Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-18
SAVE THE OLD MISSIONS,
A Proposed Local Movement to
Preserve Them.
Los Angelenos Call a Meeting to Con
slider the Matter.
Historical Features Of the State Goinp
to Decay-The Missions Are q
Great Attraction to the
Tourist.

those picturesque architectural and
archaeological treasures of Southern
California, are unwearying objects of in
terest and attraction to tourists sojourn-
ing in the land of flowers, as we'll as to
the student of the eventful historic
periods in the early civilization of this
favored cline.
With the passage of the years the
quaint old missions are gradually crumb-
ling away and if nothing is done toward
their preservation and protection, par
ticularly from the vandal relic hunter,
the day is not distant when they will
have been reduced to shapelees masses
of adobe and stone, signifying nothing.
1t will be q pleasure to all citizens of Los
Angeles to learn that steps have been
taken toward the proper preservation of
these classic ruins of the Spanish
American epoch in California. A COM
mittee has been appointed from mem
bers of the Historical society who have
invited the cooperation of the Ruskin
club, the chamber of commerce and the
Science association to properly present
this question to public spirited citizens
dAo 5CCuiC UlClI dlA plCECItluk GucSc
monuments of the days gone by. The
members OF the committee are Mrs. J.
G. Carr, Mrs. A. F. Coronel, Mrs. A. S.
Wing, Miss Tessa L. Kelso, Rev. Father
Jose Adam, II. D. Barrows and DR., M.
H. Alter.
The committee has arranged for
series of meetings to devise means for
the prevention of the final ruin of the
missions. The first meeting of this
series is to be held on Tuesday evening
in the assembly room OF the chamber of
commerce. Don Antonio Coronel and
Rev. Father Jose Adam will relate their
personal recollections of the mission of
San Juan Capistrano. and it is intended
to arrange an exclusion to that point in
the near future.
1t is to be hoped that the meeting
will be largely attended and that the
people of Southern California will dem
Onstrate by cooperation and assistance
their intere st in the value of histori-
cal research of our early institutions.
The Archaeological Institute of America
found the subject of sufficient import
ance to send member here to collect
material for course of lectures on Cali
fornia missions. Certainly Californians
should take come interest in protecting
from destruction these mission build
ings that are now crumbling in decay.
The people of this community are euf-
ticiently in touch with this sub
ject to take the necessary
steps without waiting for suggestions
from abroad. Aside from this there is
more practical view of the matter. The
old missions attract hundreds of tourists
to Southern California, thus materially
benehting all interests, and the care of
the missions would be productive OF cer-
tain results from business point OF
view.
San Gabriel, San Diego, San Luis
Obispo, San Luis Rey and others, as well
as San Juan Capistrano, with its tragic
fate, are all worthy of preservation by
the Californian who takes pride in the
stirring events that preceded the pres
ent phase OF civilization. The picture of
the destruction of San Juan Capistrano
ia graphic one, as it has drifted down
through the long years. 1t was the feaet
conception of the Mother OF God, which
set the sweet toned bells, brought from
far CASTLE, Ginning in the great church
tower, early on the morning of December
s, 1912. Soon that quiet hamlet by the
western sea was all astir, and in the
| early flush of morning priests in sacer-
dotal robes soldiers in gay, picturesque
uniform; Indian women in many beads
and scant attire; Indian men in less of
both, and Indian youth in none of
either all thronged within the
open doorway and packed the mighty
edifice to it's utmost capacity.
Now the bells have ceased their
mellifuous chime; the censer swings;
| and, even as one man, the vast audi
ence falls PROSTATE at the rising OF the
Host. Anon the chant arises. Led by
the priests and choristers, the refrain is
caught up by the congregation, and
waves of weird melody surge, and swell,
and break, and rise again, as do the
waves of the ocean ON the sandy beach
below.
Peradventure on that fateful morning,
some Indian worshiper traced a faint
resemblance in this "chorus of the
Christians" to the war song OF his tribe.
Half doing, he dreamed himself once
more-a man. Toll was not now, nor
Spanish whips; the past had come again.
Armed as of old, he faced the rugged
foe, and bsttled hand to hand. Ha!
now the pecan swells, and victory is
ours Mark now, the captive bound
forth the death song DER his agony
leap madly in the dance But hark
What sound is that--loud as the
crack of doom, now blending with
his dream? What means those
hurrying feet, those cries of pain?
Stricken by hands unseen-he starts and