Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1874-06-25
CALIFORNIA CORRESPONDENCE.
NIssIos CHuRcn OF SAs GABRIEL. !
NEAR Los ASGKLks. CAL. J
March 3lst. 1874.

The space Of an hundred years is but q
span in the cycles OF the ages. Eut to the
American. accustomed to fix she date Of the
sc''lem ment Of California by his own race.
within The lifetime Of . generation. tie
Sigh, OF building upon which the rains of
4 century have fallen. aud upon which
sun aud NOON aud stars have shone while
nearly four seperatiops ofmen have been
gathered TO their fathers. suggests An
t'9ui,y. So imperfect. aud TO great
ex,ent to The general reader. inaccessible.
rre the record of Tie days Wien The Fran
cisean Fathers plaDtcd the germs Of their
missions upon this coast. that ,-,end and
tradition, instead Of the historic page,
seem almos, TO lie the proper aedia through
which the acts Of these apostles Of the
wilderness should be viewed. Scattered
here and there in public and private IL
brsrics. however. are manuscripts aud
mus.y tones. upon the page Of which the
story Of their self denying aud self sac
ri6cing labors is inscribed in letters which
will CLEAN with the light which shows "a
good deed in = naughty world" when
Time the Destroyer shall have lcyelied the
temples which they tuilded 10 the duet.
aud shc fate Of Tyre shall have ovcrtakon
the cities which now mark the sites OF the
t"ils"ne struggles with savage nature.
aud sill more savage tribes. out Of which
they entered into ,hcir rest. To one whose
wandering way o. life has led him FOR hun
dreds Of miles along the early pathways
s,fsk H. nF tt,
long decades after the sandal shOou" Of
the first lone, wandering stauI:rd bearer
Of the Cross hsd !ef. It's swiftly fading i'm
press on the alie.vium Of the San Pedro
aud the shifting sands "f the ella and the
Colorado. ~ my way Of life has led me.
surrounded as | was BY all the arplian-
Gee of governmental care and protection,
ihere comes rerfrrce. in the retrospect OF
the trials which the missionary had neccs-
sari.y 20 undergo. the daagcrs which he
vas forcsd 10 encounter. the numberless
psrils. which. like Saint Paul. he was
daily aud hourly IN the very midst of. a
realisation OF the sublinliiy Of the faith
which impclled him onward in the weary
daily march. which inspired him Will, forti-
tudc aud courage where other mems hearts
would have failed them for fear No
martial music heralded his approach ia tie
walled and scqucs,ercd city Of the Zuni.
or tho scattered and s9uald ercampmen,s
Of tho Papaeo aud the Pima No serried
raak OF bayonets. no cleaning line Of
scabbardlcss swords in,crposcd their walls
ef buruisaed steel between his dcfcnseless
hreass. and the arrow aud iavelin Of the
barbarian. icwhom the sym Dol ofthc strau-
gers faith vas but . stumbling block,
ssa vhe counted % foolishuess the story
cfJesus. the mediator aud redeemer No
martial sssic broke the stiffness of the de-
cert. shen rising at the hour Of prime.
the bearer Of COED ,idings resumed bis
march over the regions where the Genius
sf Solitude seemed to have reared TO itself
. baruing throne among the wrecks Of a
worn Gu, world. II any sound. save the
inarticulate voiccs Of nature broke the
solemn aud painful silence, i, was per.
chance the utterancs Of q prayer for gui.
dance. or the mCnentsry and bali uncon-
scious ouiburst Of some song ef hope and
prophecy. Aed, surely. never since the
werds were written. did grrndcr meaning
hnk itself with the Latin hymn. than when
20 ihe eye ef faith. the niun,phs which
awaited his Masters cause. unfoijed them.
selses ''in clear arssm aud solemn vision
10 some such pilgrim Of the desert. aud
With 10 listeners but the stars Of heav.
co. and no choral Symphonies but the
winds. HE neal aud ardor found utterancs
in tLe chant. '
s'vexiliA Regis proieunt
FslEet Cfrcis Nys;eriam."s
Standing to-day in the shadow Of the
Old Mission Church Of San Gabriel, these
thoughts suggested themselves as I look ed
upon its ,iue-worn walls. Long pano-
ramas OF desert journc,ings. visions Of
old Missions. sone almost perfect in their
preservation. like tha. Of Sau Xayier de-
Ras; seme slmcst lcvel With the dus. pass.
Cd before ne. Ea,ssisg the Church ny
resonant fOO,-fsls ss passed sp the spa
eicGs aisle. seemed like echoes from m
almes, tereouCn past. Memories Of YEA.
~ days In barren land thick s,rssu
wiGA memorials Of The faith, whose en-.
bic ~ GSskeS; The altar which uprose be.
forsnae. crowded. upon NE; and as re-
"Ih< basnsrs of hravea's King advance