New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-09
SPAIN IN AMERICA.
The Franciscan Missions of Cali
fornio an History and Art.

FORNIA. An Historical and Pictorial Account
Of the FRANCISCAN missions ~ George e h lIa
graphs. Svo. PIP, 3a2. Little. Brown & Co
The ruthless barbarities inflicted on the native
American peoples by the old conquistadores, as
so dramatically set forth by Prescott and as
related by other sympathetic and indignant
| historians have rendered it natural as 1t Is
easy for to condemn the whole scheme or
Spanish American colonization. But as we
have lately come into closer relations with Spain
and her colonies. and so into more intimate
| knowledge of her spirit and methods in dealing
with her oversee dependencies, we are beginning
to perceive that while there has been much to
condemn in Spain's colonial administration, there
has also been much to admire, much from winch
We with all our Wanted progress. civilization
and enlightenment could we'll afford to take pat
| tern Certainly the spirit which led to the e1-
| tension of Spanish dominion along the PACING
coast of North America, in Upper and Lower
California. was as iustifable that which
animated the early settlers of English birth in
making their homes ssong the shores Of the At
/ lantic and the manner in which the Spanish
| coIonization was undertaken exhibited a con-
sfderation for the rights of the Amerinds and
a sense of responsibility for, their welfare noth
physical and spiritual, that have been consplc-
uously absent from our dealings with the same
races.
The contrast is nowhere brought out more
strongly than the study of the history OF the olu
Spanish-Amercan missions. now retold IN part
by George Wharton James edith e. Farms
WORTH in her In and Out of the Old MISSIONS
of California" and TO be completed in volume
devoted to the missions of New Mexico, Arizona,
Texas and Lower California. The author is
one of the founders of the Landmarks Club OF
California which has done effective service IN
preserving the remains of the old mission bulld-
ings and in stirring up revival of interest IN
these and other historic monuments OF early
settlement days the coast She has maze
many pilgrimages to the old missions. examined
them with care, read copiously about them IN
the works OF Bancroft, Shea. Salponte, Yep
hyrin Iummis, Paloue and Clinch. and has
photographed them within and without. The
result of her study and observations is fas-
cinating and instructive work, splendid record
OF self sacrif1cing devotion on the part OF the
Franciscan fathers, and, in the main, of orderly
and systematic colonization the part of the
Spanish government, Only to be followed by
spoiiation and ruin. and the shameful neglect,
and worse of the Indians whom the mission
aries had cared for with such paternal zeal and
affection. as soon the territory fell under
the control of Mexico and, later. of the United
States
The historical portion of the book is valuable
not for any new data that the author has been
able to unearth, but for the eclectic and gem
orally judcious she has made of the mate
rial furnished by those having better faclhueS
for getting at the facts through reference to
original sources. Her reliance on Bancroft
would perhaps cause the accuracy of her story
to be regarded with suspicion had she not SO
thoroughly verified and corrected him by ref
erence to other and more trustworthy hlsto-
rians There are several chapters, however IN
which the author covers ground not hitherto
touched upon, little moro than touched upon
nv previous writer's; and from these investiga-
tons the volume derives its c -Sef value. what
may be called the original portions of the work.
are concerned with analysis of the details OF
the mission style of architecture, careful sur
vey of the mural decorations of the missions a
pictorial account of the furniture, pupits, doors
and other woodwork of the missions. and a plcto-
rial account of the figures of the saints at the
missions In addition the author has made a
special study of the condition of the Indians
prior to- during and Immediately after the mis-
sion epoch, with brief account of their present
state.
Without dwelling then on the purely histori-
cal portion of the book the lessons to be drawn
from which have at least been suggested in the
opening paragraphs ii will be well to turn at
once to those chapters in which we may look
for new light on the architectural and decora-
tive features of the mission buildings IL Is
with these that the excellent illustrations scat
tered freely through the pages almost excIu-
sively deal The authors treatment of them IN
the text is analytical and descriptive rather
than synthetic This may be- and no doubt is
largely due to the fact that. while the buildings
exhibit among themselves certain simiiarities OF
plan and const ruction they are also strongly dh-
ferentiated by great variations in details. An
other reason is. the lack of technical kno"leuse
an fbe mart of the author which prevents her
from systematically classifying and arranging
the results of her observations. There is here
nevertheless. great deal that Is not only "
forming but suggestive. as when the author CANS
attention to the addition to the pediment OF the
facbada which is one of the distinctive features
of mission architecture.
This cons;sts of a part OF the main front wall
rassed above tile pedlTnent In pedestal form anu
tapering in small steps to the centre upon Nin