The morning call., 1892-07-03
BY THE WAY.
5eing a RamblBr'S Observations on Things
in General
;etvous People Golden Gate Park-Chicago's
Misfortunes-G G,adstone, Disraeh
and Carlyle.
written for THE MORNING CALL

The American people are supposed to be
peculiarly excitable and nervouS-always
ia hurry, restless and active, and even
liking sleep grudgingly. Rather than pass
lie time idly, many dutiful citizens are
willing TO play poker or pedro for hours to-
sether in the back parl0r OF corner gro
rery, and they sometimes come away from
hese resorts with their nerves in q
cry high state of tension indeed 1t
must be some phase Of the high
etehed temperament which gives u pleas
ire in the numerous political parades with
aanners flying, torches held aloft, rockets
rhizzing, calcium lights burning, bands
coming and lusty throats hurrahing. In
bese spectacular outburSts there Is no
principle involved. 1t is neither tariff nor
rec trade. nor our rights and other peoples
wrongs In BeriDg Sea, noI the Monroe doc
rine. nor anything under the sun but efer-
yesceDt enthusiasm In rally round party
lag. On the Fourth Of July everything is
TardOnable short Of setting town on
ire, or, as the phrase is, painting the town
cd" The bombs. frecrackers, pistols.
shotguns, popguns and rockets which 60 of
that day from dawn to midnight attest
Tow indispensable powder is TO a respectful
celebration of Independence day. To de-
rive youth OF its pleasures on the glorious
Fourth is out Of the question. No one
ould dream of Ii outside the Fire Depart
nent. There are, however q good many
q, stereotyped Fourth of July celebration,
and they HE themselves TO the Tecesses OF
he woods OF to the mountains, or so hunt
ug aud fishing.
Railway companies being without souls
IT conscenees, like all corporations, do not
concern themselves with the nerves Of the
nervous. Their business is to drive traffic
head and iu attaining the end they are re-
aTdeSs of consequences. The tOlling bell
nd the shrlek of the locomotive are con-
SldeTed musical sounds whenever they are
heard, whether in the dead Of night or the
-aTly morning. Those who live near depots
where trains sTe made up must often
piousIy wish that they were stone deaf.
tor the past month the residents on Geary
street have been subjected to tortures OF
20 ordinary severity. Perhaps there are
few Of them in the hands OF
he doctors, suffering from the maady which
said 10 have been baptized by a Frenchman
as AmeTlcantls-an aHl CtlOn which lndl-
'ates the wreck Of physique in person who
1aS been IN too much OF hurry. Be this as
may, the tramway company who are al
YORK altering their gauge and laying down
new rails and new cable alley, in addition
% new paving, must often have been heart
iiy aBatbematiZed and consigned 10 Hades by
sufferers who could not snatch five minutes
sleep, owing 10 the lDcessant pounding kept
9p by gangs OF laborers working every hour
utOf the twenty-four. The company must be
cOmplimented on showing ingenuity in the
mode Of carrying out the work. The ears
keep running as il nothing new in con-
stTuctI0n were in progress K Ills are laid
along sections with marvellous CELEBRITY, and
the hlling IN, as we'll as the excavating, has
been performed as rapidly as possible. Men
have t0iled like beavers, and no doubt the
company and the contractors have been
gratihed. Changing noises ali through the
aIght are delightful sounds to thelE Their
nerves are we'll braced for trihlDg annoy
aDces OF this ciyiliZing description, and
through keeping at the work uuinterrult- Z
edly, not nickel is lost in traffic.
It seems to be necessary on all our cable
ears to sound violently sonorous bell upon
or before reaching crossing. Approaching
ears salute each other thus wherever they
meet. This Is another indication that While
we are nervous We are supposed to be nerve
iess. Admittedly the bells are not orna-
mental; they are useful, and are not bad of
heir kind, hut being tangled frequently
md well nigh maliciously. they become a
positive nuisance in the ears of the seGsi-
tive. who, however, almost require TO make
Al apology for their existence at least in
cities. These car-btlls are benevolently in
tended TO warn the public not to get their
legs broken, misfortune for which the
companies would have TO pay heavy dam
ages. If the companies could only coDtrive
70 make their bells musical in the manner
OF those round the necks of horses In France
hey might be forgiven. But the quiet of
the turmoil and grind Of city life-at least,
not in any American city. To make things
lively is our aim aDd contentment.
a young lady who has just returned from
one Of the Eastern colleges 20 pass her holi-
days In her native State had something of
an experience In the Golden Gate Park last
week. She has taste for natural history,
and put forth her hand TO pluck yerba
5uena. 1t is not rare plant in the wild
parts OF the park, but there is law against
tlueklng anything. wild or cultivated. and
10 the main it is good law. Soon the en-
thusiast found herself the subject of atten-
tion. A couple of mounted star-adorned
Dark wardenS shouted wildly to her from a
NIL, and ordered her not to pluck flowers.
This being forbidden, the erring young
ia1Y turned her attention TO ornithOlogy,
and began TO pry into bushes for birds
nests. Then again did the guardians of the
proprieties Interfere. They were suspicious,
Tar more than policemen usually are and
when she explained what she was doing,
they said that she had no business to 90
bird s-nesting which means that no.
body has any right to look at a birds
nest-and further that she should not
stray off the paths. This was too
much for the patience OF bright college
student She SnapDingly asserted that she
had right TO leave the paths and TO wan
der over wild grouud-surely common
sense conclusion commonly put in practice
and went ahead exploring. The final advice
OF the policemen was TO look for birds
nests on the paths only. They might as
we'll have said mares nests. Then they
caniered off In the intelligent performance
OF some other duty.
In view Of the fact that people loll
about as they please on the cultivated
swards of the upper part Of the park, where
ali the turf is artificial and costly, and
would perish but for the watering and seed
sowing, any prohibition cutting off access
10 some Of the Wild dells overruu with wild
plants off the driving roads seems NONSENSE
cal. There is no danger of exterminating
plant life by tramping over these tufied pits
or billocks, because not onein hundred ca res
70 leave the beaten track following the
roads OK walks. To the multitude one plant
or one tree is very much like another. They
may be refined by their presence, but they
are not interested in plant life specially or
intellectually. An immense sum has been
expended IN forming the park, and with
good results, but 1t has one demerit. There
are too few paths for pedestrians. The
chief attention has been to provide the best
possible roads for buggy-driving. and
they are, admirably kept in order and
tn sound condition. right down to the ocean
beach: But good deal more might have
been done for the pedestrian, who prefers
walking to riding. 1t may be said that the
pedestrian can swing along at great stride
on The driving roads. So he can, but he ha
10 skip out OF the way of racing vehicles,
and frequently has clouds OF dust beating
against his face. Pedestrians would prefer
paths of moderate width, winding out and
in, and well sheltered.
The Berkeley Regents have put their fee,
down upon doing too much for the students
who attend The university. There is a limil
10 being too grandmotherIy, and the line i:
properly drawn at converting various por-
tioBs OF the university and State into pro-
fessionaI Fairgrounds, all laid in ample.
pie order. at the expense Of the State, Tue
Regents have no more right to appro.