Weekly Trinity journal., 1863-08-08
Letter from santa Cruz.
SANTA Cruz, CAL, July "a, lS6

SANTA CRUZ, CAL., July ~ lSbo
EpIroR Journal When you last heard from
me was in the hot cline of Mariposa county.
| now write you from the cool and pleasant town
or city of Santa Cruz. place of considerable
note, situated on the sea coast eighty miles south
of San Francisco
Santa Cruz contains population Of about
| l,O0O and is rapidly improving. Surrounded by
rich farming region, it is destined to become a
! place of considerable Importance. 1t has q mum
Der of manufactures in operation, aud does @
large trade with San Francisco in leather, lime
lumber, paper, etc, and an extensive Powder
Mill now in course of erection near this place
will cause Santa Cruz to make some noise in the
mining, sporting and military world.
There are here good churches of the Roman
Catholic, Congregational and NJ, L, denOmna
tions There is also Protestant Episcopal
Church, aud u Baptist Church. These latter
bodies have no houses of worship yet. The Epis-
copal Methodists are now finishing very large
aud creditabe place Of worship, which they ex-
pect TO have dedicated by Bishop Jayne, of their
denomination, who arrived in San Francisco by
certainly like old John Browns SOUL marching
on " in the world l scarcely visit u county in
the State that does not contain one or more new
an d splendid church ediGces erected by them re-
Gently. Good luck say to them, and to all
who are in earnest to do good to the souls and
bodies of men.
At Watsonville, an important town some 20
miles distant, the Presbyterians are now finish
ing a splendid Church edifce. At Santa Clara,
pretty and prosperous town on the other side
of the mountain from here, the regular Baptists
are finishing Il new and grand Church building,
| see many of these gratifying evidences OF sub
stantial progress in my travels over the State
and it is pleasing to all who really wish we'll to
( California to hear of such things The princi-
pies Of the religion Of Jesus Christ underie all
substantial progress, either in the individual
man or in the community of men. There can be
no genuine stability of individual or national
character where the sublime truths of the Holy
/ Bible are ignored
Santa Cruz is famous for the zeal Of its people
/ in morals. The first Temperance Society in Cali.
! fornia was organized in this city. A venerable
/ Christian pioneer citizen here, named Case, was
presaent Of that society, which was SS0NqVGtea
WI tlN lhApuo ~ ''""''' v~''' fi''" "''N WV -
good in its day. The Fourth Division OF the
Sons of Temperance organized in California
! called Eureka Division, was founded here, and il
to-day in u more Aourishing condition than eve
before-has a membership Of upwards of ont
hundred meu and about fifty lady members
They own one Of the largest and neatest Temper
ance Halls in the State, and have been great
blessing to the business men of The place, and
the operation of their excellent principles has
given good name to the entire community, and
many once wretched heart and home has by
them been changed and transformed aud blessed.
| tell you, Brother the Importance of this Order
in California cannot be overrated, and anything
having any tendency to weaken its influence or
injure its reputation should be by all regarded
as the foe of the people. | have made the ac
/ quaintance Of happy, industrious and useful men
here, who inform me that they have by the Sons
of Temperance been snatched as brands from the
burning. They were once poor, crazed and
wrecked victims Of popular poison, living in sin,
shame and dishonor. They are now clothed aud
in their right minds, useful, honorable and re
spected by all.