The San Francisco call., 1909-09-26

M prompts q defense OF the war
around the property or the
San Francisco Protestant orphan asy-
lum before saying one word OF this IN
stitution which has the honor Of being
the pioneer shelter IN this city Tor
desolated children?
It is equally curious that this beau
tiful stone wall should need cham
pion. But some one must refute the
libel that has repeatedly been uttered
against it. Any one who doubts the
occasion for this protest may ride on
the Haight street cars with his ears
as well as his eyes open and learn
the following or something akin TO Il:
What place is that7"
That's the Protestant orphan asy-
lum"
What horrible thing to put or
phans in a place like that. The wall
makes it look like jail.'
Or:
Doesn't that wall give you the shiv-
ers7 1t makes that place look exactly
like jail"
All Of which is really exasperating
from an artistic standpoint and from
that of the simple material TRUTH In
the first place, 6 year old boy would
not give that wall a second thought
were he minded TO scale it. There are
many places where the flower beds
are SO high that one can conveniently
look over this "jail' fence. How can
any one shiver and call any wall a
Jail when beautiful trees tower above
# and where the happiest of flowers
and vines are peeking over? How can
any one even think of so desperate a
place as a jail when screams of de-
light come over the walls every hour
of the day. for the little ones play
when the larger children are at
school.
The Wall Is Artistic
From an artistic standpoint nothing
could be nicer in color than that
libeled wall. 1t is made of the green
blue serpentine rock that cuts bias
across this county and crops out conspic-
uously near Haight and Waller and
Hermann, Laguna and Buchanan, where
the orphanage IS located. This wall
IS made OF the same kind of rock
used in the buildings. which. until the
amity of 1906. were rare landmarks.
II was ouarried not a block away. and
q few more Of these green blue heights
are awaiting practical as well as ar
tistic use.
with this rock, which is soft as COM
pared with granite or other materials
that may be similarly used the direc-
tors might easily have left q jagged
top TO the wall to tear little breeches
or make access from the street very
uncomfortable, for the serpentine rock
ouarrfes in irregular pieces. Instead
they used smooth pieces of granite in
architectural steps, adding conven-
tional beauty TO the wall, while divest-
ing IL of any terror for the boy Inside
who felt inclined to get out, or the one
on the outside who felt called upon to
make an intruder of himself. The
weather has been busy adding its touch
TO the artistry of the wall. 1t has been
putting shadowy moss on the sides
where the sun can not hold full sway.
II is interesting to recall that the
first fence outlining this property
marked il as an entity In the wiioer-
ness. and gave IL some protection from
the coyotes and small foxes and other
animals that civilization had notexter-
minated or driven back Further than
that. the very loneliness OF the place
made protection for the children Inc
peratfve. When the old fence gave way
10 the new one distinct element OF
ueauty was added 70 the institution
snd 70 the neighborhood. IL those who
have shivered and called the fence MT
only for a jail will look closely at 1t,
consider its color and construction, re-
gard the trees and the flowers, listen
10 the children and the birds who live
there. and then go inside and visit the
plsce. they will not only be very con-
trite. but will feel happy and well re-
paid.
The early history or this orphanage
within the interesting green blue wall
Is also the history or vital time In
san Francisco, a time when there came
en- accounting with some of the fnev-
table vfcissitudes that followed what
David starr Jordan calls the greatest
invasion known IN history" when gold
was discovered in California. Life In
the very new community meant also
sickness and death. Then came the
dependent children left alone In a new
land. far from relatives and friends
who might have taken the responsible
ifv Of their broken lives.
This first accounting came In the