"The place is beautifully situated on the banks of the Rio Grande, with a range of high mountains across the river. "It consists of two parts: 'Leontica,' a village for the workers, where they have many nice cottages, an artesian well for irrigation, and a big steam pump to force the water through all the ditches; Shalam, the home of the children, has a big tank, with six windmills pumping water into it all the time. Near the tank is the dormitory,--a building about one hundred and fifty feet in dimension. Through its middle runs a large hall for the kids to gambol in. On each side are rooms for the attendants and the larger children. "Chiefly noticeable was the cleanliness of the hall, and the signs over the doors of the chambers, each with its motto, a text from '_Oahspe_,'--the Shalam bible. "At each end of the hall was a big sign, reading thus: '_Do not kiss the children._' As none of them were especially attractive, this command seemed quite superfluous. After looking over the dormitory, we were led to the main building, projected by the late Dr. ----. This encloses a court about one hundred and fifty feet by sixty in size, and planted with fig trees. "The front of the building is taken up by the library of the doctor; on the opposite side is his picture gallery. "Rooms or cells for the accommodation of guests occupy the long sides of this structure. "I was cordially invited to occupy one of these; but the place is too creepy for me! The pictures in the gallery were all done by the deceased doctor, under the immediate direction of his 'spirit friends.' To look at them (believing this) is to be assured that artists do not go to heaven, since not even the poorest defunct painter would have perpetrated such monstrosities. "They all represent characters and scenes from the doctor's bible,--known as Oahspe, and written by him at the dictation of spirits. The drawing is horrible, the coloring worse; and no drunkard with delirium tremens could have conceived more frightful subjects! "Mr. ----, the doctor's successor, is a curious compound of crank and common-sense; the latter evinced by his corral and cattle, which we next visited. I have never seen so fine a corral nor such handsome horses and cattle. They are all blooded stock; many of the cows and calves having come from the farm of Governor Morton, in New York State. The cows were beautiful, gentle creatures; one of them is the largest 'critter' I ever saw, weighing no less than fifteen hundred pounds! "The county authorities--scandalized by the meagreness of the Shalam bill of fare--compelled Mr. ---- to enrich the children's diet with milk, and, thus officially prodded, he is trying to give them the best in the land.