The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-29
OARNIVALS IN VARIETY.

Californians seem to be just waking to a
realization of their opportunities for whole
some enjoyment. 1t is startling to know
that in land of perpetual flowers and
sunshine we may have an ice carnival
under as rigorous winter climate as that
which the residents of Montreal cannot
escape, or that, if we prefer, we can as con-
venently seek the semi-tropic comfort of
orange groves. which are blooming and
fruiting while our ice carnival is in prog
ress.
These extraordinary facts cannot be in
sisted upon too persistently, for upon full
development of them depend so many
possibilities for extracting from convenient
conditions all that the externals of nature
can contribute to health and happiness. 1t
is proper now to review the discoveries in
this regard which our people have made
within the year just closing and congratu-
late ourselves that so much has been ac-
complished within so short time.
The Midwinter Fair, which opened in
the early days of the year and closed with
the beginning of summer, was an eloquent
testimonial TO the character of the coast
climate. Winter expositionSare common
enough in the great cities of the world,
but history fails to give record of any
that approache ed in climatic character the
one that San Francisco had. The fair was
held in a latitude which, in every other
part of the world, means heavy sheet
of ice, thick blanket of snow and a
cruel frost that is as destructive of vegeta-
ton as of human comfort. Yet the distin-
gushing feature of our Midwinter Fair was
a grand central court planted to sensitive
exotics and blooming with the splendid
freedom of semi-tropIcal conditions.
Then came local summer fairs in various
parts of the State, all being expositions of
some striking feature of climatic excel
lence, with tincture here and there of the
romantic flavor of early Spanish days.
Santa Barbara had its famous carnival of
roses, because by some special favor of ma
ture the rose develops a splendor there
that is as wonderful as it is unique. Los
Angeles had fiesta, in which all manner
OF flowers were employed as an adjoining
feature OF the games and pastimes of a
Spanish festival. San Bernardino had
something of similar kind. Oakland,
Santa Rosa, San Jose, Sacramento, Stock
ton, Los Gatos and other places had their
flower festivals, and Santa Cruz closed the
season with a gorgeous spectacular water
carnival. Most of these carnivals were
different each from all the others, and now
comes Truckee with the most original of
them allan ice carnival in California,
with toboggan slides, with the tallest ice
palace ever designed, a great ice skating
rink, splendid road for sleighing reach
ing and encircling historic Bonner Lake,
and the frozen surface of the lake itself for
skating pond OF nobler proportions and
set IN framework of grander scenery than
the entire region of North America east of
the Sierra Nevada can produce.
This is a wonderful variety of carnivals.
Pasadena is to open the new year with a
rose carnival. In the early part of the
spring San Jose is to give festival at a
time when the roses of the Eastern States
are still locked mercilessly in ice. Beyond
these events no arrangements for the year
have been announced, but We may be sure
that we shall have q succession of splendid
spectacles during the coming year. That
all these things have an measurable
value upon the health and happiness of
those who enjoy them is indisputable;
and this in turn means that the natural
conditions which make these pleasures
possible indicate industrial pursuits work
ing to the production of a race superior in
all the high qualities which humanity is
capable of developing.