Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-09-27

aOeS-eardens, orchards, front ronds, 81.
and perhaps the most aelishtfai climate IN
I Oalfornia,-they ought 70 be able % en,oy life
IL not every one who can select b 10 table
NATION from HE own flock OF 100000 sheen. or
1 VINO has an annual clip OF half a million
pounds Of wool to keep his family from coming
% rassl may add that they run stase-linss
and other public enterprises hereab,ut., ana
are In fact, the great motive power Of this par
Of the country.
ssn Jaan. Sssth.
Getting down this far ssuth of San Francisco.
one hnds himself among population largely
mace mp OF "Greasers" and other abor,sinals.
and where the old-time Spanish habits and
customs prevail largely. The little village of
Sin Juan, South is dominated by ore OF the
'-Old Spanish Mission" buildings we read
about. making quite figure In the Landscape
At distance, with its white walls and corri-
dors with massive arches, and Its roof o
heavy red tiles. but on near view il is found 10
be wretched structure OF adobe, unburnt
clay. On the other aide Of the village n the
sharp spIre of q New. Englandish looking
church, In which an energetic missionary
preacher Of the Congregational denomination,
the Rev. Wm. Lsdd Jones, OF Maine, on ciates
A sharp contrast was afforded, illustrative Of
the two civilizations, the Mexican Spanish
and the modern Yankee, by this old adobe
church, with It's drowsy services, ana the New
Enslandish church opposite, resonont with the
ringing words ef the young missionary
preacher, and later i'm the day with the exsr.
cises OF wide-awake Sunday School OF the
modern pattern.
The sOId Spanish Missisn..-
Yet no longer ago than 1870 TIN now decayed
OLD Mission was one or the most important and
prosperous Of the twenty.one Missiens estab-
lished In Upper California by the Monks of the
Order Of st. Francis. At that time the ioyiaI,
kind.hearted old Padres, who held svay
here, had the comfortable worldly posses.
sions Of &3,s70 cattle, 1850 tame horses, 4,s.o
mares and colts, and Go5O0 sheep. The
Mission Of San Jose. 6San Hosay,) only
forty miles away, in the Santa Clara Val
ley, had o2.0OO cattle, $40 broken horses, I,soO
mares, 400 mules, $40 yoke Of working oxen,
and $1,000 sheep. The Santa MARA Mission, IN
the same valley, had u, 2s0 cattle, aO7 yoKe of
working oxen, se,54O sheep, 1880 horses broken
to saddle, 4,s3s breeding mares, rs mules, and
LOCO hogs. All the other Missions were ea uaIly
rich in live stock. while the specie and other
valuables in the possession Of the Fathers ex-
ceeded half q million Of dollars In the latter
years OF Mexican rule In California the Fathers.
amid the political convulsions that existed,
lost, little by little, all their property. The
Missions became neglected, and the Padres
killed thousands Of their cattle to obtain the
price OF their hides and tallow. In 1850 Con
gress took charge ofthe Missions, and most o
them were permitted to 90 to ruin There "a
little now to mark the former prosperous con-
diiion Of this San Juan Mission but the rich old
gardens, and the venerable pear-trees, grown
10 an enormous sizs and loaded down with
fruit
But nnd have used mp all my paper, and
have not done with the valleys yet. @. S.N