New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-05-06


THE OLD MISSIONS AND THEIR wORK-A GOOD
AND SIMPLE RACE-TnE INDIANS AT HOME
THE MISSIONARIES OF THE PAST.
IRON AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBCSEI
SAN DIEGO, Feb-About San Bernardino,
as told you in previous letter. the farm aborers are
chiefly Indians. These people. Of whom California mas
sui several thousand, very useful class Iney trm
the vines they pow they do the tasks about house
holds they shepherds and very trusty ones too,
vagueros, and helpers generally. Mostly, they live
among the whites, and their humble and, judse,
tolerably efficient ministers. Near San Bernardno'
at any rate, 1 found that 1t was thought
great advantage for q man to "have" Indians
At Temecula, twelve miles from the Laguna. we came
| upon an Indian settlement You know already that
these California Indians were, In the old times gathered
by pous priests into MISSIONS where they taught
various useful Industries and tho habit OF labor. The
old Missions Of California now mere shells and ruins,
show yet abundant evidence in aquedncts, buildings,
mills, reservoirs and orange and olive orchards, OF
| the skill and perseverance which the Dominican
| friars brought TO their task OF civliznR the
| savages. "Those old fellows knew better how to
manage the Indians than do" said rough man. who
had walked with through Of the old Missions.
| They did q good work. for they found the Indians
savages, andieft them at least thoroughly tanned The
Indian Of these Southern counties is not very respect
able being but he is Of in the world; he works
true that he loves grape brandy that he gets
|
money and has fewer notions of what call COM
fort than his Spanish, half Spanish Pike and American
neghbors But he does not assassnate like the brutal
Apache and he has wants enough to make him labor for
money al do not think my Indians would stay with me
II they could not get drunk every Saturday night said
had Just praised them tolerably steady and
| very useful and indispensable aborers.
| INDIANS
I described to you In a previous letter. how the Indi
/ an old California lived, Temccula they
to a large extent the employers OF their own labor
They hold small farms plant and wheat, and own
sheep and cattle Horses they have matter OF
course, and Sunday morning they rode up TO the
store and about it they riding all day, taking
frequent drink" OF aqua drdiente discussing vari-
GUS matters and doing a little shopping in
| company with their wives, who dropped in
| neatly dressed, and usually with tler faces
muied In shawl, in that curious and not uIgraceful
| Spanish way which leaves the eyes and nose only
exposed and needs quick eye to tell whether you are
| looking at young old face. In spite OF the
frequent drinks" they not noisy; and only few
became drunk later in the afternoon Seeing so large an
assemblage, asked the storekeeper If they had no
church. No. they had no church; they had grave
yard walled in with adobe the outskirts OF the little
village and full of graves each with cross over It,
They had padre pro tmpOre, an Indian authorized TO
act in certain emergencies BAPTISM II no proper priest
at hand, but when the Irdan padre was pointed
to me, found him TO be the drunkest man on the
ground and little disposed to hector his parish who
paid the slightest attention 10 him. The houses in
which they live mostly constructed OF reeds and
barley-straw laced with long poles You will see II you
enter a single dark room, without windows or chimney
the fire planted at end, and smoke escaping by the
door; the stone which gran is ground for tOrtWds
near the door, the beds the floor occupying half the
space within; the and children, and Sunday
the men, sitting around tho fire waiting for the
which is boiling in the pot, and which seemed to me to
be mere mus with no trace Of meat and without the
door a few pots, pans, chickens. ducks and dogs.
| AN ARcADrAN SIMPLICITY.
This house is planted seemingly by chance anywhere,
without relations TO anything except usually another
house iust like IL. II has flap door, made OF old
apron or dress but under you will gener-
ally find another room, with door. which is fastened
At first thought this an apartment to let but 1t ia
store house. and seems to be of genteel SHAM for
| every one into which got a peep empty,
| or very nearly so. II had probably the same
relation to tho dignity and good standing
Of family that Theoretically sealed paror has to
respectable countrymans house IN New-England. If
you can tell the difference between mere squalor and
filth, you would that these Indian houses and their
| inhabitants arc not dirty. think it likely that they
learned cleanliness from the old Spanish Californans,
who 1t should be known eminently clearly peo
pie. At OF these houses, at little distance from
Temecula begged hot water to prepare myself
little lunch and while this getting ready took an
| inventory OF the interior 1t contained three chill
dren, very old blind man, who bent over the fire and
muttered to himself three women; girl who was rub
hing wheat the tOrtlla stone; man sleeping on the
beds with his head covered and his feet sticking out
near the fire; baby tied into wooden frame, in which
the little held carried and rocked; fire, few
baskets-whch are beautifully made by these people,
and are watertght two saddles an ox-yoke, table,
| a sieve, two earthen aSuas, in which water Is
| kept cool in this country; stone mortar and
pestle, a gridiron, cohee-pot an AK, sun
bonnet pair OF laced Shoes carefully hung up and evil
IDENTITY not often used, and small picture Of some
| saint Outside stood two very respectable looking
wooden washtubs several pOtsand for the rest dogs.
Now Lere outfit in fact superior to that which
| noted In several Pike shantes on the way. Here were
preparations for living simply, but, after ALL not UNI
ceany Beyond this the Indian does not get. As you
hide through the country can tell at distance the
| character Of the inhabitants Of house you APP
| preaching II the house is OF reeds and straw, the
owner is an INDIAN il 1t is Of adobe it Is a spanard
who lives there; If IL is of frame be 1t is an
"American," OF the old States proudly call our
selves Often the wooden house is mere box, smaller
and less comfortable than the Indians hut but il
Is Of wood The Indian, in this part Of the State, Is
harmless Being white and Of the superior race, there
fore you have the privilege Of entering any Indians
house and you will be kindly received and If want
water out Of his aqua, wish 10 cook your own dinner
at his fire, you welcome. You will prefer to camp
out beside your fire. in the open, rather than take
| lodgings in his house.
AN INDIAN FASDAEGO.
The land cultivated by the Indians about Temecua is
OF good quality, and in parts is well watered.
They get TO so bushels OF wheat and 40 to 45
bushels OF 10 the acre. which small crops In this
rich State. Oranges almonds, and other semi-tropical
fruits are grown here, in small numbers, but sufficient
10 show that the climate and soil adapted to them.
Horses cost from $40 to 500 per head the last being
common price for what is called an American horse,
or half-bood For an Indian pony, well broken, you
j al.a. Gcrui Lea