New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-26

THEY ARE OLD FOR SOUTHERN CALlFofNIN.
But NOT AS OLD As THE CENTURY.

THEY ARE OLD FOR SOUTHERN CALlFOfNIN.
But not AS OLD As TIE CENTURY.
Los Angeles. CALI Jan. - (spccall.-Many thon-
sands OF Eastern tourist, in southern California have
looked with an awe inspired 10y their supposed an
tiauy at the mission churches built by tn" sPanlards
when the land witch now makes up this STAT" wa "A
dependency Of that nation These ah'IqIc-i"'h'"S
M ldings are Interesting enough without any h'WloH'
attributes and willie they represent epoch that Is
past and a rule that Is OveIthrown, they are not o
very ancient In fact, men yet living her" who
,er uronkish Youngsters when the buildings were BE-
cun However, antiquities created very young
sometimes. \ newspaper here recently commented on
the destruction Of "hi,iOrics building III h'dahI'
That town Is one Of the largest and busiest IN southern
California but the building in question: rs well rs 'h"
town. /, only five years Old yet 1t was III way H''
toric a, it was the trst honsc In the place.
But 10 return TO the matter Of the quaint Moor Ill
Ioolng mission churches scattered through southern
California They are somewhat primitive In design
and look as they might be centuries In age Another
cause which has led 10 considerable error a. 10 inc
respective years In which they erected Is the
confoundng Of the dates Of the founding Of the mis-
sons and the subsequent, erection Of the church build
Ing itself.
b. A. c. Stephens, Of this city, has been profound
sndet of California, and from him learn the follow
Ing facts The mission church building AT san LUIS Key
was erected in lo02. By the way, thu !, the most
OF
condition and amid the surroundings which character
izcd these chnrche, in the Spanish regime than any
othor san Gabric Mission was built In 1904 san
Imam de Capl,tlano and san Fernando In 1906, san
Bucnaventnia ia 1909 san Diego In 1913, ana santa
barbara in I-eO.
Thus Tie venerable looking building At san Gabriel
* only a little over lightweight years old. Recently
Eastern tourist, in Los Angeles have been attracted by
some beautifully Illuminated pictures Of this building
which were sold a souvenirs in the stores In this city,
and on which The date Of erection was printed as III
This serious error married the value OF the othcrwis"
finely executed pictures. The year mentioned was tio
date Of the establishment Of The mission OF the Arch
angel Holy Gabriel, the FL Monte owands at what
IS now called the " Old" Gabriel Mission. 1hls
cold damp locality was productive OF too much mala
rial fever among the priests and several earthquakes
damaged the poorly constructed bndingS, 50 that three
or four years acwad the holy brothers moved several
miles nOrhward to The present beautiful site on tie
warm, dry uplandS, at what + now known as san
Gabriel. Here they first erected an adobe church
which In 1904 was replaced by the present stone ana
rico who /, now at Tie age Of nearly ninety three,
resident of West Los Angeles began his long public
many others yet living who were here when the san
Gabriel Church built.
stephens tells that he recently climbed TO the bel
fry and copied the inscription, Gn 'hem 80 inr oilen
and golden ornaments into the melting pots TO assist
In making The miSon b Hs IS not Ec r "a, to the 1 'he
other three Tie same tradition Is associated with TIC
bells In every Spanish mis- sion In the Americas. Neither
are the bells ancient. one made In 1928 AMI
the other IN 1880. The undated do seem to
he any older than The ones which bear The year I'm
which they made.
JIut the West knows and cares little about time. and
California particularly has right be contemptuous
Of the slow rate OF progress In other localities In less
than fifty years II has developed from Mexican Prov
ncc into great State. and the growth In that time
has amounted what II would have taken centuries to
accomplish elsewhere. The missions not ancient
in yenr but In what they represent sentimcntay they
are In the language OF the daS. "out Of sight"