Reminiscences of California, playground of the west

Media

Part of The Carolinian

Title: Reminiscences of California, playground of the west
Creator: Bowler, William G.
Language: English
Year: 1952
Rights
Fulltext: Reminiscences of CALIFORNIA, efflaria Eva ‘Duarte de ^Peron Playground of the West by WILLIAM (i. BOWLER ('oileye of Lib. Arts and Sciences W WOMAN - SOUTHERN California, land of enchantment, towering skyscrapers, long shorelines and sea-coasts, large cities and small, spacious farms and farmlands, scenic wonders and phenomena. The playground of the West. For here, all sports are known, whether they involve low altitudes or high, warm weather or cold, on land or in the water. For towering snow-capped mountains provide all the snow that a ski enthusiast would want; low and deep valleys and deserts provide the kind of climate in which to just sit back and relax; the long shore-lines and spacious beaches provide endless hours and ample opportunity of rollicking, (rollicking fun for young and old alike; and the mountain resorts and national parks and playgrounds provide an endless advantage of exploring Nature's ways and habits. What a thrilling moment it is as you first see California; as you first cross under the Golden Gate Bridge, a huge expanse from one shoreline Io the other, covering a distance of about five miles. Here is San Francisco. Here, your first glimpse of huge buildings towering up to the sky, endless array of stores and their respective window displays, the continuous stretch of roads winding into the distance, and in the background, tall, magnanimous mountains. Traveling southward, you reach Sequoia National Park six-hundred and four acres of mountain territory and gigantic redwood and sequoia trees, so huge that it is possible for a car to drive through the middle of one protected by the government for the benefit of the public. A short distance from Sequoia is another government protected area Yosemite National Park, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Yosemite is much larger than Sequoia, being 719,622 acres of pure wild-life, rivers and streams full of fish waiting to get hooked on a fisherman’s line. Here is truly a sportsman's paradise, where campers may come for a few days of hunting or fishing. Finally you reach the great metropolis of Los Angeles. In con(Coxti,„„<l pope ,i) Guardian of Our Destiny by ROLANDO ESPINA Colleye of Lib. Arts and Sciences Who can deny the role of Woman in helping shape the face of humanity? THE PART and the importance of the role played by woman in the shaping of the world's destiny is undeniable as well as unquestionable. The proof of the magnitude and potentiality of their influence in our lives can be noticed wherever one may go. Be it in this world or in the next, in heaven or in hell, there are living testimonies of woman's power. Since the beginning she has yielded a power so great that, despite the intelligence Adam had been endowed with by God, yet, when he saw that the woman had already eaten of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, without hesitation he partook of it. And, when an angry God drove man out of Paradise, the woman, realizing the misery and pain she had brought down upon man and herself, remained at his side, following him wherever he willed, enduring with him the bitterness and suffering which were now their lot. From that time on, woman has always been the same. Seducer, tempter, she has also been the comfort and solace of man. In a large measure can be attributed to her the advancement of mankind. Who made and produced great men — scientists, heroes, philosophers, rulers? One woman or another has been the guiding power behind them. Be she a mother, sister, wife or beloved, she was still... a woman. Likewise, great men have been ruined because of one or many women. As an example, we have Solomon who was led to perdition because of his many pagan wives. More famous still Is the case of Anthony and Cleopatra. Captured and blinded by the beauty and charm of Cleopatra, Anthony in his madness forsook an empire. He preferred to die with his beloved rather than live a life without her, though he might have had the chance to regain his lost throne. The incidents in the history of the world are mute testimonies of the power of woman. As proven by many other similar incidents, the rise and fall of man may be attributed to woman. We ourselves, are proofs of the power woman wields over man. Whatever good we now possess we owe largely to our mothers. Since our childhood days they have nurtured and