The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-07-26
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.


been there only during the late winter
and early spring, but. take it the year
around and any one of the states east
OF the Rocky Mountains is a much bet
ter place to live. One thing I have
noticed about CalifornianS, those who
live in the southern portion of the state
and that is the deliberate, calm and col
iected manner which they will assume
When they tell climate lies and almost
every 1nhabitant who has lived there
more than two years becomes a climate
liar. Climate is their chief means of
earning a livelihood; they sell climate
and claim to have any climate that
can be called for always on hand If
you want to make a native mad just
mention that there was at one time a
frost in that section of the state, and
he will call you anything but a truth
teller. They get Just as angry with a
man who mentions the faults of their
climate as horse trader does when you
show him defects in his animals They
DO this because you are debasing their
principal commodity. On the strength
of their advertised climate the tourists
with pockets filled with money are
lured to that end of the earth, and it
is the wealth of the tourists that keeps
the wolf from the door of the southern
Californian. IF the tourists failed to ap-
pear the inhabitants would be obliged to
pack up their climate and leave or re-
main and starve to death. To illustrate
now even the good men of the land of
sunshine will dodge the truth when it
is question of climate: I was standing
on the platform of the La Grande sta
ton in Los Angeles one winter several
years ago, and with me was an ex-
minister who had lived in that country
several years. It was early in the
morning and the air was very raw We
both wore our overcoats and were wait
ing 1mpatiently for our train, when I
noticed that the water which had
dripped from a switch engine had
frozen I called my friends attention
to 1T and good naturally joked him
about the warm climate. never lower
than 68, which he had boosted so much
about. Several days later we met at
the same station and, like all true Cali
Iorn1anS, he began speaking of the glo-
rious climate, and expressed his SYM
pathy for the poor, benighted people
back home who were so foolish as to
ROMAN away from the land of sunshine,
the land where frost was unknown
recalled the incident of the frozen
water and said that it sometimes froze
water in Los Angeles, but he instantly
denied it; denied having seen the ice,
and said he couldn't remember anything
of it, and believed I was mistaken. I
learned afterward that every frost or
snow storm was treated as a skeleton
in the closet by all the residents. and
I came to the conclusion that they teach
their children to avoid speaking of
such events outside of the family
circle"
stSome years ago I was working in a
drug store in a western Kansas town.
said a man at the Fifth Avenue, land
the town is what is known as dry
that is, it was hard to buy any liquor
unless one was we'll acquainted or had
friends who could put him on to the
ropes. There were no Joints and the
drug stores did all the business in that
line, which did not amount to much.
because of the fear of the temperance
league, which had succeeded in electing
oil hn aifx Hndc a
were practieed to avoid the law were
many and peculiar. The man who en-
ployed me would not sell to anyone, but
he kept a large bottle of whisky be-
hind the prescription case and all his
customers knew it. They would come
in, step behind the case and in a little
while would come out, step up to the
counter and pay ten cents No one
ever knew how much they would drink
while alone with the bottle, but I be-
lieve that many of them took double
measure, and perhaps more. I believe
that they kept the boss frightened
with tales of r-umored police raids and
other stories long after the temperance
epidemic had quieted just to keep up
that snap, but he finally came to the
conclusion that it was an unSatiSfac-
tory method of doing business and
stopped it. One of the greatest pests
was the constant application of tramps
for alcohol. The reason they drink
alcohol is because it is cheaper and
usually can be purchased with less
trouble than any other liquor. I re-
member one day a tramp came in and
asked me for alcohol. I refused to sell
it, and he went out after telling me
that he was a painter and wanted the
stuff for mechanical purposes In a
short time he returned with a large
bottle which contained some gelatine,
and putting fifty cents on the counter
asked that I put pint of alcohol in
the bottle as he wanted it to cut the
gelatine. It was an old game and will
work lots of fellows, but it didn't go
with me- The alcohol will not effect
the gelatine, and the tramps pour it
off, mix it with water and drink it.
They keep the bottle and work the drug
clerk the next time they get fifty
cents"
sSince hostilities have broken out in
China nearly everyone feels called upon
to state their opinion of the Chinese
character remarked a gentleman at
the Copeland. 81 lived in the west for
a. number of years and saw a great |
deal of the Cinnamon in that section
of the country and consequently know |
from personal experience and observa-
ton something of the character of the |
class which has come to this country. |
OF course it is the lower class which |
comes here and works for living. but |
it is reasonable to assume that the |
weather. classes which remain in China |
possess the same racial characteristics |
From my observations I conclude that |
tho ChiDar7aaD is naturally 0ec6itful and |