The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-01-04
SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS.
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| sion and settlement six miles up the valley to
place called by the Indians Nipaguay Here they
built a wooden church matched with tule PUSHES
blacksmith shop, storehouses and outbuildincs
for the men.
On the night of Nov j. 1775. the mission was
attacked by the sayages. No intimation, no warn
ing or provocation was given. They swooped down
upon the unsuspectng Spaniards, slaughtered Fa-
ther Jaime and four others and burned the build
ings including the church. Father Fustre. who
fortunately escaped the massacre wrote an inter
esting account of the murder of the priest and the
destruction of the mission. The following year
the mission restored and in 1884. when the
fathers were driven out by Mexican bandits call
ing themselves the Republic of Mexico, the In
dians were all Christians and civilized.
JUNIPERO SIERRA AND THE FRANCISCAN
PRIESTS.
The history Of the colonization and civilization
of the California coast by these brave faithful and
Jealous priests, is in striking contrast with what
happened in New England and Virginia, where the
Indians were civilized off the face of the earth
After establishing the San Diego mission, Fatl-
er Sierra pushed northward and planted a chain
of Christian pueblos days march apart He
and his priestly companions taught their converts
to cultivate and rrgate the land raise grain fruits
and vegetables and make their labor profitable. II
do not know writes Mr.. W. Z. Curtis in the Chi
cago Record Herald, "any missionary on any part
of the carth-Catholic or Protestant-who accom-
plished more good for his fellow creatures. The
heroism of Padre Junipero Sierra, his usefulness,
his sefsacrifce, his piety and his public services
for the church and humanity entitle him to canon
ization"
The Franciscans, in time, established fifteen
missions, baptized 6,640 Indians before the expul-
sion of the Order, introduced horses, cattle and
sheep; planted orange and olive groves, and made
of their swarthy converts peaceful and indus
trious people. Left alone and in undisturbed pur-
suit of their apostolic work, the fathers would in
time have concerted and civilized all the tribes Of
the Pacific coast and the southwest From the day
they opened the first mission to the Indians, until
the confseation of their property in 1884 the faith
ers met with opposition and encouragement. They
succeeded in conquering the hostility of the saw
ages Graduating their foul superstitions and win
ming them to a Christian and clean life but their
virtues sefdenial and heroic charity failed to sub
due the cupidity and avarce of the founders of
an illegitimate Republic.
AMID THE RUINS.
From his death bed in his little monastery in
Monterey, the sanity priest Junipero Serrof9 asked
his brethren to beg from God for more help in the
desoate wilderness. On the night of Aug. %, 1871
he was dying and his last words pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest that He send la
borers into His vineyard"
His old mission of Our Lady of Sorrows" at
San Diego was destroyed during the Mexican war,
but some crunbling walls yet remain eloquent me
MORALS Of the romantic past. The few acres of
land and the buildings on them that were confs-
Gated and sold to a Mexican politician we're recoy-
cred from the church in 1856. Beside the dear old
church there is now industrial school, where the
Indian children from the reservations of South
ern California are trained and taught by the Sis
tiers of ST. Joseph To this little farm belongs the
distinction of protecting the first olive trees plant
cd on the continent of North America. Three
miles above the school, the old dam built by the
fathers and their Indian converts 125 years ago,
is still in existence From this dam, through deep
and ugly ravne, they carried aqueduct of tiles
imbedded in mortar and rubbe to irrigate their
gardens The gnarled old orchard still bearing
its fruit is as luscious in the days when the old
mission brands of picked olives and olive oil were