The San Francisco call., 1898-12-18
CALIFORNIA HND THE CHLIFORNIHNS
By David Starr Jordan.

| ing's classification. The first Saxon settlers were men, and in their rude civilization women had no part. For years women in California were objects of curiosity or of chivalry, disturbing rather than cementing influences in so- ciety. Even yet California is essen tially a mans State. It is common to say that public opinion does not exist there; but such a statement IS not who'll ly correct It does exist, but it is an out t-of-door public opinion-a mans s view of men. There is, for example, 8 strong public opinion against hypocrisy, in California as more than one clerical renegade has found, to his discontinue. The pretense to virtue is the one vice that is not forgiven. If a man be not liar, few questions are asked, least of all the delicate one as to the name he went by in the States" What we com monty call public opinion-the cut-and- dried decision on social and civic ques- tions-is made up in the house. It Is essentially feminine in it's origin, the opinion of householders as to how men should behave. In California thera Is little which corresponds to the social atmosphere prevailing the snug, white painted, green blinded New England villages, and this little exists chiefly in communities of people transported thi- ther in block-traditions, convention alities. prejudices and all. There IS, in general, no merit attached to conform ity, and one may take wide range Of rope without necessarily arousing dis trust Speaking broadly In California the virtues of life spring from within, and are not prescribed from without. The young man who is decent only because he thinks that some one is looking would do well to stay away. The stern law of individual responsi- bilty turns the fool over to the fool killer without a preliminary trial No finer type of man can be found in the world than the sober Californian; and yet no coast is strewn with wrecks more pitiful.
 There are some advantages in the ab sence of a compelling force of public opinion. One of them is found in the strong self-reliance of men and women who have made and enforced their own moral standards With very many men life in California brings decided strengthening of the moral fiber. They must reconsider, justify and fight for their standards of action; and by so doing they become masters of them selves. With men of weak nature the result is not so encouraging. The bad side of this life is shown in lax business methods. official carelessness and cor ruption, the widespread ( rrosions of vulgar vices, and the general lack of pride in their work shown by artisans and craftsmen.
 In short California is a mans land, with male standards of action-a land where one must give and take, stand anu fall, as man. With the growth of woman's realm of homes and houses this will slowly change. It is changing now, year by year, for good and i'll; and soon California will have public
  the rod behind the looking glass" and to shun evil not only because it is vile, but because it is improper.
 
 In no way has the unearned incre- ment been more mischievous than in the booming of cities. With the growth of towns comes increase in the value of the holdings of those who hold and wait. If the city grows rapidly enough, these gains may be inordinately great. The marvellous beauty of Southern Cal ifornia and the charm of its climate have impressed thousands of people. Two or three times this impression has been epidemic At one time almost every bluff along the coast, from Los Angeles to San Diego and beyond, was staked out in town lots. The wonderful climate was everywhere, and every where men had it for sale, not only dtOIS ltlt SOds Dul tulQQSnOuI the orano e-bearing region of the interior. Every resident bought lots, all the lots he could hold. The tourist took his hand in speculation. Corner lots in San Diego, Del Mar, Azusa, Redlands, Riverside, Pasadena, anywhere, brought fabulous prices. A village was laid out in the uninhabited bed of mountain. torrent, and men stood in the streets in Los Angeles, ranged in line, all night long, to wait their turn in buying lots Worthless lana and inaccessible, barren cliffs, river-wash, sand hills, cactus de- serts, sinks O. alkali, everything met with ready sale. The belief that South ern California would be one great city was universal. The desire to buy be- came mania. "Millionaires of a day" even the shrewdest lost their heads, and the boom ended, as such booms always end, in utter collapse.
 T. s. Van Dyke of San Diego has written of this collapse: The money market frightened almost on the instant. From every quarter of the land the drain of money ou' ward had been enormous, and had been balanced only by the immense amount constant ly coming in. Almost from the day this inflow, ceased money seemed scarce everywhere, for the outgo still contin- ued. Not only were vast sums going out every day for water pipe, railroad iron, cement. lumber and other materi- al for the great Improvements going on in every direction, most of which mate