Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1884 — The Paris of America. [ARTICLE]

The Paris of America.

San Francisco is the Paris of America. The fondness of the people for amusements, their “fastness," love of display, disregard of the Sabbath, wild; reckless habits of speculation, all tend to justify the comparison with the French Capital. Like Paris, tffiis city is decidedly cosmopolitan in its character. Through its broad “golden gate” and over its continental highway people of all nations, creeds and language have thronged, with one idea in common, the thirst for gold. There are probably more rich men in San Francisco, in proportion to its population, than in any city in the world. There are many good and righteous people who are fighting faithfully against evil; but there are many more with whom morality has probably lost all its significance, In proportion to the population, there are probably more vile, criminal, and abandoned creatures here than in any city except Paris. Divorces and suicides are matters of little or no account here. It is an admitted fact that California buries more suicides in proportion to the population than any state in the union., . The prolific causes are dissipation, financial embarassment, and domestic trouble.. Nowhere is the marriage bond, that should be the , guarantee of peace and contentment, so lightly regarded; nowhere is fortune so fickle; nowhere do so many fall in a day from a position of wealth to want. Such transitions disturb the mental balance, and destroy the power of self-control. -Ren. Dr. Eccles to tv.