The San Francisco call., 1905-04-20
DOORS OF DOLORES
TO SWING OPEN
Woyshabers to Gather To-day
m Ancze'at Sanctuary.
FLORAL TREASURES FOR THE ALTAR
BY LAURA BRIDE POWERS.

San Francisco does love It's old Mis-
sion. after all.
It rose UP yesterday and proclaimed
il aloud, and with its declarations of
love are wiped out many years of
apathy and neglect.
To-day the doors of the old sanctuary
viii be flung open, and the blessed
eucharist will be borne in reverence to
the altar, the same old altar reared by
Indian hands in the long ago.
Here will it rest through the day, en-
shrined in bower of blossoms, and as
of old, the worshipers will come to
kneel before the beautiful shrine, even
as did the neophytes in the days of
Francisco Palou. the founder.
Among the worshipers will come de-
scendants of the Noes, the Bernals, the
Nalencias and the Ruffinos-they who
in the days before the gringo came
owned the lands for leagues about the
old mission. But all is lost now-even
the old Rufino adobe goes down before
the J1ggernaut of Progress.
All is lost now of the old days, the
days when the land was young, and
greed and haste and envy knew no
place-all save the old mission and it's
memories.
To-day hundreds of people will visit
the old sanctuary, whose founding is
Nb4lNtuSnl Win lnS DlTIn Oh the 1n1leQ
States, choosing the day of prayer for
the visit, because its doors will be
swung wide open to-day, and all who
will may enter.
That San Franciscans are awake to
the value, esthetic. religious and ethi-
cal. of the old mission-and that they
believe its doors should be open each
day to the people is shown by the fol-
lowing excerpts from interviews:
CHARLES WARREN sToDDARD-Mlssion
Dolores not open to the people? Why. I am
Dolores. the pathetic and patient mother of
San Francisco thank God that she lived
troubles. Now that San Francisco has grown
up. why should its little shrine, sacred to
her sweet memory, be closed?
SrODDARD'S TENDER MEMORY. j.
Csthoiic-and every good Californisn-for &
little in the box that we may forever keep
as child-the cradle for every Catholic child
that is yet to come.
San Francisco / am naturally interested In
the Mission Dolores. and should be glad to
see it open TO the public Unauestionably it
is the chief historical structure in the city.
I must confess that l have never been within
the oiu ehurch having tried once and failing, 1
never tried again.
The tourists from other parts of the world
who come here. CATHOLIC and Protestant alike.
should. think have the privilege of looking
in upon mission in which San Francisco
was Graded.
The attitude taken by Father Brennan
toward the vandalism OF recent years is. of
course. quite natural and necessary. but ] am
sure he viii lend his cooperation TO the Land
marks League in their endeayor TO provide
caretaker 10 look after the mission, on the one
hand and the people the other.
FRANK J. SULLIVAN read your story
in The Call this morning, and, while deploring
the fact that the splendid old sanctuary is
now closed 70 the public. believe that Father
Brennan will readily agree to open the doors
of his beloved church when assurances are
given him that It will be safeguarded.
And to demonstrate my earnestness toward
its safeguarding ] viii subscribe Sloo toward