650 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



October, 1922 



c 



OUR CALIFORNIA LETTER 



CONSTANCE ROOT BOYDEN 



(Stancy Piierden) 



WH E N a 

 man's work 

 is in a city 

 office and re- 

 quires him to 

 meet people and 

 talk with them 

 almost constant- 

 ly during the 

 day, while his 

 wife's work is in the home where she meets 

 almost no one during the same time, it is a 

 problem to know how to spend their even 

 ings in a way that will afford both of them 

 rest and recreation. The natural inclina- 

 tion of the man is to spend his evenings 

 very quietly at home. But his wife, after 

 a busy morning at housework, a little rest m 

 the afternoon, then dinner and the inevita- 

 ble dishes, often feels an inclination to get 

 away for a little while at least. Perhaps 

 this' is especially true of a woman who is 

 3000 miles away from her old friends and 

 acquaintances in the East. 



I don't know how other people solve this 

 problem. Perhaps other women are eon- 

 tented to spend their evenings at home; but 

 this is such an interesting world, especially 

 here in southern California, and life is very 

 short. We compromise. About once a week 

 the children and I attend a show, leaving 

 the busy man to keep house alone for a 

 little while. He claims he enjoys it. Other 

 evenings we trv to return calls which were 

 made on both of us, and we frequently drive 

 for short distances. When a man has to 

 drive eighteen or more miles a day going 

 to and from his office, naturally he is not 

 keen on much driving for recreation. Some 

 evenings we all s])eud quietly at home. 



But one of the most delightful compro- 

 mises, in mv favor, was when the busy man 

 took his faiiiilv to a symphony concert in the 

 Hollywood Bowl. Tt was dark when we 

 reached Hollywood, which is some twelve 

 miles from the suburb where we live, and 

 Ave were directed to take a road which led 

 straight up toward the mountains back of 

 the town. But, like all such roads, instead 

 of coming up against the base of the moun- 

 tains the latter seemed to open and reveal 

 a canyon road, up which we climbed until 

 a sudden sharp turn up a steeper grade 

 brought us into the great natural amphithea- 

 ter which is the "Bowl." A young man 

 with tickets and parking tickets appeared 

 at the side of the machine, other young men 

 at intervals directed us where to go, and 

 presently we left the car and climbed to 

 seats arranged in an enormous semicircle 

 up the sides of the Bowl. The large, open 

 front stage seemed rather distant, and 1 was 

 afraid the music would be somewhat faint. 

 But it was beautiful; the softest, sweete^st 

 notes of a solo violin were distinct, and the 

 music as a Avhole sounded as tine as anything 

 of the kind I have ever heard indoors. And 

 the men of the party, who climberl to the 

 highest seats during an intermisHioii, said 



3 



the effect was 

 even finer up 

 there, although 

 they were far 

 away up the 

 great hillside. 



During the 

 numbers the few 

 lights were turn- 

 ed off, except on 

 tlie stage. Facing the north Ave could see 

 the Big Dipper and North Star, and early in 

 tlie eA'ening, the four great planets Avhich 

 make this summer's sky so interesting; but 

 Jupiter, Saturn and Venus soon sank be- 

 hind the western ridge. High on a hill to 

 the east blazed a great Avhite cross, mark- 

 ing a neighboring canyon in which the Pil- 

 grimage. Play is being given nightly. That 

 play, you may knoAv, is on the life of Christ, 

 our American Oberammergau. 



The great audience listening to the sym- 

 phony orchestra was perfectly quiet and or- 

 derly, so quiet that all the little night 

 sounds, crickets, etc., could plainly be heard 

 near us Avhen the orchestra Avas playing soft- 

 ly. Eortnnately the noisy, night singing 

 mocking birds have subsided for the season. 

 Anyone Avho "vicAvs Avith alarm" the ten- 

 dency of this generation toward fast liAnng 

 and "jazz" should be comforted bA' a visit 

 to a symphony concert in the HollyAVOod 

 BoAvl, for it was plain to see that the large 

 audience, among Avhom Avere man\^ young 

 people, enthusiastically enjoyed the good 

 nuTsic. And one of the fine features of these 

 concerts is the fact that the price of the"' 

 is so moderate that they are AA'ithin the reach 

 of anyone Avho can afford a picture shoAv. 



Some time I hope there Avill be a com 

 nromise Avhicli aahII take us to the Pilgrimage 

 Play. One of the charms of "My Califor- 

 nia" is its climate, Avhieh permits an audi- 

 ence to enjoy concerts, plays and grand 

 opera in God's out-of-doors. Tt is true, 

 Slimmer cA-enings in the East are plenty 

 Avarm enongh for out-of-door functions, but 

 tlie possibility of rain makes it hazardous to 

 risk money on such enterprises, a possibility 

 Avhich does not hoA-e to bo taken into ac- 

 count here. 



Next time avo attend an out-of-door con- 

 cert, hoAvcA'er, Ave are going Avith plenty of 

 warm Avraps. It had been a Avarm dnv, and 

 most of our party carelessly started out Avith 

 light coats and shivered throughout the even- 

 ing in consequence. With Avarmer coats Ave 

 should haA'e been perfecth^ comfortable. 



ONE Avarm August day the bus\' man had 

 to go on a long motor ti'ii) to A'isit a 

 nnmber of apiaries, and just a little 

 Avhilc before it was time to start he an- 

 nounced that I was going along. To tell 

 tlie truth. T Avas not so eager for the trip 

 as T might haA^e been if the sun had seemed 

 a little more merciful; but. havin<r said so 

 much about Avantinsr to see ninro of the coiin- 

 U'v, T couldn't well refuse. 



