The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-06-17
CATHOLIC CALIFORNIA.

One who has not experienced the
delights of Southern California can.
not appreciate the inspiration which
the boundless plains and towering
mountains of the west afford. To one
who has crossed these plains and
climbed the successive mountain
ranges it is easy to picture the scenes
visited by the Knights of Columbus
in their recent convention at Los An
geles. Southern California is like
Southern Europe; full of sunshine and
the relics of other days. To the
Knights of Columbus at their recent
convention was afforded an opportun-
ity of viewing the relics of the early
Catholic missions in bringing religion
and civilization to the Indians of the
West. The relics of the old mission
churches which are numerous through
out Southern California must have
proven an inspiration to the great
hosts there assembled The ruined
walls of San Juan Capistrano brought
home to them in a way which nothing
else could the work done by the brown
Spanish Padres of old who ruled the
Indian by love and subdued him, not
with fire and sword but with the gen.
tleness of religion and peace. When
the Knights from the East saw the
christianized Indians who live in and
around these missions they, no doubt,
contrasted the methods of christian
izing employed by the Spanish mis-
sions and those employed by the
Anglo-Saxon in the East
The missions of Southern California
are the work of the Franciscan monks
They taught not only the Christian
religion to the Indian but they showed
him how to work. Each monastery
was goverend by two Franciscans: one
who directed the spiritual labors of
the mission; the other directed the
labor of the Indians in field and fac.
tory. These Spanish monks took the
rough and savage Indian and moulded
him into Christian workman. They
taught him how to make brick and
, tiles from the clay; how to cut down
the forest trees and to transport them
over rough roads to where the mis-
sion buildings were to be built. The
mission buildings of old were the
handiwork of the Indian taught by the
Spanish priests. 1t must be remem.
bered that these missions were built
before the Declaration of Independ-
ence was written.
This year the United States is pay.
ing considerable attention to the one
hundredth anniversary of the expedi.
ton of Lewis and Clark When we
remember in connection with this that
it was the year 1869 which saw the
foundation of the first mission at San
Diego, California, we at once under.
| stand that it was the Spanish priests
who were the real pioneers of the Pa
ciflc coast. The very year that San
Juan Capistrano was founded saw the
opening Of the Revolution. While the
English colonies on the Atlantic coast
were struggling for freedom against
England the Spanish mission fathers
on the Pacific were educating q
heather people in the knowledge OF
God. We are doing honor this sum
mer to the gallant officers who led
expeditions from the east up the Mis-
souri, river and across the great di
vide to the Pacific, and yet this expe
dition was made almost half cen
fury after the brown Franciscan
monks had established the first mis-
sion III. Southern California. And, ir
comparing the work of the two We
are bound to observe the great con