Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-11
THE FRIDAY MORNING WOMEN.
Interesting Features OF the Last
Meeting Of the Club.
Miss Adelaide Hasse's Valuable Paper
Oh the Missions.
Their Rise, Decay and Effect Considered
in DetaiI-The Important Degree
of Developments They
Attained.

The Friday Morning club was this
week in charge of the committee on art
and literature. The subject OF the
morning-the California Missions was
presented by Miss Adelaide Hasse.
Miss Hasse illustrated her paper with
number of beautiful water colors and
photographs OF the missions, which
were charming in touch and rich in Cal
lfornia sunshine.
She first gave brief sketch OF the de-
cay of the missions, a sombre picture
with the high lights left out, masses of
crumbling adobe, grass. grown court,
silent belfry, blackened corridor.
She then outlined the causes that led to
the colonization of Spanish America and
the traces that are left of Spanish insti-
tutions, which, while almost obliterated
in the older states, still chow in Cali
fornia the last great effort OF Spain to
extend her territory into the new world,
and closed. 80 far as institutions were
concerned, with the American conquest
of California in 1845. Here the relics
of the past show the unmistakable
grandeur Of great pioneer work.
The story of the sainted Father Ju.
nipero and his little band is we'll known.
The missions were established on a
three fold plan of civilization-the reli-
gous, the military and the civil plan
for the ecclesiaetic the mission, for the
soldier the presidio, for the settler the
pueblo.
The work of the Franciscan mission
ary had wisdom, segacity and patience
to bring the neophite pupil far forward
On, the road from barbarism to civili-
zation, and the pious friars, after once
obtaining foothold, carefully refrained
from any instructions that would help
their people to independence or make
them capable of self-government. At
the end of so years II missions had
been established, thousands OF cattle
roamed over the plains, vast were the
surrounding vineyards and orchards,
immense were the productions belong
ing to them. In 1884 the regulations of
Governor Flgueroa to convert the mis-
eions into civil communities brought
the first causes which led to the disin-
tegration Of the mission system.
Miss Hasse then carefully traced the
presidio and pueblo system in
California in detail, saying in conclue-
ion: "We may safely assert no other
system ever came 30 near accomplish
ing the reduction of the barbarous races
to state Of civilization as that OF the
padres of California, and aside from
this, the pioneer work of great state
was begun.
Considering that there were bat a
handful of workers to organize and
superintend the work, that they oper-
ated under 80 many disadvantages, the
result of their occupation of California
during 60 years is indeed marvellous.
The old mission buildings are the most
conspicuous remnants of this early
Spanish and Mexican domination, but
they, with the other relics of this even
escent civilization, will coon be obliter-
ated. Some missions have crumbled to
dust, some have been transformed in at
tempte to preserve them, and all will
soon be forgotten in the new civilization
of the Anglo Saxon-the civilization of
steam. electricity, free Institutions and
universal intelligence; the civilization
wrought by wheat, fruit and gold"
DR.. Lummis read an original article
from the Argonaut, A Certain Condescen-
sion of Fasteners, showing the flip
pancy of party of tourists stopping so
for dinner and 15 for a visit to
the missions.
Next week paper On the Electrical
Theory Of Light will be given by Mrs.
William Spaldiug.