The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-03-15
OLD CHURCH BELLS.
Those Of Southern California Mis-.
sions.
Some OF Them Have Tolled for Almost .
Century-Historic Relies Of tho
Ancient Spanish Re-
T. RlmO.

'Many thousands of eastern tourists
in southern California have looked with
an awe inspired by their supposed an
tiquity at the mission churches built by
the Spaniards, when the land which
now makes up this state was q de-
pendency Of that nation. These an
tique-looking buildings are interest
ing enough without any fictitious
attributes, and while they represent an
epoch that is past, and rule that is
overthrown, they are not so very an
cient. In fact" says Los Angeles
correspondent of the New York Tribune,
"men are yet living here who were
pranlsish youngsters when the build
ings were begun. However, antiquities
are created very young sometimes. A
newspaper here recently commented on
the destruction of an historic building
in Redlands. That town is one of the
largest and busiest in southern Califor-
MIA, but the building in question, as
well us the town, is only five years old,
yet it was in way historic, as 1t was
the first house in the place.
"But TO return to the matter of the
quaint Moorish-loolsing mission church
es scattered through southern Califor-
MIA. They are somewhat primitive in
design, and look as IL they might be
centuries in age. Another cause which
has led TO considerable error rs TO the
respective years in which they were
erected is the confounding of the dates
of the founding of the missions and the
subsequent erection of the church build
ing itself.
"B. A. c. Stephens, of this city, has
; been profound student OF California,
and from him / learn the following
facts: The mission church building at
San Luis Rey was erected in 1902. By
the way, this is the most interesting Of
all of them, and is more nearly in the
condition and amid the surroundings
which characterized these churches in
the Spanish regime than any other.
San Gabriel mission was built in 1904,
San Juan de Capistiano and San
Fernando in 1906, San Buenaventura in
1900, San Diego in 1918, and Santa Bar
bara In 1920.
"Thus the venerable-looking build
ing at san Gabriel Is only little over
eighty-eight years old Recently east
ern tourists in Los Angeles have been
attracted by some beautifully illumin.
ated pictures Of this building which
were sold as souvenirs In the stores in
this city, and on which the date Of cree.
ton was printed as 1771. This serious
error marred the value of the other
wise finely executed pictures The
year mentioned was the date Of the es
tablishment Of the mission of the Arch
angel Holy Gabriel, on the FL Monte
lowlands, at what is now called the
old San Gabriel mission. This cold
damp locality was productive Of toC
much malarial fever among the priests
and several earthquakes damaged thu
poorly constructed buildings, so tina
three or four years afterward the holy
brothers moved several miles north
ward TO the present beautiful site oil
the warm, dry uplands, at what is nov
known as San Gabriel Here they frs
erected an adobe church which In 1s0t
was replaced by the present stone anC
rubble structure. In this building ex
Gov. Pho Pico, who is now, at the age o
nearly ninety-three, resident of Yves
Los Angeles, began his long public ca
reer FIRST as an acolyte in the yea
1909. There are many others yet livinI
who we're here when the San Gabrie
church was built.
"Even the bells are Of the presen
generation. Mr.. Stephens tells me tina
he recently climbed TO the belfry an
copied the inscriptions on them. So Tn
often written story about Spanish ladie
casting their Jewels and golden orni
ments into the melting pots TO assist
making the mission bells Is not true q
to the one made by Mr.. Holbrook, an
probably not as 10 the other thre'
THE same tradition Is associated wit
the bells In every Spanish mission
the Americas Neither are the bel
ancient, as one was made In 1928 On
the other In 1880. The undated ones 3
not seem 10 be any older than the ont
which bear the year In which they wei
made.
"But the west knows and cares lit
about time, and California particular
has right TO DO contemptuous Of Il
slow rate Of progress in other localitie
In less than fifty years II has develops
from Mexican province into a gre
state, and the growth In that time h
amounted 10 what II would have TAXI
centuries 10 accomplish elsewhere. II
missions are not ancient In years, b
in what they represent sentimental
they are, In the language Of the da
out Of sight"