The Detroit times., 1915-05-08
SEEING AMERICA FIRST.
BY FRED c. KELLY
Copyright. 1915. by Fred c. Kellyl

From Diary:
The one bitter disappointment of my stay il
San Francisco was finding that /! vas too early
for the flea season. All my life | had heard OF
San Francisco as being the greatest flea town
OF the continent. 1t IS no disgrace to have fleas
in the great city on the Golden Gate; Il Is
scarcely even bad form. There are 80 many
fleas there in season-so | was assured-that
there not enough dogs 70 take them up- Con
seduenuy bejeweled dowagers and sad-eyed
canine pets SIT down side by side 10 search for
fleas IL | 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 al a fashionable dinner
surrounded by snfsFt!r- Soxned society women
and seeing first and then another gayly
searching for the elusive flea.
Many a tourist meets with disappointment in
California when he learns that the famous big
trees do not grow al random IL peoples front
yards and along the highways. Perhaps II Is
lust as well that the really big trees not
used for shade on town lots. II one had a sixty
foot lot containing clump Of trees each thirty
or thirty-five feet in diameter there might be
much difficulty in deciding Just where 10 put
ones house
The California big trees must be searched for
just you would search for any variety Of
big game. Most OF them are In comparatively
inaccessible places. The biggest ones are thirty
miles off the railroad and until late spring in
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 railroad running between Los An
geies and San Francisco. When you get there
you find them all In one little park OF feT
acres that are privately owned You pay admls-
sion Just you would 10 a museum
After tree gets beyond fifteen feet in dia
meter, ii fools you Tha; Is, you do no, realize
az first how big IL IS n rises out OF the earth
30 gradually so modestly. and unassumingly
that you think II Is not much bigger than trees
YOU have seen back east Then you notice
that a horse standing beside IL covers only
fraction OF the trees diameter. You look
up and note that the tree is AZ high "a a big
city office building. Somebody tells you lis age
AT the time Christ was on earth, il was. perhaps
you that since you first came up 20 the big trees
you have not wished TO talk You have stood
and stared In silent veneration
Only once in San Francisco did hear a ma
tive make reference 70 the fact that there ever
had been or ever could be a nearthquake Men
point with pride 20 new buildings tha, have
-eUlaced those destroyed hy the fire" II you
ask; Wasn't there earthquake too. al the
time Of the fire." they 20 RICH ton talking about
the fire and ignore your question.
The sole person heard make reference %
earthquakes vas Mrs. julius Kahn wife 81 the
con gressman, and one OF the finest women In all
San Francisco. She talking about votes
for women
when 20 into the booth" laughed she II
run my finger down the list % names until I
find Mr. Kahn's and vote for him first and then
20 back % vote for the rest-for how do | know
that Their mightnt be an earthquake right while
IN In the midst Of voting"
One OF the institutions Of San Francisco -
the group OF seal rocks where The sea lions loll
about idly a lot Of he-society persons 7
was Informed that these same seals occasionally
bestir themselves. and wander as far away a.
Alaska, where one or two OF them have been
recognized Anybody can DO just as he secs ~
about believing a seal could be recognized Still
there men who can recognize certain horse
when they see H. aren't there II n person can
tell one horse from another Why not seals also