The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-21
QUAINT SANS LUIS REY MISSION
BEING RESTORED TOITS BEAUTY
Paltny Days Of the Eighteenth
Century Being Revived iii
Southern California. lai
WORK OF FRAN lsCAN MONKS
They Return to Take Up Work
B Long Neglected Fields to be 4,
Made Fertile Again. y
.(special5to The Times Dlspatch.y

I
IN H Special to The Times Dlspatch.y Il I'LL
LOS AN GELEs, Gail. i, a ,,g,istE 20. n. s3
palmy days OF the Fifteenth century are BIZ
being revived in Southern California,
Brown ROBBED franciscan monks have res q
appeared at the ancient mission Of sar, ggiS
Luis Rey. fifty miles north OF San Diego. g
a citadel OF strength and a haven of rest 81
5ina the, early days. But for two genera
tons this mission has been almost en- sgS
|tirely deserted. Until In recent yea rsS AT
has become mere picturesque ruin. It's
gray walls and arches crumbiing, and s
Its capYcous halls and loft towers aban-.ss
doned and silent-a decaying monument ~
Tor the former glory otr spain's Church and iI
state mi n Raj
Beginning about the middle q the eigh-#S
steenths century the Fran ciscans created " SSs
chain OF their mission settlement is. ex-iS$
tending from San Diego, near the Next 3
can border. to- sonoma north Of San asl
\ Fran cisco. They. were locate about one f
day 81 journ ey a par convenienc e trav-.;ssss
3elera, but this feature was only Incidental
\ to- the great spiritual educational and iSs
economic work which they did for Cali
sfornia before the time OF the American
occupat Ion. ssss
IN Beautiful Spots. 38gS
, The mission fathers selected the most n
fertile spots in beautifully she tered val
lE1eys a for their settlements. Here they
|tbullt their chur hes founded their hools "a
4 and Sesta ished communities which 4 took sB
firm root the soil Each con, a tys:$
was M de lfTsufti Client adj sci Isl All
ling, III useful arts ana trades were
taught nd arried on W. thin the "a
II shadow Of the church al tis;lris an ski
edaWorkmen labored at their va iot1s Ia sk d I
va 9 brou lit irigat lon ditclcs IA
tlhe g cares stream lowing fron, III
4 5the8 s1ow-capped slerras N a Id IL IA
4 5chard 3 q nd garden rec laineed from Il ia
4 aeser ed aof dance. The
Ist'ra nclscars were the u teacfe sc the
Il TIT lrr1ga tonic he Sout Invest and this {fs
4 perhap the deepest a4ld Il mos Il IS las tingS
marx VII they left on Cal fornia, II
A civilization. ~
This new at san Luis Rey has q
come. an en- tire surprise to- QUIET
a been ged for some years pa st ii lr A
II en- Tor 1foart8to} preserve some of the old MIS-
sions from her decay, aud Ia r,,..s
store them, to- a certain extent. sI3l tSN
q those mos nnla with this w &
Il not dream that the indus rioIs8 fol flowers
Of ST. Fra n els you'd return to nink N
pra ctical use Of the old landrna vel,
a now lis not known hut that the n ve. #
u ment Is o$ext tend to other This toric spots.
Return Of the M onks.
However hat may be. the ggcn tie bro III.
or f1oN
!; The Old church has been repaired q nd Sc
I$Ylces gain held beneath ltsvene "a bla Nj
terss are being rebuff and Se
II the rrlgati aqueducts recons tructed Sss
K The fied wi be; tilled again ana Weld #
the same loyal supp port to the 3commun ty.
ne Leader in the movement Is Father
II oskeefe,s VIII q camesunher from M AZ WI
leo and squictl " set out upon tlie rs ava
II ton Of the oil "a landmark n His 3fello
4 orers are al embers Of the FIR nciscan 81,
4 ord err and perform their heavy nj an al Si
4 Work IN the brown cassocks tina G. were VA
\ familia M to u genera tons now passed ana H
4 forgptt ten F'a ther o Keefe does not Il ex-
Pect to- revive he former economic life 81
Of the sett ant u in al lts amplitude
NJ UGH has PIP cned since his pred eces- III,
sorss tol led and taught and ruled IN these .S
lovely Southern va legs Modern people a
| have conf With Tern irlprovenl ents.S
i and there is n nc need 6of the pa teri
/ nal scheme which did so much for the s
sllnpl popula ton OF the! country a CEN s
ltury OF more a go Iii Their o. Keefes ID plan g5
is TO con vert he old miss ion into IA SCI
sustaining FRANCISCAN co llege. Thus the
splritual and educational work viii live Ri
again, 4 but the social and economic feat n
lures will not be res tored beyond Wna t@ls ISS
necessary to meet i lie & necessities of the $S
Monks themselves xii Mr.
33wso-- w wd ov oslnwnsp BIB bgg gg ggg ~
Pioneers Of Civilization.
i ID The Mission Fathers were tile pioncers1
of European ciyi liza Ion among the coast gs
hills OF Ca ornia. they supplied lead err
ship and ms rnction to those who we're
engR aged IN founding home and wrestling
n living from the 8gaunt appearing desert.
| The work which they be- an II must still ss
be cont inued. and upon vastly larger
'scale, gbntgit has passed to other ham DIS
4 to the government of America and to IA a iii
army OF settl eiss who come from, all parts
of the syYo rid. he oYernment Isl suppl, ~
Ing both he capital and he expert knows
| ledge needed In this conquest of the desc
/ ert, It Is laying the foundation Of pros,
perlty, pointing the way, a nd Inviting tho q
peoplel ITO enter into their heritage, W Ia Bi
4 its resources are far grea ter than those Of
/ the devoted nissionarle les who plant ed the AN
seed OF Ca ifornia, It's spirit Is much Se
1.-The same II is helping the people to he'll III
themselves e. ss q
In me respect the mission fathers wers
r"'trr situated than IL 1; ln,Ss rElsyass3
Scoull lora te ltheli settlements III tha s9
sooner the Spectator or he lamb
choicest spots without enconnterIng the
4, grabber who had anti tpated them by Ming 81,
ION the property un derS prep sterplis land III
laws. The erea m OF le8 count my WAS per,
Ito the real settler aud u homehll der II ssi
those days. s There VII be many II r,ts,
l'Aission', founded In Callfornia--in the "a
| whole great w est --mis salons dedicated h I'd
Industry, thrift n and the sa tisfaation rs IA
that craving for homes5 upon the soil MI