Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-17
. PECULIAR TRIBE OF SIR oRAcLEs.


disgruntled individual who looks at this
section with jaundlced eye. Southern
California, in especial, has been favored
with the gentleman who arrives here in
rain with one lung and an assorted lot
of porous plasters, who sits around the
hotel at which he happens to put
up, bemoaning his lot, and who
writes to the eastern papers stories
OF his lugubrious lot. He is careful
to see nothing of the country of which
he assumes to write with such knowl-
edge, and yet he assumes to be know
all and an authority on the region he
has passed through, and which has re-
mained sealed book to him. To do
the ladies justice they are rarely found
following in the footsteps OF the "hobos"
we have in our minds eve. The gentler
sex are attracted by chance sight of
the beautiful flora which CLEANS on all
sides in California; they investigate
and they are charmed.
Some sad and gloomy person, the VIC
tim of consumption in its last stages,
perhaps, or disgruntled fellow who
might be properly described "rheumat-
ic, asthmatic, sciasic and spleenatic, Z"
for our sins visited us some time ago.
Under the date of March 18th he writes
his impressions to the New York Times,
and his screed appears in that journal
of April Sth. This is what he has to say
concerning the City of the Angels:
We hear much of Los Angeles in the east,
and get the impression that it has the salubri-
Gus climate ana the attractions of a winter re-
sort for health and pleasure, but. like is ckson-
vile, in Florida, it is ally Cniy place to ar
rive at and to depart from. 1t is no doubt a
thriving town and the tracing center of a pro-
ductive district of moderate extent, but there
is 10 cbvious reason why one should lnger
there for en- ioyment or for the benefit of his
heal; in winter more than at Trenton, n. j.,
or Hartford, Ct, in summer. We found tha
weather wet and chilly and the place without
attractions except such as apparent business
prosperity gives TO any place OF The size. There
is Iittle foI visitor 10 see, and nothing for him
to do except to loaf" and there are much bet
ter loafng places to be found The streets are
mostly lacking in pavements and far from well
kept, and the town is badly drain There are
heights on one side from which there is fine
view of the region round about, and the cable
cars slide ana down the slope wi h apparent
ease and less apparent safety, out it is only by
going out from Los Angeles by team or Other
wise that much that is attractive can be found.
AS against the atrabilious outgivings
of such querulous carpers it is pleasant
to place the sprightly and pleasing
chapters of Charles Dudley Warner in
his New Italy. Mr.. Warner has been in
every cline of earth known for its at
fractions, and when he writes so go-
riously of Southern California, his testi-
mony is intelligent and informed. OF
course, very few people who visit South
ern California and it's metropolis, Los
write in the complaining vein
of this Times correspondent. When the
editor of the New York
Sun, Mr.. Charles A. Dana, visited this
city some six or seven years ago, he
wrote of it, and of the surrounding
country in most appreciat-
i've vein. But Mr.. Dana took the
trouble to see it. He did more
than that. On the collapse of the boom
in the winter Of 1SS7-8S he sent out
special correspondent to give a minute
report of matters as he found them here.
This gentleman reported of the section
in most cordial way and predicted its
early recovery from the effects Of over
speculation. The correctness of his judg
ment was shown by the fact that since
1887 we have not had one considerable
failure OF business firm in the city OF
Los Angeles. Our banks have approved
their solvency in remarkable manner,
and the steady progress in substantial
Improvements which has characterized
Los Angeles has been the wonder Of
every one who has given any attention
to the matter.
Then this prince of grumblers cannot
even allow Los Angeles any climatic
attractions, Notwithstanding the fact
that the surgeon-general of the United
States has pronounced it the healthiest
spot in the world, a popularity which
is shared by practically the whole of
Southern California south of Point Con-
cepcion. Those who care to form def
mite impressions of climate, founded
upon ascertained official and medical
data, which demonstrate that the eli
mate of Southern California far sur
passes that of the Riviera of the Medi-
terranean, will scarcely release their
impressions out of Difference to a trav-
cling hypochondriac.
AS against the jeremiad of the New
York Times correspondent we cannot
forbear putting pleasing little episode
which occurred in front Of the Hotel
Westminster, the other day. One lady
tourist was bidding another good by, as
the latter took her seat to go to the
depot. "Why how can you leave this
beautiful country" 2" said the one. "Be
sure I have to-" replied the other. 81
60 sorely against my will" This is the
spirit OF nine tourists out of ten. That
it has prevailed for years past, and has
been most potent in its effects, is shown
by the significant circumstance that the
II 300 inhabitants of the Los Angeles ol
the census of 1880 had become the Los
Angeles of so, $50 of that of 1890. Such
a phenomenal increase in population
speaks volumes for the attractions OF
the Angelic city.