The San Francisco call., 1896-08-29
THE PROPOSED WORLDS PYTTIAN HOME AT SAN DIEGO.

The perfect climate, fine surrounding
grounds and elegance of the home itself
will make it a paradise for the aged and
infrm of the order who will enjoy its
shelter.
The proposition on foot is for.the city of
San Diego to give deed in trust to the
State lodge of the Knights of Pythias for
the house, outbuildings and grounds
known as the Children's Home in the City
Park. How the city acquired this property
is an interesting story.
About seven years ago when Bryant
Howard was a pillar in the financial
structure of San Diego as president of tho
Consolidated National Bank (since de-
funct) he secured from the city, by special
act of the Legislature, 100 acres of the City
Park, under an agreement whereby him.
self, James M. Pierce and o. s. Witherby
were to maintain perpetually an orphans
home, old women's home, school of tech
nology and several other eleemosynary in
stitutions. Bryant Howard was the chief
figure in the deal and when Pierce died he
left will directing the expenditure of
large sum in the buildings and grounds.
Witherby did not make much noise, but
sion of the bank it developed that he was
putting up the larger part of the cash and
giving Howard the credit for it until after
his own death when the world was to be
made acquainted with the fact that
Witherby was the principal benefactor to
the widows and orphans. Bryant Howard
calmly appropriated all the glory to him.
SELF
After the failure of the bank Howard
dropped the "park tract" as it is called,
and since then the buildings have been
vacant. Howard testified at one time that
he and his assoc iates had expended $I75,-
600 on the groun DIS and the two buildings,
the larger and mo re expensive building
being the one offered to the Pythians.
This building with one or two outbuild-
ings cost $65, 900 and is admirably adapted
to the purposes of q worlds home for
Pythians. 1t is constructed in summer
like, breezy style of architecture, but at
the same time is solid and substantial
structure. The grounds were laid out on
an elaborate scale by trained landscape
gardener and carefully attended for five or
six years.
TIE whole 100 acres did not receive this
costly treatment. About twenty acres
surrounding the building. however, are in
trees, shrubs and semi-tropical plant life
are TO be found there. The topogra phical
character of the grounds is especially
adapted to beautiful adornment. Gently
rolling slopes, stretching away to an up
land behind the home and down to deep
ravine to the left, admit of picturesque
grouping OF trees and shrubs. On the
sunny south slope of the canyon, running
along the edge for several hundred feet,
are rows OF evergreen shrubs laid out to
spell the words, "a sound mind in a
sound body" A mile distant, along the
principal streets, these words can be made
out, spelled in living letters. The heights
are crowned with forest trees planted in
discriminatory, affording pleasant shade
and touch of wildness so much desired
by true landscape artists.
The two Pythian lodges of San Diego
have been working on the plan to secure
this home ever since there was prospect
of the property reverting to the city. Last
week Judge Puterbaugh of the Superior
Court rendered decision giving the city
the 100 acres and all improvements, on
account of the failure of Howard and his
associates TO perform their contract. The
matter is now entirely in the hands of the
city, subject to approvals by the Legis-
lature.
Harry w. Vincent, assistant city CLERK.
is secretary of the Pythian Home commit |
mittee of the Grand Lodge. He is actively
working to secure the magnificent prop
erty for the Pythians. A canvass of men,
bers of the City Council resulted in vir-
tual promise of united support in the |
undertaking. Judge Stanton L. Carter of |
Fresno is chairman of the committee, and |
he will prepare the legal documents to be |
submitted to the Council. 1t is not ex- |
pected that there will be any strong oppo- |
sition to the plan, as the city has no use |
whatever for the building, and would be |
put to continual expense to keep it up. |
The Pythians propose to secure trust |