Inez Haynes Irwin

The Californiacs Inez Haynes Irwin

In an altogether delightful little essay, Ms. Irwin sketches some of the charms of the country on the Pacific Slope, and especially of San Francisco. In a spirit of clever satire she pokes fun at the people out there who are conversationally enthusiastic to the exclusion of all topics but that of local charm. The Californiac is unable to talk about anything but California, except when he interrupts himself to knock every other place on the face of the earth. He looks with pity on anybody born outside of California and he believes that no one who has ever seen California willingly lives elsewhere. He himself often lives elsewhere, but he never admits that it is from choice.