The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-06-21
REV. HARsHMAN.
WRITES OF SANFRANCISCO
AND MORMONlSM
5000 MILE JOURNEY
Former Canton Pastor
Had Pleasant Trip.
Newcomerstown, o., June is, 19I

Newcomerstown, o., June is, 1904.
In this letter / can make but brief
mention of many interesting things. l
spent two days in San Francisco, a
city of 350,000 population. Oakland
has $4,000 and other towns swell the
population gathered around the bay to
about half a million, one fifth of the
population Of the state.
One is impressed that this Is a bus
iness place, and not simply tourists
resort like Los Angeles. 1t is a billy
city, the grades in many Of the streets
being so steep that they use the cable
car system,
One day / had dinner in the cafe on
tho fifteenth floor of the Spreckels
building, commanding splendid view
of the city and the bay, and another
day at the Cliff house a few miles out
of the city on the ocean front, and
commanding fine view Of the ocean
and the seal rocks. Dozens of seals,
some of them ten feet long, were sun
ming themselves on the rocks and their
believing could be heard above the
roar of the surf.
The trip up Mount Tamilpais Is the
finest thing around San Francisco.
The foot of the mountain is reached by
ferry and by trolley car but the ascent
is by steam car. The road up is eight
and one-f1fth miles long and is said to
be the crookedest In the world. 1t has
two hundred and eighty-one curves and
these curves If they were continuous
would make forty-two complete cir
cles. At one place the curves are
such as to give it the name of "The
Double Bow Knot"
! The view both while ascending and
when on the top is charming. 1t is
not very high, only 26O0 feet, but the
city is in the distance, the villages be-
low, the wooded slopes and canyons,
the bay with its islands, the Golden
! Gate and the ocean combined make
view that can scarcely be excelled any
place.
From here l went northward over
what is known as the Shasta Scenic
( Route. The scenery along this route
\ is 3istly celebrated: During whole
3 day. one rides among and over noun
tains not the bare brown mountains
of the south but wooaed and green.
We ascend the San francisco river to
its source at the foot of Mt. Shasta
crossing 1t eighteen times. 1t Is a
rido one never can forget. For half
day we are in sight Of snow capped
- Ghos opd NJ opo poipt aro nplv ohOut
fifteen miles from its summit in q
direct line. This mountain is higher
than Pixies Peak and, believe is the
highest or next TO the highest in our
country.
YVES in Portland but a few hours
ami saw but little Of the city. l was
4 two days In Seattle, the great city of
this north coast 1t has now a popula-
tion of about one hundred and fifty
thousand and Is destined soon to have
half q million. Puget sound Is our only
good farbor north of San Francisco
and the opening Of the Alaskan gold
j. fields and the increase of trade with the
orient have given a great impulse to
the cities on the coast and the opening
of the Panama canal will still fur
ther increase 1t, and Seattle will get
its share.
The city is built on three hills run
ming parallel with the bay and pre-
sents beautiful sight Back of 1t is
I Lake washington twenty-five miles
long and two or three wide, and two
smaller lakes. On q GEAR day the hor-
izon is almost entirely bounded by a
circlo of snow capped mountains
most of them distant from thirty to
fifty miles Tho most prominent and
beautiful of these Is Mt. Rainier.
The temperature here does not vary
much the year round. Seldom any
frost and no snow. 1t seldom IL ever
rains in the summer but there is a
great deal Of cloudy, rainy, and dis
agreeable weather in the winter.
On my way homeward | passed up
the Columbia amid mountain and river
scenery that was overwhelming in its
beauty and grandeur, and for just a
moment caught sight of Mount Hood
probably forty miles away shining like
a great cone OF ice.
My next stop was at Salt Lake City
where / spent Sunday. In the after
noon went to the Mormon service In
the great Tabernacle. l must pass
over all the interesting things con-
cerning this city and this service ex-
cept the sermon which was preached
by the Mormon president, Prophet,
Seer, and Revelator," Joseph F. Smith.
1t was on marriage, apparently a pop
ular subject with the Mormons. He
proved or thought he did. that God is
both male and female, that marriage
Is eternal, Is necessary to salvation
and that bachelor cannot go to
heaven He defended himself for living
with moro than one wife In violation of