fed us. In our adolescence they have Implanted in our youthful minds the principles of morality which we now follow. Our faults, they corrected; our offenses, they endured. Now in our maturity, we still find out we could not live without women. (Continue,I on pane 3(>) CALIFORNIA. . . You know what, Alex— The adviser of the freshman Law classes. Atty. Jesus P. Garcia (.pool, sir?), told us that we would-be barristers (shucks!) comprise about one half of the entire population of the College oi Law. And, being the adviser, he advised us to have a good, strong, solid class organization ... well, Alex, we did some sort of classroom politics one rainy, halfstarved evening last July and chose our class officers. Here they are, meet 'em. . . Class president is ESTRATtiNICO ANANO. This gent was, if you remember, last semester's Pre-Law class organ! . I,., Esperanza Fiel Secretary zation prexy. Diminutive elocutionist, he ought to know his business, eh, Alex. ESPERANZA FIEL, silent, sweet and pleasant prospective Portia, easily won the secretaryship. She was also last term's Pre-Law organization secretary. Hmmm, looks like some wagon's fixed, eh, Alex. Foolitics! Ha ha. Joke. I must be getting soft, Alex. I should've put this next to the prexy... our Veep is NOLI CORTEL ("Fights pain!"), a very careful and softly impressive talker. Tall, dark, and needs some (some weight, that is!), he’s wellchosen. Er, uh, uhm .. . speaking of poundage — I'm not so hot myself! Ah, skip it. Oi the well-chosen group, perhaps the most well chosen of all is the Sergeant-at-Arms... yup, you guessed it: NAPOLE6N MABAQUIAO and his service pistol. We might say Ruben Yap, the other sarge-at arms, is his deputy. EXPEDITO BUGARIN and his eyeglasses represent us in the Student Council. As if four eyes were more better than two (relax. Expie, that's just a gag!), there's another representative to aid and abet Expedit. Poor Reporting Oaf, that's me, Alex. Somehow I got into the sheband and got elected, together with shy scholar VICENTE VARELA, JR., to PROfficership. (Continued on page 36) Estratonico Anano President (Continued from, front inside cover) trast to the hub-hub ways of a big city is a small section called "Old Mexico," with the gay dances and fiestas, the lovely senoritas in bright regalia, and the countless Mexican trinkets that are for sale in the many booths. Hollywood, the movie and radio industry of the world, is one of the communities surrounding Los Angeles. Walking down its famous streets, Hollywood and Vine, is an experience in itself. Especially at night, with all the bright neon signs blinking on and off. You pass the many movie houses; the different souvenir stores alongside the big department stores, the penny arcades, and the many vendor stands along the way. On these streets you hear the voices of many happy people, the clanging of the trolleys, and the horns of the buses. Here in Hollywood is a life made captivating and exciting by its mere being. Hollywood has truly earned the name of the entertainment capital of the world. Such places to back up this statement are the night spots, like Ciro's, The Mocambo, The Miramar; also the Drive-In Restaurants, more frequented by the collegiate set. A famous dancing spot, the Hollywood Palladium, where such bands as Tommy Dorsey, Tex Beneke, Sammy Kaye and others have entertained. Not to be left out are the two largest that are in Hollywood being CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System, and NBC, the National Broadcasting Company. Last but not least, are the movie lots such as MGM, RKO, Warner, Brothers, Paramounts, and many more lots. For the music lover, there are two major amphitheatres around Los Angeles. These being, the Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium. In the bowl, during the cool summer nights, are held concerts under the stars. The concerts are being performed by many of the great artists of today, playing the works of the great composers of yesteryears. In the Philharmonic are also held many concerts and, during the off season, are held stage shows. (Continued on page 35) Pa g e 6 THE CAROLINIAN DEMOCRACY — A FACT ... (Continued from page 34) Al: (Grinning again) And what else? Nora: Men talk disparagingly, sarcastically about womens make-up but they fall flat on their faces when a pretty face, all made up, . hooves into sight. . Cely: And men are conceited. Each man considers himself a fair target for a woman's charms, even if he is a harmless Milquetoast ready for the ash can. Mario: Aw, come on. Why do we have to knock