The San Francisco call., 1895-10-13
STATEN ISLAND.

love islands-they are such complete, at-
daeious little worlds-Jersey, Guernsey, Alder
ney and Sark are all old Fairgrounds of mine.
Inc Isle OF Man haunts my memory with an
enduring joy. Place Guernsey in the center of
the Isle OF Man, and you have Staten Island
lis a small place; good pedestrian can walk
round it in day without fatigue. But in its
possession OF points of interest it is a whole
continent. 1t is all dips, spurs and angles.
from hundred baby peaks you can look
oown on terraced lawns and silver pools, the
Woooeo copse and meandering stream.
Dells and glens and bosky banks are every
Where. Beautiful homes, modest, yet dignified,
give an air OF peace and culture everywhere.
!, vast New York looms up nightly with mil
non non star,shaped eyes to look over upon the
Its shores, and the happy people who throng
lts porches and balconies of the great hostelry
Iook over upon the nightly aggregation of vii
lagos which make up New York with feeling
OF thankfulness that they not lost in its vol
can1c whirl.
Everywhere in Staten Island there is some-
tnlng TO gladden. the heart and to please the
eye;
The beautiful grounds of the Cricket and
basebau Club, with its ladies' club annex, are
I,exa9 uaaty pleasure. | saw game of cricket
prayed there between eleven gentlemen and
eleven OF the daintiest maids; charming, de-
hghttul girls, highly educated, bright and
spark ssParkllng, yet not averse to physical culture
Ihey played with q vim and piquancy that
was most alluring They were costumed in
Wh1te duck and straw hats, and each maid dis
tlncuvely attractive and splendidly groomed,
was a type or the swlft-winged Defender. They
played splendid game, showing a thorough
knowledge OF all its points, Their dresses were
OF the usual out-of-door length, and, being
uuck, had certain firmness of service to the
players, Tor the unhappy umpire was unable to
give "leg before wicket" the graceful limbs
Delng modestly out of sight.
AT the Country Club where hunting and golf
attract a large membership, 1 was happy to
meet the most attractive and delightful of
men-all-round men of the worldwide found
tlme 10 cultivate both mind and muscle. The
view from the clubhouse is perfect, and the
paying OF the hounds and the sharp shout of
ia,e Inc nuntsman carried one back to the days of
long ago: Golf has wonderful innings Just
now, and hope it may become popular in this
State, for 1t is a splendid game.
staten Island charms, because of it's natural
beauty. 1t is delightful, because found there
1nnumerable lovers of nature men and
women whose intellectual qualities would
make desert habitation of pleasure
Raconteurs, wits, artists, musicians, are those
met IN the little isle, and l do not think
ever saw so much thoroughbred hospitality
crowded into such small compass nor am
ever likely to forget the Macdonalds, Byrnes
Curans and many others whom it was nv good
fortune to meet there.
l had the pleasure of seeing. nearly all the
young people of Staten Island at ball, and
was delighted with all of them. One young
married lady-indeed, only few months q
bride-attracted my special attention by her
| was charmed to find that she was a San
Francisco girl.
had an opportunity of seeing in Staten
Island not the patriclans of the EaSt-possibly
not the so-oalled aristocracy, for whom I have
no special liking-but the gentlefolks-the
real ladies and gentlemen who make up the
republic OF letters and true life, who are
human, who are gentle, and who seek some
thing more than mere society distinction.
am in love with the island and the islanders
All Californians visiting the East should visit
the little republic, where peace and goodwill
reign supreme. But they had better not lose
time, for, alas, cruel. heartless New York is
about TO destroy one of its chiefest charms-its
freedom from the rapacious builder, its seclu-
sion from the boomer and its semi-ruraI soli-
tude-for that ugly python, the belt road is
already doing its deadliest and worst to strangle
the isle, or at least yulgarize and commercial
iZe spot which should be made sacred as the
temple OF thought. WIN. GREER HARRISON.