Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-03-01
LETTER FROM ARIZONA.
FIR. W. j. Neville Writss Tho Courier an
interesting Communication.

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| Tucson, ARIZONA, February "a, 1900
Dear Courier: have been to-day in tho
city of Tucson, Arizona, threo wooks
and five days, and each day has brought
stronger convictions that tho atmosphere
of this country will provo an infallible
cure for pulmonary affections. Hundreds
of people come here from MI parts of tho
United States to breathe tho pure dry
air, which, if sufficient timo is given,
seldom sends ono away without feeling
that q new "leaso OF lifo" has boon
granted. I, myself, have tho pleasure
of balancing tho scales at twoivo pounds
higher notch than when l arrived, and
tho regular throo times day expression
of my landlady gives positive evidence
Of a possibly faster increase.
l havo boon out hunting several times,
but oach timo only to roturn with tho
mcditativo thought that if-woll, if that
jack rabbit had just stopped. | might
havo cotton q rest on something steady
(for was shaly) and killed it, and pro
cured pair of oars, which looked to mo
to be almost the size Of tho masts of two
large ships running along sido. But no
l could not got ono to stop, and ono had
just rs we'll try to hit message travelling
OH telephone wire as ono of those
things in motion.
But now changing to tho sconcs of
tho country, wo find the most interesting
in that Of an old mission church founded
some thrco hundrrd years ago by tho
priests who tried to sottlo this country.
1t is such a model of architecture that
it cxcitcs tho wonder and admiration of
all who visit it. 1t was my pleasure to
visit it somo fow days ago, and finding it
to By such a wonderful thing | shall at
tempt to give you anch Il description of
it as best l could take it in. 1t is stu
atcd in tho Santa Cruy Valley, about ton
miles South of Tucson. Oapago Indian
villages surround it on all sides. Its
Dimensions arc l15x70 feot. Tho archi-
lecture is comminglng of tho Moorish
and Byzantine. The outside is castel-
lated and surrounded by one domo and
two mnarcts. The foundation walls arc
of brick with a fno coating Of cement.
The outside walls are brick, also connected.
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plastcrcd and stuccocd. The ccntor of
the front is covered with beautiful scroll
work and bears also the coat of arms of
tho Franciscan Monks, which is n cross
with ropc coil above and two arms be-
low, ono of which represents that of
| Christ and tho other that of St
Francis do Assist, tho patron Of the
church. Tho roof is surrounded by 4
brick balustrado ccmcntcd, and at each
angle and corner are griifons, worked in
cement, forty-cight in all. When once
inside the church ono is forcibly struck
with the display Of skill in its structure,
its beauty and grandeur and taste dis
played in its adornmcnt. Tho inside has
the form of Il Latin cross, tho front be-
ing to the South and extending thence
to thc North to where the main altar is.
decorated and frcscocd. Four large
paintings represent the annunciation,
the visitation Of tho Virgin TO Elizabeth,
| tho nativity of Christ, and the visitation
Of the Magi. The altar work and all tho
corniccs arc done in cement, as arc also
the six archcd ceilings overhead, the
main one Of which is about fifty feet, the
others about thirty feet high. Tho cell
| ingS were all frcscocd, but much Of that
had bceA dcfaccd by timo and tho Gle
mcnts. Four cvangclsts in sculpture
| aaGrn the main altar and the scroll work
is covered with gold leaf, which in it's
early days, when the frcScos and paint
ings were all fresh and bright and all
the surroundings new and in perfect har-
mony, must have presented 4 beautiful,
grand and gorgeous sight In the lateral
chapel of the Virgin there is cross Of
| ironwood imbcdtled in cement on which
there is a sculpturcd figure of Christ.
Within the body Of the church there are
in all fifty pieces Of sculpture, most of
| which are beautiful, being yet perfect in
form and feature. In two Of the angles
OF the main arch there arc two beautiful
statues representing angels. The main
aisle is adorned by two large frcsco
paintings representing tho last Supper
and the PentccOst. From the South end
Of the main aisle a doorway leads ~ the
West into the baptismal chapel and from
there Il flight Of stairs, consisting Of
twcnty-scven, twcnty-one and twenty
one steps leads to the upper floor of the
West minarct or tower. At tho rise of
twcnty-scvcn steps a doorway leads to
the right into the choir gallery, which is
arched and frcscocd. a rise Of twenty
one steps moro leads to the second floor
Of the tower where there is chime of
four bells. The last flight Of twcnty-onc
steps leads t" the upper floor Of the
tower, from where fine Wow is obtained
of the surrounding country. An admis-
sion fec Of twenty-five cents is charged
and a guide is furnished to direct and OK
plain. TO the South Of the church arc
old convent buildings which have been
renovated and arc now occupied by four
of the Sisters Of st. Joseph, who are
teaching schools for the papaS' children.
fear have taken mp too much space
in giving this description, but even now
you only have, as it were, Il mechanical
outline of tho real beauty and grandeur
OF it. w. j. NEVILLE.
1t is very hard to stand idly by and see
our dear ones suffer while awaiting the
arrival of the doctor. An Albany(N. W
dairyman called at Il drug store there for
Il doctor to come and sec his child fhcn