Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/306



CHAPTER XII.

SOCIETY.

mens mutatione  recreabitur:  sicut  in  cibis,  quorum  diversitate  reficitur stomachus, et  pluribus  minore  fastidio  alitur.

— Quintilian.

The California  year  of  1849;  what  was  it? An exclamation point  in  the  history  of  civilization  ;  a  dash In the  annals  of  time. This twelve-month  was  not  so much  a  year  as  an  age,  not  so  much  an  episode  as  an era. Heart throbs,  they  say,  rather  than  time  tell  the age of  man  ;  here  then  was  a  century  of  heart  throbs; we could  as  well  drop  out  of  history  a  hundred  of other  years,  as  this  one  most  notable  year. Other years have  been  repeated,  and  will  be  many  times; this one,  never. Throughout the  records  of  the  race, from first  to  last,  there  will  never  be  reproduced  on this  planet  the  California  flush-times  drama. It stands out  in  the  experiences  of  men  unique  and  indi- vidual, each swift  day  of  it  equal  to  many  another year.

How vain,  then,  the  attempt  to  portray  this  fleet- ing hour ! Dreaming will  not  achieve  it,  nor  romanc- ing; it is  neither  caricature,  nor  burlesque,  nor extravaganza. These lead  the  mind  further  from  the truth. Neither will  the  bald  facts,  though  plainly and fairly  stated,  give  a  perfect  idea  of  the  time  ;  there was present  much  besides  plain  facts ;  there  were  facts running riot,  and  the  wildest  fancy  turned  into  facts — a pandemonium  of  romance  and  reality. There were here fifty  thousand  active  and  intelligent  young  work- ers, whose  experiences   fully   written  for  that  year