South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-05-07
Seeing America
First
u UNraH IaIIy
BY Fred Kelly.

From Diary:
The one bitter disappointment of
my stay in San Francisco was finding
that 1 was too early for the flea
session. All my life 1 had heard of
San Francisco as being the greatest
flea town on the continent. 1t is no
disgrace to have feas in the great
city on the Golden Gate; it is scarcely
even bad form. There are so many
fleas there in season so 1 was as
sured-that there are not enough dogs
to take them up. Consequently, be-
Jeweied dOwagers and sad-eyed canine
pets sit down side by side TO search
for fleas. If l had only postponed
my visit a few weeks l might have
seen men and women in every walk
of life on personally conducted flea
hunts. Imagine being at a fashion,
able dinner surrounded by smartly
gowned society women and seeing
first one and then another gayly
searching for the elusive flea.
Many a tourist meets with disap-
pointment in California when ne
learns that the famous big trees do
not grow at random in peoples front
yards and along the highways Per-
haps it is just as we'll that the really
big trees are not used for shade on
town lots. If one had a 60-foot lot
containing a clump of trees each 80
or g feet in diameter there might be
much difficulty in deciding just where
to put ones house.
The California big trees must be
searched for just as you would search
for any variety of big game. Most of
them are in comparatively inaccessible
places. The biggest ones are 80 miles
off the railroad and until late spring
in 10 feet OF snow. Travelling 80
miles through 10 feet of snow would
gradually become a bit monOtOnOus.
Another group of trees is reached
by a branch off a railroad running
between Los Angeles and San Fran
cisco. When you get there you find
them all in one little park OF a few
acres that are privately owned. You
pay admission just as you would to a
museum.
After a tree gets beyond i feet in
diameter. it fools you. That is, you
do not realize at first how big it is. II
rises out of the earth so gradually
that YOU think it is not much bigger
than trees you have seen back east
Then YOU notice that a horse standing
beside il covers only a wee fraction
/ of the trees diameter. You look W
| and note that the tree is as high as
i "a
/ tells YOU its age. At the time Christ
/ was on earth, ii was, perhaps even
/ then. 1000 years old. Then it occurs
to YOU that since you first came up to
I the bic trees you have not wished 70
/ talk. You have stood and stared IN
/ silent veneration.
Only once in San Francisco did J
hear q native make reference TO the
/ fact that there ever had been or ever
could be an earthquake. Men point
with pride 10 new buildings that have
/ replaced those destroyed by the ire.
/ If YOU ask: Wasn't there an earth
quake. too. at the time of the fire?
/ they go right on talking about the
/ fire and ignore your question.
The sole person l heard make ref
! erence to earthquakes was Mrs. Juliu:
/ Kahn. wife Of the congressman, anC
one of the finest women IN all Sar
/ Francisco. She was talking about
votes for women.
when go into the booth,
/ laughed she, Il run my finger dowr
/ the list of names until l find Mr.
I Kahn's and vote for him first, and
then go back 10 vote for the rest-fol
/ how do I know that there mlghtn'
be an earthquake right while In
in the midst OF voting
One Of the institutions of san Fran
/ cisco is the group of seal rocks where
the sea lions Toll about as Idly as ;
/ lot of he-sOciety persons. 1 was IN
| formed that these same seals Occa
/ sicnaily bestir themselves and wander
as far away as Alaska, where one o.
two Of them have been recognized
/ Anybody can do just as he sees Il
about believing a seal could be recog
! nized Still there are men who car
I recognize a certain horse when the,
see il. aren't there2 II a person car
tell one horse from another why no
| seals alsO2