The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-14


brief summary the romance Of the
brilliant Russian commander Reza-
nov. and Of Concha Arguello, a sor-
rowful story which Mrs. Atherton
has written at greater length and
with n sympathetic touch in one Of
her other works. II is important in
the history as showing how close
California came to being an annex
Of Alaska and thereby a rich de-
tendency of Russia.
This period ends abruptly and with
the form. though with little of the
reality OF war. II was mere technt-
cality. The United States was at war
with Mexico, the American forces, then
on some other occasion present in Cali
fornia, were justified In performing
such an act Of war as was implied by
hoisting the American flag and de-
claring the seizure of the country.
Mrs Atherton sees in the material
wealth. OF California, although the
knowledge Of the existence OF gold
placers had not spread at all widely,
a bait which induced Polk to work for
the Mexican war This appears to he
more a piece Of local pride than criti-
cal history But when the war was
In existence and she is dealing with
men and events within California no
fault liz to be found with her treatment
of the progress of conquest. The
principal character of these events is
Fremont the Pathfinder. His osten-
sible mission as a Captain in the
corps of Typographical Engineers,
that hardy arm OF the service held up
1T. t. hn
Topogs. was to discover some route
whereby railway communication
might be established between the At
lantic and the Pacific, task in which
the grave engineering problems were
still further complicated by the surge
of sectional politics in the jangling
Union. To Fremont she is cordial. yet
eminently critical in her estimate OF
the part he played in the conquest OF
California. This is made clearly mani
fest in her narrative of the hosting
of the Bear Flag. an incident which
California has shown magnificent
tendency to glorify as a triumph OF
American civilization over Mexican
incapaCity. She runs strongly counter
to the accepted tradition: she relies
upon a careful study OF available doc
uments enriched by her personal ac-
quaintance with some of the partici-
pants in the event: she reduces II TO
its proper proportions as more OF
tipsy frolic than an act of premature
sovereignty. II is altogether likely
that her estimate Of the event VIII
come into general acceptance.
At another period Of history she
runs once more counter to the self
glorifying attitude Of the Californians,
the Immediately succeeding era which
| is commonly known as the fall of 40
and the spring of So" the days Of the
great gold discovery. As between the
two seasons the Society of California
Pioneers affects TO draw a fine dis
tlnction. one which Mrs. Atherton
sweeps to one side along with the
whole Of the Bret Harte myth cycle.
Gold was discovered, Hangtown and
Yuba Dam and Red Gulch were once
upon the map. but she points out that
/ the digger, picturesque as he IL in nc
/ ton. was not formative OF the com
munity. The men who made San
Francisco a place OF habitation and
something more than a place OF rev.
elry for the gold mad were not the
miners. but the merchants who dealt
in supplies for the mining camps. and
who had an eye alert to the future
after the Sudden wealth of the placers
had been raked off. Placer and lode
in this section of her narrative are but
the background, the creation Of the
metropolis on the hay, the upbuilding
of a commonwealth whose material
wealth is year by year drawn deep
from the earth rather than once for
all CLEANED from its surface; this was
: the work Of sober men of commerce.
This supplies the motive, this makes
moral, the period Of the most pic
lturesque events in the history Of San
Francisco. Mrs. Anterior is too keen
an observer TO seek to obscure the
dramatic adventure of the two Vigil
lance Committees: without sacrifice OF
any Of the narrative value she makes
it quite clear that the disorders Of 1851
and of 1856 were working wholly
toward order. Cora and Casey
were turbulent. powers of evil, men
ace to the welfare Of the community.
Their great opponent. James King Of
VIM. was the protag3nist Of the
drama whose end was fated inevitably
to produce the triumph Of virtue
with sympathetic touch Ms. Ather-
ton pOrtrays William r. Coleman as
the hero fighting for the chance OF
his city to pass from evil, himself
doing technical wrong that real wrong
might pass from the community. IL
is dangerous principle TO advocate
the doing of a wrong that n good may
me. but the conditions were wholly
unusual and no preCedents could exist
Coleman and his numbered Nig!lantes
made their own preccdents and out
side the law worked for the triumph
Of law and civic order.
To Mrs. Atherton Senator Frederick
is a hero. Her intimate associations
were with the opposition. The great
political controversy to which Brode-
rick fell a martyr was local variant
Of the wider conflict within the Dem.
ocratic party upon the question Of
slavery. With a Juvenile facility in
inventing names the Californians
dubbed the two wings of the
party in their State the Chivalry
and the Shovelry. Gwin. with
the courtly manners of the South
from which he came. was the
leader of the slavery forces, Brod-
ericl; was the more rugged figure and
the victor in the contest. lie was thu
son of one of the stone masons whose
carving Of pillars and capitals adorned
Il. ~ a