West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1893-11-09
OLD CHURCH BELLS.
Those OF Southern California Me.
siora.
eomc OF Thorn Irnvo Tollsd for Almost =
Coatury--sfistoric Rslics Of the
Ancient Spsnish re-
Gfrno.

In southern California have looked with
an awe inspired by their supposed an
tiquity ut the mission churches built by
tho Spuninr,!s, when the land which
now makes up this state was de-
tendency of that nation. These an
tiquc-loolSing buildings IRE interest
ing enough without any fictitious
attributes, and while they represent an
epoch that Is past, and O rule that Is
ovcrthrown, they are not so worry ON
cient. In fact" says Los Angeles
correspondent of the New York Tribune,
''mcn nro yet living hero who were
prankish youngsters when tho build
ings wero begun However, antiquities
arc created very young sometimes. A
newspaper hero recently commented on
tho destruction of an historic building
tn Rcdlands- That town 10 ono of the
largest and busiest in southern Califor-
MIA, but the building In question, as
well as the town, Is only FIVE years old,
yet II was In a way historic, ns It was
the fret house In tho place
"But to return to the matter of the
Quaint Notwithstanding mission church,
es scattered through southern Califor-
MIA They are somewhat primitive In
design, and look as II they might be
centuries In ago Another cause which
has led TO considerable error as 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.
"3. A. G. Stephens. of this city, has
been profound student OF California,
nnd from him learn the following
facts: The mission church building ct
San Luis Rey was erected In 1902. by
the way, this 10 tho most interesting of
ali of thcm, and Is moro nenriy I'm 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 dc Capistiano and San
Fernando In 1900, San Bucnavcntura In
1902. San Diego In 1919. and Santa Bar
bara in 1920.
Thus tho notwithstanding build
ing atsIsn Gabriel Is only O little over
eighty-cight years old. Recently east
err tourists In Los Angeles have been
attracted by somc beautifully iliurain-
ated pictures of this building which
this city, and on which the date of cree
ton was printed as It'll This serious
error married the value of the other
wise finely executed pictures Tho
year mentioned was the date Of the es-
Enlistment of the mission OF the Arch
angel Holy Gabriel, on tho I'll Monte
lowlands, at what Is now called the
old San Gabriel mission This cold.
damp locality was productive Of too
much maiarinl fcvcr among the priests,
and several earthquakes damaged tho
poorly constructed buildings, so that
three or four years afterward the holy
brothers moved several miles north
ward TO the present beautiful site on
the warm, dry uplends. at what Is now
known as San Gabriel Here they first
erected IN adobe church which In 1904
was replaced by the present stone and
rubble structure. In this building ex-
Gov Pho Pico, who Is now, at the age of
nearly ninety-three. q resident of West
Los Angeles. began his long public ca
reer first rs IN ncolyte In the year
1900. There GRO many others yet living
who were here when the San Gabriel
church was built.
Even the bells arc Of tho present
generation. Mr.. Stephens tells me that
he recently climbed TO the belfry and
copied tho inscriptions on them So the
often written story about Spanish ladies
casting their jewels and golden orna-
rnents into the melting pots TO assist In
making the mission bells rs not true as
10 the one made by hI-. Holbrook. and
probably not as to the other three
The Same tradition Is associated with
the bells In every Spanish mission ia
the Americas Neither are tho bells
ancient. rs ono was made In 1928 and
the other In 1880. The undated ones do
not seem 20 be any older than tho ones
which bear the year In which they were
rando.
Bat the west knows and cares little
about time, and California particularly
has a right 20 be contem7tnous Of the
slow rate Of progress frr other localities
Ia less than City years Il has developed
from Mexican province into a great
state. and she growth IN that time has
amounted TO what IL would havo taken
centuries 20 accomplish elsewhere. The
missions are not ancient In years, but
~ what they represent sc1timcntallv
they are, in the language Of tho day.
'out Of sight "
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