discomfort; delicate
women, tired children, aged men-all
alike. To be sure, these things are long
past; but to remedy evils, great or little,
in this world OF pushing, hustling neg
ligence, where so much goes by de-
fault, it requires constancy as well as
courage. Not only must one protest
against abuses, but keep on protesting
at frequent intervals, until they are
remedied. Stick-to-it-iveness accom-
plishes more than violence or force.
Apropos to that same reform school |
function, when Don Pho Pico, with his
venerable white beard, and his quaint |
black satin shirt, was led upon the plat
form, hand in glove with our present
governor, and the other magnates, |
of Mexican blood who actually shed
tears OF Joy and pride in the distinction
shown the old gentleman. They are
warm m-hearted beings, these Spanish
easily moved through the
and it seems rather pathetic
that consideration toward their repre-
should be so rare as. to excite
such demonstrations. But it is true
enough. They feel, and very Justly,
that they are being crowded out and
omitted from the count in these days.
Lately l was on a train wherein was
special car, whose tenants made me
some visits in the Pullman. One of
them said, amid our babble: 'Do you
remember how Mrs. Jackson speaks in
Ramona" of the feeling of wrath and
hatred toward the Americans, coming
here to overturn the old order of things
and force in their own institutions, sor-
did and commonplace? Do you know"
he added, 81 was in Los Angeles during
am, / felt a perfect fury of re-
sentiment and indignation at the brutal
chase after the dollar, that was
etry and romance of the old times
lOO HdlO oilooO pCoplo WIZ WOulu Cedr
away one of the old-time houses with
all it's picturesque memories and associa-
tions, if they could erect and rent a
dairy or real estate Office on the place"
Now, let no one say this is the high |
flown sentiment of the enthusiast, or
the "noble rage" of the scribbler, for
the man who spoke is one Of the hard
est-headed, most practical and most sue
cessful business men in California. and |
his is the management of one of the |
most wide-reaching corporations among
US. Y. H. Adds.