our heads off? Lets declare an armistice. You know — "As unto the bow the cord is So unto the man is woman Though she bends him, she obeys him. Though she draws him, yet she follows. Useless each without the other." Rudy: (Enthusiastically). That settles it. I always declare Wordsworth was a poet after my own heart. Mario: (In a hurt tone). Wordsworth! That's Edgar Allan Poe. You know, the poet who had a child-wife. He was so in love with her he wrote this bow and arrow poem. Cely: (Laughing). Mario, don't be silly. You know this is from Longfellow's “Hiawatha." Al: You know, Mario, I've been thinking. We could ,use your talent in our dramatics. Mario: Stop! I refuse to be exploited. I suggest a pleasanter topic. Mr. President, the Students University Council is sponsoring an acquaintance ball next Sunday. Right? Al: Yes. And you are all invited of course. Mario: Ehem. Ah, how is it, girls? Will you escort us to the dance? Our mothers won't object. (The two girls look at Al). Cely Well ... I ... uh ... I don't know . . . Rudy: Do you have dates lor that night? Nora: Well ... no ... but we don't want to make up our minds yet. Anyway, Sunday is still a long way off. Rudy: Don't let Mario scare you. He's really a sheep in wolf's clothing. Al: Sure. Why don't you all go together? I'll see you at the ball. Cely: Who's your date, Mr. Isagani? (Al colors). Mario: His mama doesn't trust any woman with him. Al: No one. I mean, I have no date. I have to go early. You know, see to it that everything is okey-dokey. And a female hates to be rushed. So I'm going stag. Nora: We'll see you there then. Rudy: Is that settled? We'll pick you up at nine O'clock. Cely: Okay. Be sure to bring your manners with you. (The girls smile) Nora: (A gleam in her eyes). Mr. Isagani, you write for the college paper don't you? Al: Why don't you call me Al? After all, we've known each other for five minutes now. Yes, I do write sometime. Nora: You couldn't possibly have written this article, "The Trouble with Women?" Al: W-what? That trash? That would be an insult to my reputation. Mario: Oh, you think so? How interesting. Girls, Mr. Alfredo Isagani writes only of such things as the anatomy of the dinosaur, the history of the atom, and the people in Mars. Al: I resent that. But I'm sorry. Nora's deduction took me by surprise and I ... uh ... well .... Rudy: That article has its merits. Cely and Nora: Is that so? Mario: (Throwing up his hands dramatically). Do we have to go into that all over again? Nora: (Smiling) No. There goes the bell. That means us, Cely. (All stand up) (Continued on page 37) we are ignorant of the truth we are not free to act — we are not free to elect them. A very important principle in democracy is the freedom to choose public officials. In the Philippines, Presidential candidates, as well as candidates of other high offices, are appointed by the members of the Party convention. Members of such convention in turn, are at times appointed not by the people but by the big-time politicians in the Provinces. The appointment, therefore, of candidates is not the will of the people but the will of the selected few. Our choice then, is limited—it is curtailed—and, therefore, freedom is curtailed And yet we say that the basic principle of democracy is equality in the participation of the processes of government. The good points of our presentday democracy are of course, too vital to pass over for mention. The asylums, leprosariums, the TB Pavilion, and other government institutions for the needy, deserve praise. The newspapers, radios, public libraries, Bureau of Statistics, and other sources of information shape democratic achievement which should not be overlooked. And there are still other good points which all of us already know. Our problem, therefore, is how to achieve democracy in its fullest meaning. This can be achieved by unfolding our personal aspirations —such as freedoms, religion and autonomy which is the goal of democracy; by working up a system of religious education; by producing good leaders with fully developed personalities. Democracy does not depend on political principles alone. Neither does it depend on economic principles. It depends upon the individual citizens; upon you and I; upon love. CALIFORNIA ... (Cont’d from page 6) On and on you go, visiting many more places of interest. For there is really no end to it all. How can there be, with each new season bringing a promise of something new! And yet, as is but human, deep inside you yearn to go back and start all over again. October, 1952 Pa g e 35