The times., 1897-03-14

OF the world is there seen such a picture
as is unfolded before the eye Of the tourist
who sets out from Los Angeles, the natural
center OF the colony system OF Southern
California. Within radius Of fifty miles
from this old Spanish-A American head
quarters one may visit a hundred colonies
each presenting some distinct feature Criu-
terest, but all modelled on the same plan
the union Of the best qualities of town and
country life; the development OF reiisicaS
and social associations; the cultivation Of
| the beautiful in landscape gardening ana
| Horticulture; theperfectiOn Of the community
| idea which replaces the ugly fence with
| the ornamental hedge ana breaks GG,yn
the caste line in social life. and tie ,nIu-
ination Of most OF those vices that make
the large American city 50 dangerous a
| plare for the proper education Of children.
A few of the dweilers in these colo
nies are men or large wealth Who have
been attracted by the climate and the
surroundings; a small fraction is made
| up OF those VINO only use their homes
as places of winter residence; but the great
majority are persons OF moderate means
who have sought a home in these colonies
| product OF their orange groves or vineyards.
| The standard of education and refinement
/ is high, for nine-tenths OF these colonisjs
know Europe almost as well a 5 this country,
and fully onc-third IS made up Of English,
| AngioIndians and Australians, to whom
this free life in q climate that permits OF
out door exercise every day in the year
| appeals even more thanit does To the Amer
| lean.
Lest this praise should seem eXagger-
ated it may be well to glance at few
features of these colonies before de
scribinS in detail some of the typical set
Elements. In most OF these Southern Cali
fornia colonies the sale of liquor is either
| prohibited OF restricted by very high license
The result is an entire absence OF corner
saloons. Tie Chinese are placed in one
| district, and they are compelled @ maintain
cleanliness in their quarter. This saves
the colony town from the unsightly spec
tace OF Chinese waSh-hOuses on tie main
streets, and it keeps tie OIientals strictly
apart fIOm the rest of the community
preCaut.o1 that only those who know tie
rapid spread of Chinese vices can properly
appreciate Far more attention is paid
| TO churches and schools than in most East
| eTn communities Indeed, what is spent
| on the school system of these colonies might
| be called eXtrava gance had it not been
| demonstrated that every dollar invested
| III good schoolhouses and superior teachers
| brings ample returns in tie best class OF
| settlers All public buildings are OF the
! best architectural designs, made of the
material that conforms most agTeeahly TO
the surroundings; the streets are laid out
| with double ard Triple lows of trees that
make the main avenues long viStas Of
leafy shade in OF midsummer days; phi
vate houses and grounds are in keeping
with the streets, so that the eye is seldom
offended hy anything grotesquc or incon-
gruous.
This colony system owed its origin to a
party OF German mechanics of San Fran
CISCO who over twenty-five years ago de-
cided to attempt the founding of a commu-
nifty in Southern California, which, while
leaving free play for Individual tastes,
| should have the benefit of union of COM
mercial interests. These Germans knew
little Of country life, but several of their
number hadhad experience in wine making
in the old country. To them was intrusted
the purchase of land and its proper devel-
opment. These mea bought part Of an
! old Spanish ranchonear Los Angeles, which
was so overgrown with cactus that it was
| worthless even for pasture of stock. They
! paid a mere trifle for the land, but the
| owner smiled over the bargain he had
made They then cleared the land, but the
| canal and diverted water from the Los
! Angeles River, divided the place into
| twentya acre tracts, with a village lot for
each tract, and planted the whole to the
| best varieties of wine grapes. They called
! the place Anaheim None OF the settlers
| moved upon their land. For three years
| they worked in the city devoting them
selves to paying for the land and it's i'm
| provement. All the work on the vineyards
was done economically, and in the fourth
| year, when the vines began to bear, houses
| were built and each colonist hegan liter
| ally to live under his own vine and fig
| tree. SO well did the managers execute
| their trust that no colonist was dissatisfied,
and in the entire life of the colony no mort
| gage was ever placed on vineyard. a
| winery was built, and the product of the
| vineyards was sold just as though il be-
| longed to one man. Thus every colonist
secured the fun fruit ofhS labor and never
| suffered from the raracity of middle-man
| or railroad agent.
For fifteen years the colony flourished
/ and such was the content of these Teutonic
| wine-growers that they never attempted
| to ''boom'' their lands. In fact, they
| set their faces against the hustling land
| agent, and it is only in recent years that
more worldly dwellers have come in and
have Supplanted many of the old vineyards
| with fine orange groves Yet, though
| Anaheim today wears an old-fashioned
look as legacy OF its plain German
! founders, few colonies in California can
! show a better record OF continued pros
| perity in good seasons and bad. Booms
| have come to other colonies and collapses
| of hooms, but through all these Anaheim
| has gone steadily on