The San Francisco call., 1897-06-25
The Quaint Little Town
AWakeS From a Long
Slumber.
thousands of Visitors Partici-
pate in Its Centennial
Celebration.
Religious Services, Street Parade,
Feasting, Dancing and General
JolIificatiOn.

the line of the railroad and out of the
beaten track of business and travel has
lain asleep in the midst of it's hills for
nearly fifty years, has at last awakened
from its Iethargy. And what an awaken
lngI In what gay garb and splendid
ceremonial has she decked herself for this
her temperance upon the stage of active
affairs! Time was when San Juan, being
the center of large and populous grain,
cattle and sheep district, was a town of no
small importance to the old Californians; !;
when as stage station for travel up and
down the coast a constant stream of trav-
elers passed through it; when its mission,
one OF the largest and finest in Alta Cali
fornia, was a rendezvous for ecclesiastics
of prominence and power. But all this
passed and the town fell into quietude
and rest.
To-day, however, when the gayly dressed
throng pressed in and out of the prettily
decorated, ancient, crooked little streets
across the plaza, under the arches of the
picturesque colonnade, into the old church
itself, or wherever an object of interest
appeared, or when the splendid vestme nts
of the officiating priests formed a color
study before the brilliantly lighted altar
at the pontitical high mass, those few in
-
in the days of her glory were forced to
acknowledge that never before had she
shown spectacle to compare with that
of to-day.
The ceremonies of the celebration OF the
hundredth anniversary of the founding
of the Mission of San Juan Bautista by
the Franciscan fathers under Junipero
Sierra, in way, began last night with the
lecture OF Bishop Montgomery upon the
duties of a Citizen" and continued
through q Spanish supper served in the
old mission corridors in true Spanish
style, and series of early masses said by
the visiting priests this morning; b1t the
true beginning occurred at 10 o'clock this
morning, when pontifical high mass was
celebrated by Bishop Montgomery and
his attendant priests and deacons in the
interesting ceEtury-old mission church.
The church was packed to suffocation
long before the appointed hour and the
people waited more or less patiently for
the old bells, temporarily rehung for the
occasion, to give the signal for the COM
mencement OF the mass. These bells were
taken from tie crum bling bell-tower
about ten years ago and placed upon a
scaffolding in the vestibule of the church !;
but recently they have been raised aIoft
again, so that to-day they might once
more fill the valley with their mellow
t0oes-
Promptly at 10 o'clock, while the bells
- >
priests, arrayed in their rich ceremonial
yestments and attended by altar boys, en-
tered the chancel and the choir began the
opening notes of the mass. This solemn
mass is always most impressive cere-
mony and it seemed doubly so today, be-
ing celebrated upon an altar whose erec-
tion 100 years ago was made possible by
the labor and sacrifice of those devoted
Franciscan fathers of the mission regime.
Right Rev. George Montgomery, Bishop
of Monterey and Los Angeles, was the
cele brant, and Father Hudson of Gilroy
acted as chief assistant Father Marion
of WatsonvilIe was master of cere monies,
and two priests OF the Franciscan order
performed the offices of deacons. The
sermon-a fine discourse upon the influ-
ence of the work done by the founders of
the California missions-Was delivered by
Rev. Father R. NJ. Mestres of Monterey,
and was listened to with profound atten-
ton by all within the sound of his voice,
both inside and outside the church build
ing. The mass closed with the benedic-
ton OF the blessed sacrament at IL o'clock.
The civic portion OF to-day's program me
began with cavalry drill in the amphi-
theater adjoining the plaza by Troop G,
\. g. c., from Salinas, commanded by
Captain NJ. J. Burke. This rill was a
crediiable exhibition and was witnessed
by an immense crowd OF people. Indeed,
throughout the entire celebration the
little town in which it found itself.
at the close of the pontitIcal mass the
literary exercises occurred in the plaza in
front of the mission building. A consider
able crush was occasion ed at the entrance
to the church by those who had sue
ceeded in getting inside to hear the mass
trying TO press their way out into the
already overcroWded plaza.
After music by the Santa Cruz band
Hon. Thomas Flint JE, president of the
day, opened the literary exercises with
short Introductory address in which, in
behalf of the committee of arrangements,
he welcomed the visitors to this century
old town and spoke in a general way upon
other subjects as well. He then intro
duced as the orator of the occasion Hon.
M T. Dooling, the eminent San Benito
County iurist. Judge Dooling's Grafton
showed thought and experience and was
throughout mastery effort.
The centennial poem, composed by Miss
NJ. a. Fitzgerald, was delivered effectively
by Miss Katie T. Shsfer. The speeches
were interspersed with music by the
Santa Cruz band and songs by the chill
dren of the San Juan Convent.
The event of the civic portion of the
days ceremonies, the grand parade, took
place at o'clock. 1t was scheduled for
p n, but owing to various delaying cir
cumstances did not start till an hour
later. Grand Marshal Thomas Flint Jr.
and his aids-WiIliam Canfeld, Daniel
Wilson Jr., Richard Flint and George
Bentler-came first in the order of march,
and were followed by the Santa Cruz
band discoursing lively music. Cavalry
Troop from Salinas followed next, and
Immediately preceded the first float,
which was an allegorical presentation of
the past and present of San Juan. The
Portuguese Union of Hollister walked
next in line. hundred strong.
Tie San Juan band and fire departments
of San Juan and i ollister were followed
by float containing eight gray-haired
Mexicane-some of the first inha bitants of
San Juan and the oldest men now living
in the town. The oldest of this group
was bent over with more than four-score
years, but still able 10 get about. He
fought IN the Mexican War. To-day he
was bedecked in the old-fashioned uni
form of the Mexican trooper and carried
the same sword and cap as of old. He,
indeed, made an interesting spectacle,
and was truly a relic of the past.
Ten couples of ladies on horseback,
their steeds led by couriers, represented
alIegorically the different periods of Cali
fornia's history. A float representing an
old Spanish hut, containing about dozen
of the old Mission Indian women, was
greatly appreciated by the assembled
crowds These senoras were engaged in
the old-fashioned mode OF making bread
bv grinding corn in crude bowl
(matata)-a rock followed out and used
like mortar and pestle.