The San Francisco call., 1895-07-28
State Inspector of vacations,

It is quite probable that when the boys
and girls and their mothers begin to vote
we shall have a State Inspector of Vaca-
tions, whose duty it shall be to see that
each and every child IN the land is turned
out to pasture for few weeks in summer.
William Morris, who has written a beau
tiful book about his vision of the promised
land, saws that in it he saw groups of chill
dren camping out quite by themselves.
They seemed very merry and very busy as
they cooked and did all sorts Of things for
themselves and for each other. 'It is one
of their plays" explains the wonderful Old
Man, who answers all of Mr.. Morris ques-
ton about this promised land, land we
rather encourage them in it. They learn
to do things, and to try new ways Of doing
things which their elders might not be
able to teach them. They are healthy and
happy, too, and so We are very well
pleased"
We of this everyday world are not quite
SO far along as that yet. But l have just
been driving down from Sunol to inspect
the vacations of several hundred Young
persons who are camping out in Alameda
Canyon under the protection OF great
mum Der of fathers and mothers.
Helen Hunt, writing about California,
said that nature had planned the country
nobly and generously, but had forgotten
to put in the details. If this is a rule Ala
media Canyon is one of the exceptions.
None of the details are lacking, but Ala
media Creek is the most important of them
all 1t gives wealth of greenery to the
hillsides, where the trees IN their turn pro-
vide shade for the ferns and the delicate
flowers that fear the sun.
At the bottom of the canyon the trees
stretch out friendly branches to each other
across the water that plunges over bowld-
ers here and rests in quiet place below.
There are glorious batfnng places, there
are quiet hooks where twenty boys could
fish all day without causing pain to any
fish.
And under the trees in the bed of this
pretty canyon there are miles and miles OF
campers.
And among those people there is the
most peculiar state of things ever heard OF
in civilized land. There are hundreds OF
parents camping out for the summer with
their hundreds of children and there isn't
one single little girl to be found among
them all.
There are several kinds of boys and
some very pretty ones with braIds OF haIr
hanging down their backs. But they all
so of course there can be no doubt they
are really truly boys.
Sometimes one is almost tempted to
doubt even the evidence OF the overails,
and one little boy in particular had such
pretty braid of yellow hair hanging down
over the suspender straps of his overalls
and had the braid tied with such fresh,
blue ribbons and wore such very glrilsh
hat and such a demure look that | was just
going TO think he was girl in disguise
when his grandfather came over from the
train and saluted him with, ''Well ii here
isn't Captain Jack"
Of course that settled the question; no
girl could possibly be named Captain
Jack-it would be easier for boy to wear
long hair tied with blue ribbons!
The inharmony of overalls and hair rib
bons did not seem to be troubling these
Jolly young campers at all. They looked
so healthy and comfortable and so merry
besides that thought it would be the very
time and place to find out the way to make
boys happy during vacation-tlme. You
will see that these were the very best
natured young persons in the world; Tor
when they found out what l wanted they
climbed down out of the trees or UP out OF
the water, as the case might be.
They fairly crowded around me to get
pencils and paper, and they stralghtway
proceeded to write little compositions Tor
t'The Best Day of Ny Vacation" | hope
none of these kind and talented young
gentlemen campers will be disappointed at
not seeing their work ''in the paper; but
really there was a certain sameness about
the productions, because the opinion was
absolutely unanimous among children
from the City that the pursuit OF mud
turtles is the royal road to happiness.
The compositions were about as much
alike as the overalls, so l can only give
you sample OF each kind:
"The best day Of my vacation" wrote
ten-year-old, who wore long curls, was
the day | caught five mud-turtles.
'Three of US went out for a walk with
grandpa and the very first thing we saw
three little snakes going along with big
one, just as if they were out taking walk
with their grandpa, too.
'They looked ever so cute, and wouldn't
have killed those snakes for anything.
Then we went down among some big rocks
in the creek, and l found mud-turtle
playing with her four little ones. | caught
them all ana bundled them into box, and
then was so happy that ! just had to
climb up in the top of a tree and shout.
"Then we went home and I fixed big
tub full OF water and mud behind the tent
and put my turtles in there. / then went
to dinner and when came out the turtles
were all gone and was so terrified that l
came very near crying.
$50 | went out and picked a great big
armful of maidenhair ferns for Aunt
Hattie, and when l came back our dog had
three squirrels up tree. The boys caught
one of the young ones, and we put it IN
cage and called it Governor Every morn
ing it appeared to be dead and in the
afternoon it would be frisking around its