The Detroit times., 1915-05-08
SEEING AMERICA FIRST.
6v FRED c. KELLY
Copyright. 1915. by Fred c. Kelly,

From Diary.
The one bitter disappointment OF my stay In
San Francisco was finding that was too early
for the flea season All my life had heard Of
San Francisco being the greatest flea town
on the continent II In no disgrace 10 have rleas
in the great city on the Golden Gate; is
scarcely even bad form There are so many
fleas there In season-so i was assured-that
there are not enough dogs to take them UP. Con-
sequently. bejeweled dowagers and sad-eyed
canine pets sit down side by side 10 search for
fleas II / had only postponed my visit few
weeks I might have seen men and women In
every walk OF life on personally conducted flea
hunts. Imagine being at fashionable 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 disappointment in
California when be learns that the famous big
trees do not grow at random in peoples front
yards and along the highways Perhaps It is
Just as well that the really big trees are not
used for shade on town lots. IL one had sixty
foot lot containing a ciump OF trees each thirty
or thirty-five 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 az you would search for any variety OF
Inaccessible places. The biggest ones are thirty
miles off the railroad and until late spring Ia
ten feet Of snow. Travelling thirty miles through
ten feet Of snow would gradually become Bit
monotonous.
Another group OF trees are reached by a
branch off a railroad running between Los An
ge'es and San Francisco. When you get there
you find them all In one little park of few
acres that are privately owned You pay admis-
sion just as you would 10 q museum
After a tree gets beyond fifteen feet In dia.
meter. II fools you That Is. you do not realize
at first how big II IL. II rises out of the earth
30 gradually, modestly, and unassuminsly,
that you think II Is not much bigger than trees
you have seen back east Then you notice
a.
wee fraction of the trees diameter. You look
up and note that the tree Is as high AZ a big
city office building. Somebody tells you its age.
At the time Christ was on earth. IL was. perhaps
even then 1000 years old. Then II occurs TO
you that since you first came up 20 the big trees
you have not wished TO talk. You have stood
and stared In silent generation
Only once In San Francisco did hear q ma
tive make reference TO the fact that there ever
had been or ever could be Earthquake Men
point with pride TO new buildings that have
replaced those destroyed by 'the fire" II you
ask: Wasn't there an earthquake, too, at the
time Of the firer' they 60 RICH ton talking about
the fire and ignore your question.
The sole person I heard make reference 70
earthquakes was Mrs. julius Kahn. wife OF the
congressman, and one OF the finest women In all
San Francisco She WAS talking about votes
for women.
when I 20 into the booth laughed she. "T
find Mr.. Kahns and vote for him first and then
go hack to vote for the rest--for how do know
that Their mightn't be an earthquake right while
I'm in the midst Of voting"
One OF the institutions OF San Francisco IL
the group OF seal rocks where the sea Hons Ion
about as idly lot OF he-society persons I
was Informed that these same seals occasionally
bestir themselves and wander "a far away "a
Alaska, where one or two OF them have been
recognized. Anybody can do Just as he sees ut
about believing a seal could be recognized Still
there are men who can recognize a certain horse
when they see II, aren't there7 II person can
tell one horse from another. why not seals also