The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-08-05


in a fair state Of repair, the affairs,
the images, crucifixes, and various
parRphernalia and furniture showing
the reverence, the watchfulness, the
care and the labor Of the Christian
Brothers, who have charge of the
property as custedians and keepers.
The walls are lined with old prints
of the Virgin, saints and sacred
scenes, anG still older oil paintings,
some of which are so faded and dim
as TO be distinguished only with
difficulty. None of them shows the
artist to have been skilled, and the
best of them are crudest daubs, prob.
ably done by priests centuries ago.
Fortunately San Miguel has fallen
into good hands-those Of the Chris
tian Brothers, a religious band
of cellbates who have erected
a fine college building within the
enclosure and who maintain them
selves, their institution and the
church by teaching or even by
performing manual labor. The
Brothers are devoted to San Mig
uel, and declare that it shall not be
torn down or desecrated by the
modern mania for improvement
and identifying. They rightly as
sert there is plenty of room for new
churches, but dear old San Mig
uel shall never be replaced. l hope
the Brothers will be sustained in
their laudable determination.
In striking contrast with San
Miguel is the Cathedral de San
Francisco, the church of the arch.
bishop (Lamy) of the papal colony
of New Mexico, Colorado and
Arizona. The cathedral was an
imposing structure, with high cell
ing, pretentious organ loft, con-
splcuous bell towers, propOrtionate
wings and c0mm0diOus vestry. 1t
was erected some time during the
eighteenth century, and might have
stood for century or two yet had
the ruthless hand of misguided pro.
gress not struck it. The
interior decoration ana orna-
mentatiOn are of the crudest
character possible, but the
age and appearance Of the structure,
rather than the sacred nature of the
building, inspire in one feelings of
reverence for abominably bad at
tempts at painting that elsewhere
would be laughed at as burlesques;
and fellow cannot help a sensa-
ton of awe and respect for carvings
and images, which if done now would
excite only wonder because of the
ignorance or Yulgarity of the artist.
But one Of these days the Cathedral
de San Francisco, which for more
than a century has been the pEin-
cipal church structure and the religi-
Gus headquarters for all this vast
Catholic colony, will be material
for roads or turned into gardens
for growing onions and cabbages.
Already are the thick walls torn
open and cut through in many
places, and the roof ripped off in
patches to admit the arches, the
turned columns and beams of a
magnificent cut stone cathedral
which is being erected around
and over and through the venerable
pile of mud and cobbles. Arch
bishop Lamy mi the church digni-
tsries may think they are doing
right in going ahead with this des-
ecration, but they are radically
wrong. No church that they can
erect will ever excite the respect,
love and veneratIon that these poor,
Ignorant Mexicans have and do feel
for the old adobe building where
they and their ancestors for ages
have said their prayers. Carved be-
fore the altar, and heard the sweet
consolation of their gospel chanted
into their willing ears, bowed door
posts, massive stone pillows, stained
glass windows and modern decora-
lions and gaudy symbols of the
church, are all very well for the
fashionable religiOnists Of this age,
but how i'll at ease will the
simple, ignorant Mexican, who it
must be born in mind is but little
in advance Iof the pueblo Indian by
whom he is josttled daily in many
of the walks of life, find himself
surrounded by these evidences and
Reminders of a civilization that is at
least a century and half in advance
of him! The old cathedral should
have been kept. if for nothing else.
as q curiosity for the eyes Of future
generations, and a subject for the
photographer and the artists brush i.
There is another Catholic church
here-I have forgotten the name
which this mistaken spirit of pro-
gress and advance has transformed
into brazen. shameless guy. Vul-
gar, sacrilegious, wicked, as it may
appear, one cannot refrain from
laughing when gazing at the build
ing. Originally 1T was oEe of the
old Cime churches. resembling closer
than anything else l can call to
mind a brick kiln ready for the fire.
The fat roof has been torn off, and
In its place is a regulation painted
gable roof, surmounted by a spire.
The little square windows near the
ceiling have been cut down, and the
orthodox Christian window now
bIazes forth in all the glory of red,
yellow, blue, green and purple glass.
The unpretentious door has been re-
placed by a Gothic. arched entrance,
and to add TO the righteousness OF
the thing, is a large cinque-foil
window in the gable. This church
looks strange enough. If the wor-
.biDors had fine slightest idea of the