John L. Stoddard's Lectures, Vol. 10 (of 10) - Southern California; Grand Canon of the Colorado River; Yellowstone National Park by John L. (John Lawson) Stoddard
page 26 of 145 (17%)
page 26 of 145 (17%)
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"All grown in eight years," he answered.
"Still," I again protested, "here are stone walls, and curbed and graded roads." "All made in eight years," he reiterated. "But, in addition to this mountain, how about the twenty miles of orange groves surrounding it, the thirty thousand dollar public library of Redlands, and its miles of asphalt streets?" "All in eight years," he said again, as if, like Poe's raven, he had been taught one refrain. [Illustration: THE SIERRA MADRE AND THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY.] [Illustration: A FEW "UNCONVERTED MOUNTAINS," NEAR REDLANDS.] In fact, it should be said that this entire mountain was purchased by two wealthy brothers who now come every winter from the East to this incomparable hill, the whole of which has been, as if by magic, metamorphosed into an estate, where visitors are allowed to find instruction and delight upon its lofty terraces of forest and of flowers. Is it strange, then, that such sudden transformations of sterile plains and mountains into bits of paradise make tourists in Southern California wildly enthusiastic? They actually see fulfilled before their eyes the prophecy of Isaiah, "The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." The explanation is, however, simple. The land is really rich. The ingredients are already here. Instead of being worthless, as was once supposed, this is a precious soil. The |
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