Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/270

 h expecta-

tion, he  could  ill  brook  the  disappointment  that too frequently  awaited  his  arrival,  and  the  hopes and failures  that  followed  only  ripened  him  for  any excess.

As a  rule  everybody  arrived  in  California  poor ; many of  them  remained  poor,  undergoing  more  or  less sufFerhig ; and  yet  there  never  was  what  might  prop- erly be called  a  poor  class  upon  the  coast. Spread out before  the  adventurer  were  metal-vemed  hills  and fertile valleys  ;  and  with  such  fair  provisions,  united with health  and  strength,  he  was  rich  though  he  had not a  dollar,  and  did  not  know  where  his  dinner  was to come  from.

To the  wise  man  no  circumstances  could  offer  greater inducement for  the  exercise  of  self-control,  for  indul- gence was always  attended  with  great  risk  to  health and life ;  and  yet,  self-control  was  about  the  last  thing of which  men  there  were  thinking. Money they wanted ;  behavior  was  unrestricted. And yet,  it  soon became apparent  that  in  one  sense  the  penalties  of extravagance  and  dissipation  were  not  exacted  with the same  regularity  in  the  new  community  as  in  the old. Rioting was  not  attended  by  disgrace ;  poverty did not  necessarily  follow  prodigality,  nor  want,  pov- erty. There were  bushels  of  gold  in  the  placers,  the property of  any  one  who  would  take  it  out,  and  the penniless of  to-day  might  be  the  envied  possessor  of  a pocket-full  to-morrow. The hnprovident  sometimes seemed to  succeed  as  well  as  the  careless.

Obviously this  tendency  to  gratify  present  desires at the  expense  of  the  future  arose  from  immediate surroundings. Reckless expenditures  and  unbridled passions were  qualities  not  inherited  from  the  middle classes of  staid  communities. Improvident English- man and thrifty  German,  alike,  on  touching  California soil seemed  to  lose  self-control,  and  seize  proximate pleasures regardless  of  future  penalties. Too many of them,  like  Ulysses  in  the  island  of  Calypso  and  in the  halls  of  Circe,   forgot  their  Penelope,   and  gave