The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-12-20


himself with some profitable employ
ment must nave been an Inherent sen
timent transmitted from colonial
forefather. .'Ged made the day tc
rest. and the night 10 sleep; what
time is there to work.
Certain it is, that the old Spanish
inhabitants took life easily Surround.
ed by slaves, who stood at beck and
CALL and whose labor furnished a
revenue they lived to enjoy life. Six
days in the week does not seem to
have given time enough for worldly
pleasures.
When Jackson was appointed gov
ernor general of Florida in 1921 he
again visited Pensacola accompanied
by his wife. Her strict puritanicaI
ideas were particularly shocked by
the loose observance of the Lords
day. and which brought forth live
~ protest from that lady. We find
her complaining that places of bust
ness were kept open on the Sabbath.
But we must take into consideration
that many of the small tradespeople
lived in the rear, Or on the second
floor. of their stores. and therefore.
the front door stood open. more in
hospitable welcome to friends and
neighbors. than as a matter OF bust
ness. That such was the case in one
instance. can be gathered from the
| following story.
"A dealer in groceries, whose bust
ness did not warrant the keeping OF
books or bookkeeper. was in the habit
of chalking down memorandums or
credit sales on the floor under his
bed in the rear room. A customer
coming in one day to settle his &C
| count. the storekeeper was somewhat
embarrassed to find his wife had
scrubbed out the memorandum. His
: accounts (while unwashed) were re
| liable. BUTT is told OF another dealer,
who could not write, that he made
| his memoranda by drawings; which
! method sometimes led to such slight
| misunderstanding as the following:
Hey, Mr.. When you going
/ to pay for that cheese?'
II never bought any cheese from
you"
| "Oh yes, but got it in my book"
II tell you, | never bought any
cheese, but ! owe you for grind
| stone"
After a few minutes puzzled scru
tiny of the hieroglyphic account, the
dealer acknowledged his mistake
That's so, that's right. ! forgot to
| draw a hole in the middle -
| Mrs jackson further complains thai
dancing and Kidding took up the
| greater part of the day." and it can
not be denied that such pastimes were
| INDUCED in, or that the soft dulcel
| tones of the guitar accompanied by
| the strains of a love song, were mo-
then heard more frequently than the
psalms 1t would seem that the re
| ligious observance of the Sabbath hao
almost been forgotten; but we mus
remember that after the English occu
pancy, Catholic church property had
| contrary to terms of Spanish treaty
been destroyed. or put to other uses
so that when the Spanish again came
into possession. there was neithel
church nor priest in Pensacola. ane
| for many years the people were de
! prived of spiritual ministration ant
| the public practices of devotion. I'm
der these circumstances, it is scarce
| " to be wondered at that the prayer
| full observance of the Sunday should
be forgotten.
/ Its Ecclesiastical History.
A brief glance at the ecclesiastical
| history of Pensacola will bring tc
light a story of struggle and vicissi
! tudes.
The Jesuit and Dominican father:
sacrificed much in their endeavors II
establish churches in the early Catho
lie colonies, and with varied success
1 We find the existence of a church il
Pensacola, recorded as early as 1896
which must have belonged to the set
Element of D'Arriola and there is men
ton of a church on the island settle
ment but from the time OF the re
/ moyal of the city to the northern
.% he ho he no roc nf oh
history are blank up to the period o
Il British ascendency and then it is onl!
through mention of confiscation o
4 church property and oppressive les1s
lation against Catholics, that we have
any knowledge OF the existence or ;
church at the time
The next we hear of the return II
Catholic worship is after the English
exodus at the time of Galvez's inva
} sion, when Pensacola again came un
: der the dominion of Spain. The re
sultant influx of Spanish people mus
have been accompanied by pastor, o.
priest. for warehouse situated some
where near the site OF the presen
county Jail was utilized for churci
services with Father Coleman IL
Il charge. This good priests efforts II
gather together the scattered hocl
would be a history by itself. while hi
| successes might be narrated in few
pages. 1t was through the untiril;
efforts of this priest. that a small
frame church was finally erected OF
, government grant on the east sid
of the Plaza Miss Sabina Bombay
a lady devoted 70 the interest of tn
church. performed the duties OF sex
ton in this church up to the time .
/ the civil war. This church, like sui
!, sequent structures for the same pun
pose in the city, was under patronag'
J OF st. Michael
I eDspite Father Colepan's zeaIou
: efforts at recognizing parish, whel
: the newly-ordaiBed Bishop Potter o
Mobile, made his first visitation il
: 1926. he found the church in a deplol
: able condition. Although the faitl
[ still lived in the hearts OF the people
nourished and kept alive by the teach
/ ing and example of many pious moth
fh1frrh deSr