I slept upon those
parched hills, breathed the invigorating air, and felt the inspiration
of California life. I would not now exchange the summer drapery of our
hills and valleys for the deepest green upon earth. To my present
frame of mind there is something flat and chilling in this redundancy
of verdure that reminds one of death and the grave-yard. The
moss-covered rocks jutting from the cold, grassy earth; the dripping
fern; the pale, flitting gleams of sunshine struggling through the
depths of foliage; the mould that seems to hang in the air--all these
strike me as death-like. I long for the vital glow of a more genial
sun, whose all-pervading light is reflected from the rich golden
earth, shooting health and vigor through every fibre of the frame,
permeating body and soul with its effulgence. Such intensity of light,
such warmth of colors, fill the dullest mind with inspiration; the
blood is quickened in its circulation; the respiration is full and
free; the intellect becomes clearer and sharper; the whole man is
quickened into the highest condition of mental and physical vitality.
Is it a matter of wonder, then, that the people of California should
be brave, generous, and loyal--that they should have a high sense of
right, and an undying scorn of wrong? I hold that the species is
improved by the climate and the country--that stronger men and better
men are now undergoing the process of development in California than
in any other country on the face of the earth. If we live fast and die
suddenly, it is the natural consequence of increased bodily and mental
vigor, which too often leads to excesses, but which, under proper
training, must eventually lead to the highest moral and intellectual
achievements. The fault does not lie in our climate. I have yet seen
none to equal it North or South--not even in Italy. I do not think the
climate of Sweden is conducive to longevity, or extraordinary mental
or bodily vigor. Indeed, the same may be said of any climate abounding
in such rigorous extremes. The Swedes, it is true, lead a placid and
easy life, content with ordinary comforts, and worried by no exciting
or disquieting ambitions; hence they enjoy good health, and generally
get through the usual span allotted to man. If the same sanitary rules
were observed in our country, there would be less sickness and fewer
untimely deaths. Dissipation is not rare in Sweden, especially in the
capital cities, but it is more methodica