New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-27
THE NATIVE CALIFORNIANS.
A p1cruREsoE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE

xXxIy. California Pastoral 1769-ls4s. svo. PIP
sos. San Francisco: Tho History Company. General
Eastern Agent f. NJ. Derby l4s church-st' New
York
In this volume Mr.. Bancroft examines the least
familiar period of California history the period
Of the Mexican occupation and the Missions. The
sitting OF such documentary and other trustworthy
evidence the historian Of the Pacilc Coast
has accumulated in his great library tends to the
modification of several views which have held
their ground with persistence not proportioned
10 their soundness In the light Of the ascertained
facts it is questionable whether the missions really
conferred any benefits upon the natives of Cali
fornia. AS regards the claim of religious con-
version, very little can be proved afirmatively.
The weight of testimony is TO the effect that the
Indians simply accepted the dogmas of the fathers
because the latter were backed by physical force
and unlcstatingly employed it for purposes Of
secretion. The position Of the mission ncophytcs,
IN fact, was that of slaves. All their time was
commanded by the missionaries, all their freedom
was controlled At night they were driven into
guarded dormitories. In the day they were kept
at work by the LASH Punished cruelty for the
least INSTRUMENTATION, kept on meagre ratons,
taught no more than the mechanism OF worship,
prohibited from following their indigenous faith,
these wretched people had little cause for thank
fulness or gratitude The missionaries found them
healthy living simple, and on the whole, peaceful
lives They left them scourged by epidemic DIS
cases which previously unknown In that
region; made hypocrites by culture In the shlits
of enslaved people; sapped of vitality by in
sanitary conditions; disabled from seli-Support
by habituation to dependence.
The example set by the fathers was by no
means always wholesome morally, while that of
the secular members of the presidios was almost
wholly evil The padres were rapacious, too.
They even thoughtit possible to secure monopoly
Of California for their missions. They discouraged
colonization steadily. They would have dispensed
with the military arm had it been safe TO do so.
They missed no opportunity of extending their
landed possessions Though they could not,
under the existing laws, own great estates, they
none the less sought to exclude secular owners
from them One result was that when the
sccularization Of the missions came to pass the
Church was without defenders or friends,
and was compelled to surrender everything.
Secularzation, however, only fastened the
collapse of the missions. They had been decaying
for years before the final blow crushed them, and
the Indians had been slipping back-if, indeed,
the process was one of retrogression-intO their
original heathenism and savage ways of life. 1t
is curious to observe how little real material
progress was made during the mission period
There seemed to be no little productive activity.
Fields were cultivated, crops raised, vineyards
made, orchards reared into bearing, rude textiles
manufactured; but the workers consumed nearly
all their products, and there was no accumula-
tion. The fathers had wine and brandy in their
cellars the immense herds which had grown out
OF the imported cattle afforded abundant and Writ
uaily costlcss subsistence to those who owned
them but there was commerce nor traffic save
with infrequent traders by sea, and all goods so
bought were paid for in hides and tallow. In
connection with this Mr.. Bancroft shows that the
term greaser" employed later by the Americans
in contempt of the MeXicans was originally APP
piled by the latter TO all the foreigners who sold
them goods for grease This is an interesting
derivation and only regret that it is not estab-
lishcd with greater precision and conclusiveness.
The first secular non-indgenous settlers in Cali
fcrnia lived the pastoral life fully described in
this work Spanish or Mexican the blood that
flowed in their veins was largely nomadc. They
were born with the instincts of the desert Arab
rather than those of the jewellers in cities, and
never there n country moro ideally adapted 10
the life in which they delighted. California was
D vcritablc Lotos-land Under mild and genial
climate all nature produced prodigally. Tickle
The earth with hoe, and she laughed with
harvest There was no need for continuous OF,
severe toll A couple of weeks for d-time ana
limits of the steady work done by the majority.
Over the broad plains, rich with luscious grasses
the cattle were spread, and their increase was
rapid and costless. Horses also were abundant,
and, as in Spain everybody rode. If man had a
Journey to go he rode his own horse unit! it was
tired then lassoed the first animal he met, sad
died and bridled it, and went on until fresh re-
Law was needed. Every house was house OF
entertainment in those days. Money was not CD
tainable, nor was it needed The gente de razon
lived much in the open air, ate heartily OF meat,
had large families Mr. Bancroft gives some strik-
ing instances), and their children grew up ROBUST
beautiful, active, but never industrious. Inc at-
mosphere itself soporfc, inducing TO IAN
guor and the siesta; but these people also inner
tied the dissemination for work. They had found
q suitable habitat in California, and there, but for
American push and restlessness, they would still
be living on their ranches and haciendas riding
pallantlv. making love with tropic ardor, dancing
all night to the sound of the guitar and making
the Indians support them.
They were not much in subsection TO the Irlars.
In such a climate as that Of Southern Caii1orhia
the natural religion would seem to be panthelsn'
The gods of Greece are better adapted TO the Ell"
yironment than the saints of the middle ages. Inc
Californians-a the Mexican settlers called them
selves with quite sufficient warrant-were theo-
reticaly faithful sons and daughters OF the Roman
Church, but in practice they grew lax and maui
gent. and presently many of them became SO indl."
ferent that the threat Of accommodation with
bell. book AMI candle had no terrors for them
Still they were simple and upright people, full OF
hospitality, reverent of their pledged word, refined
in their notions of honor. Nothing speaks more
loudly to their credit than the system OF trading
which then obtained Foreign traders came irreg-
ularly and at long intervals with shploads oil mis-
cellaneous goods which they sold to the lancheros
on credit, and without receiving any evidence OF
Indebtedness Often q year would elapse before
the rcturn of trader to particular place on the
coast, but always the pay casually in hides and