The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-20
ALlFORNIA WEATHER FIBS.
Guess Work and Theories Confronted by
an Actual Record.
(Boston Transcript. }

Tho recent article in your esteemed
paper Of the Both ult., entitled 'Califor-
nia Weather Yarns" while wei! put and
possibly Il conservative view, is never
tht less somewhat misleading. It's
vowed object being to give q corrected
idea Of Califor MIA climate; but while al
hitting many OF its charms. yet mini
MIXING them, and while presenting Its
disadvantages yet magnifying them.
When you come right down to the sub
ject of weather, and particularly as ap-
piled to California, it is the nearest ap-
pruach to paradise on this earth yet dis
covered, whether or no.
It may be true that some fellows lied
about it," and that 1T has been exag-
gerated beyond credence, but after one
has escaped from the pitfalls of pneumo-
MIA, consumption and kindred ills con-
tiguous to the Atlantic seaboard-has
seen the flowers and foliage in all their
freshness in February and Marsh, has
found life out of doors instead OF i'm
prisonment in u steam heated eathtrap
Of a house, has seen the orange, lemon,
nectarine and pomegranite hanging from
exuberance of adjeotiyes to describe it
all may be misleading and even exag-
gerated. Foolish statements and many of
them have been made and published,
representing the climate as perfect, while
nothing in this world Except the Dem
ocratic party) is perfect I do protest
that California climate is nearly SO, and
that the article referred to gives an ultra
view.
California needs no champion, but
champion it 1 Will in a few salient
points In the first place, rain, and lots
of it, is expected during the rainy season,
and while it does not come accurately
and promptly to a day each year, yet
come it does nearly every season. and
the charm and verdure Of California is
its sequence. 1t would be bowling
desert otherwise; and the passenger for
California had better alight at the Mo-
iaye Desert beyond the mountains and
look over the real estate there il he can
bear with the gentle patter of a Califor-
mia rain. The sun shines almost through
it all and gets to work after shower al
most as promptly as the east wind in
Boston in March. In fact, the rain is a
blessing, and d contrast much needed
and grateful in climate which is posi-
lively quite the same right straight
along"
There are but few cloudy days, and it
is pre-em ipeatly "land of sunshine"
The 'sfog'' Of California, while bearing
patiently the same family name OF this
degenerate and abhorred article of the
East, is of no blood relation to 1t, but as
distinct and different in its nature, and
attributes as the various financial plat
forms which are now being presented for
the consideration of an already over
burdened people. 1t ia not fog in the
Boston acceptation of the term, but a
dry (while moist) mist which is delight
full. When the rain is raining and the
fog is Jogging in California is the only
time in the year when one is tempted to
sit by the fire and spin and think of
sweet home in Boston. "where the sleigh
ing is poor only thres months in the
year. | admit that the rain is wet in
California; Newspapers in California
cannot be expected to become metamor
phosed and stop booming the country or
telling the truth. Doubtless the exact
ness of the truth they publish accounts
for the tendency of the Californians to
support their published statements and
Join with them" 1t is creditable. II
is Californian ESQ long as it is the truth,
and the climate does this Even in Cali
fornia ''you should never worry about
the weather." 1t does no good anywhere
People do become very critical living in
such q climate, and 1t is no wonderful
tally-hos at Los Angeles cater to class
who will not tallyh except "whe1 the
weather is fair" But it requires nice
perception to critioise such weather a.
is "put on the table" every day of the
year. The rain is, as have frankly ad
lnittd, wet; and / must say it would not
seem natural if it wasn't also "cool;"
but do affirm that it would be a desert
without it. 1t is country where rail
roads have "washouts'' inst as we dc
East, SO 1T seems real "homelike;o but
advise your friends to buy a ticket just
the same. as they can walk round ths
washout through an orange grove, and il
is MT so bad as it sounds. No Califor
MAN needs to seek the "shade." They
live and breath in the sunshine every
Gay in the year (when it doesn't rain J.
If the Thermometer registers one hundred
degrees or even higher, no matter-ne
sunstroke there; and it will not be founo
SO uncomfortable rs eighty degrees IL
Boston. Mr.. Humidity can explain this
seeraing paradox. I do believe the
ocean bathing the year around'' Ii al
exaggeration, but the ocean may warn
up as the years roll on. This is the only
Improvement which is conspiouously
needad. The climate of California
rs could we'll be. One can live in perfec
equability ing Santa Barbara and in al
entirely changing and different olimat
even ten miles away. In the mountain
and inland, great variation of tempera
ture. On tho coast great equability. Blu
go high or go low, one can be suitet
somewhere and can find almost any
thing in the shape of climate which ma,
be desired. So that to condemn Califor
MIA as whole for its failure in any par
would only be equal to Judging of it
sunshiny days by its rainy ones. Rev
Edward Il. Hale says of Santa Barbar
what may be applied to many other de
lighrful places there: SIT is the kingdom
Of heaven On earth.' Much that ma
be termed exaggeration may be q meta
phorioaI style Of description as we'll. !
is an Understandable land, and one mus
&c for themselves to fully appreciate j
in ell its varied charms.
LIN COLIN CLIFFORD CUMMINGS.