150 Life and Sport on the Pacific Slope 



his tastes and habits differ from ours. It is not 

 justifiable on the plea that we are intrinsically 

 better. The Anglo-Franco-Californians are accused, 

 perhaps unjustly, of posing as being better than 

 the people who are not upon their visiting lists. 

 Only Omniscience can determine so nice a question ; 

 but if they claim to be better, the onus of proving 

 it lies on them ; when they have done so, it is 

 probable that the people will cheerfully admit the 

 supremacy. As Professor Peck pointed out, Colonel 

 Eoosevelt may be considered an aristocrat, because 

 he has proved himself to be more patriotic, more 

 unselfish, more courageous — better, in fine, than 

 the average citizen. 



The Anglo-Franco-Californians have what few 

 possess in the West, — the means and the leisure 

 to do what they ought to do, the things that worka- 

 day folks are sadly constrained to leave undone. 

 Many of them soberly realise their opportunities 

 and responsibilities. The spirit that impels Dives 

 to cheerfully loan to exhibitions his pictures, and 

 china, and plate, the spirit that drives him from his 

 comfortable library into the Pandemonium of poli- 

 tics, the spirit that makes him cheerfully endure 

 the hardships and perils of a campaign, is his good 

 angel; the spirit, on the other hand, that drives 

 him to the uttermost parts of the world in search 

 of what can only please or profit himself is his 

 demon, no matter how angelically disguised. 



American readers will remember a certain fancy- 

 dress ball given in New York, and the excitement 

 it created When an army of the " unemployed " 

 was marching to Washington, when times were 



