The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-12
A FEVER OF LA FIESTA,
The Unequaled Procession of
CALIFORNIA; Floral
CarniValS.
WILL THEY RETURN ANNUALLY?
to the World How Well
Worth Living Is Life In
the West.

The fever of the fiesta that is running its
contagious course up and down the State
is not so much a harbinger of better times
to come as it is an epidemic of good feeling
already here. The people of California are
feeling quite well, and have taken to throw
ing floral snowballs at one another merely
because the blood which they feel in their
finger-tips, quick from the heart, impels
them to it. They feel that something
ought to be done, something that will ex-
press the temper they are in; something
nice and kind and glad and pretty, having
the warm touch of nature in it. So they
smother their carriages deep in roses and
| carnations, put wreaths of smilax about
their horses necks, strew the streets with
moss, cover their houses with Towering
vines, throw arches of evergreen across the
highway, and then ride out to meet and
salute each other with battery of bios
SONS.
An advertisement? Certainly. Just as
October is advertised by the grape, turned
purple.
The analogy between an added 10 per
cent to the price of real estate and flower
carnival is quite as close. A man who finds
such pleasure In living as the carnival ex-
presses will want to continue at it right
along indefinitely. In order to do that he
must have some place to live. Ii he has a
house to his am bilious liking he will not
sell it, and if he has none he must save UP
and buy one. This sort of thing cultivates
the 10 per cent just as certainly as so many
days of sunshine bring October and the
purpled grape. A rose carnival commu
nifty advertises the fact that it is Immensely
well pleased with itself.
And the confidence restored" which is
the current phrase for explaining the fiesta
epidemic. becomes cumulative and results
in the -, but the word boom" is barred.
AS Governor Budd remarked to the CALL
the other day, while the enthusiasm of
Santa Rosa's floral battle was still on him:
ga few years ago such demonstration
would not have been attempted. Now
every city in the State seems to be eager to
enter the list against every other city in
preparing the most attractive festival that
shall be CHARACTERISTIC. OF the peculiar
bounty of the State and its own especial
district It is an indication of returning
good times that is full of encouragement
and glad tidings."
To be sure these festivals cost money
and much labor in their preparation, but
the fact that every city of the State that
has once tried it's hand at festiyal-giving
has repeated it tells plainly enough how
well the effort has been repaid one way or
another.
Santa Barbara has the distinguished
honor of introducing the battle of flowers
to America. She did it to entertain a
President four years ago, and was so we'll
entertained herself in so doing that she re-
peated it with interest next year, and then
the next and the next, excelling each pre-
vious effort. until she has eclipsed in the
abundance and beauty of her display any
that her Italian teachers ever made-say
those who have seen and claim to know
about it.
Then year ago Los Angeles caught the
festival fever. and invited the world at
large to come ana see what she could do,
and those who accepted came away saying
| they had had great time and seen beau
tiful thing. Los Angeles was not satisfied,
however, and this year started in to break
few records in fiestas. And she certainly
did it-especially her own.
The display this year wholly outclassed
that of the year before, and has set the