Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-12-05
THE GOLDEN SHORE.
Something of the Fruits, Flowers and
Customs of Southern California.

SAN DIEGO, CALL, Nov. %, 1891.
EDITOR STANDARD:-This being a
sea coast town, it is very picturesque
~ situated, and has one of the finest
harbors south of San Francisco. The
bay, which has a surface area of
about twenty-four square miles, is
locked in by land on all sides, with
but narrow channel for the passage
of steam vessels. The beach stretch
es out like a thread of gold for many
miles, separating the bay from the
main ocean. With but few eXcep.
tions representative of all nations
on the globe may be found in San
Diego, and neither is it wanting in
religious denominations. 1t is said
that nearly every day in the week is
observed as Sunday or Lords day by
some one of these different denOmi-
nations. The public school buildings
are handsome structures, of which
there are five, and all entirely
governed by lady presidents, and
teachers, there being one gentleman
superintendent of all. The Kinder
gartens are conducted in all the pub
lie schools, and the little ones are
taught all branches of industry. Clay
modelling and industrial drawing are
especially taught. The latter con-
sists of making patterns for stamping
wall paper, dress fabrics, and carpet
ing. Each school is amply supplied
with towels, soap and water, and the
little urchins are taught habits Of
cleanliness, too, along with the
many other things. Women in
general are preferred to men in such
positions as they aspire to, such a;
clerking, book keeping, and type
writing, and many other things.
San Diego is also noted for it,
J mild climate, both summer anC
, winter. Even this late in the season
one may look OUT over thousands o
houses and scarcely see a smoke curl
ing up from one of them. Com
paratively speaking, coal and wood ar,
: in small demand, gasoline being thu
main agent of heat, especially 70
cooking purposes.
The site of San Diego is a gradua
! slope upward from the bay, and it
many lovely hills are crowned witt
handsome residences, mostly q
wood. There are but few building
, of brick or stone. There are a mum
Der Of hotels, which are fully up wit
the times in their Accommodations an,
:, cOnveniences. 1t would be a useles
attempt to describe the many beauti
full gardens of San Diego, but il
many instances flowers that we treas
ure back east, grow in such rank pre-
. fusion as to merit but little apprecia
ton. Tropical fruits of all kinds ar
y grown here, bananas fruit nicely, bu
not to perfection. Olive picking
now at hand. Oranges and lemon
v will not ripen till later On on
= orange tree, not over eighteen inche
v high, / counted sixteen perfect
! formed oranges. Lemon trees blOor
:. and ripen their fruit at the sam
q time.
/. The first thing by way of entertain
o ment since l came here, was a lectur
|. by christian Jew from India. II
d wore his native costume, which COZ
IL sisted of the oriental turban for tn
10 head, tight fitting waist, and
skirt which was breadth of clot
folded about the waist two or thre
e. times, and extending to the foo
1t A long sash was tied around I'll
(. waist, the ends, which were fringet
re reaching to the hem of the carmen
f. The entire suit was of cotton good
he in broad red and light tan stripe
l. His lecture would have been of gre:
70 interest, but he spoke English
IS brokenly that only few facts coul
III be learned.
n. Hoping to be able to tell your rea,
m er5something more interesting in IL
j. future, will close.
IL \ WARREN COCNTIAN.