WAR EXTRA 
Dear Floral Friends: 
It seems to me that a cross-section of the entire human race writes to me. 
It is a thin section, of course, a little under 20,000, for we are not “‘big busi- 
ness.” Most of the letters are orders but many are letters of friendly interest 
in our enterprise. There are Lords and Ladies; noted persons and the for- 
gotten man; Priests, Preachers and Peddlers; the world’s richest men and the 
poverty-stricken; Authors, Bankers, Criminals (in Penitentiaries), Dairymen, 
Engineers—flower lovers, every one of them, 
all the way to Zoologists. 
They are from every state, many nations and 
from all the continents. Flowers are of uni- 
versal interest. One who grows and sells them 
becomes somewhat cosmopolitan. 
This letter is inspired by such interests, first 
by a love of America and its freedoms; by a 
love for all mankind; by those things which 
are of common interest and universally recog- 
nized as important to human _ betterment, 
among which are the love for flowers. 
Many of our recent letters have inquired with 
concern about our welfare on the Pacific Coast. 
Some appear to think we are on the front line, 
that California is in danger of bombing or 
even of invasion. That what happened to Lon- 
don could happen to Los Angeles. 
London is only a short distance from Ger- 
many, the strongest military power in the 
world at the beginning of this war. Los An- 
geles is about 6,000 miles from Japan which 
has far less strength but certainly enough to 
make us exert our maximum effort. The bat- 
tle front is over 5,000 miles from California 
and the few submarines off our coast have 
done but a little damage to coast shipping. 
I am glad to reassure our friends that every- 
thing here is about the same as it is with you. 
Life, business and all affairs are as usual. We 
have had a few blackouts for practice and so have interior cities. 
A very few persons may be jittery, maybe you have a few, but California 
people are not afraid. We doubt if war has increased our risk to life or for 
personal and property damage by a percentage greater than ordinary accidents 
in the home or on the streets. 
We in California are encouraged by the many tourists who are spending 
the winter here. We invite you to keep coming. We have given every thought 
and effort into making this the recreational center of America. You will enjoy 
our mild winter climate, our desert wild flowers and our winter gardens. 
There are more winter sports possible in our mountains than on your prairies. 
It is as illogical to fear the threat of war’s dangers in California as to fear 
our earthquakes. In over 30 years much fewer persons have lost their lives in 
earthquakes than in cyclones in an equal area. This reminds me of two inci- 
dents which I happen to know about. 
In 1917, a tourist, his car filled with family and suitcasts, was approach- 
ing Los Angeles on Foothill Boulevard. Near Fontana he stopped to ask a 
service station attendant if he was on the right highway. While sitting in his 
car awaiting a reply, the San Jacinto earthquake quaked. When, after a few 
seconds, it was over, a look of surprise on his face, he asked, ‘‘What was 
that?” ‘Oh, only one of our earthquakes.’’ ‘‘Do you have many of them?” 
Probably because he was amused, the attendant replied, “Oh, we have them, 
now and then.’ Without waiting for the information about the way into Los 
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