Evening journal., 1909-11-23
ANSWER PLEA
FOR MISSION
PrOteStantS and Catholics
Take up Move in Interest
of the Landmarks
TO SAVE RELICS OF PADRES
CIcrom a Special Correspondent

TO SAVE RELICS OF PADRES
(Icrom a Special Correspondent.
LOS ANGELES, Cal, Nov 2.-Preserve
the Missions That is the keynote OF a
movement which before the dawn OF 1910
will be heard from the Pacific TO the
Atlantic IN the supreme effort to preserve
the crumbling ruins Of the old Spanish
Missions in California. Wealth and in
nuence OF California's most prominent
citizens are being exerted and their plans
to make the movement countrywide in
its scope have touched the responsive
chord. President Taft lent his influence
to the preservation plans In his speech at
Riverside. Cal, when he said:
California is one OF the few states OF
the Union which has a picturesque past
which the people OF the state should do
all In their power to preserve. i fully
sympathlze with the desire of California
people to preserve these missions and the
style OF architecture they created"
The movement TO which the executive
gave impetus has long been popular, but
up to the time Of the presidents express
]
ed IN a measure to Californians.
Protestants have joined hands with the
Catholics in furtherlng tho move toward
preservation Of these relics Of tho pioneer
Catholic Fathers. A fund, contributed by
those interested directly I'm the regions
IA which the Missions are situated, has
been proposed and willingness to further
the movement In that manner has been
forthcoming from many sources. The
landmarks Club. OF Los Angeles, Is ac-
tive in the work. "a heritage OF lowell
ness. OF sentiment, OF all that is beauti-
ful in our natures is the way one mem-
Der OF that organization has referred to
the Missions
The stories Of tho Missions are like
pages from Medieval history. Yet to-day
they stand almost I'm state OF decay
with the exception OF the edilce OF Santa
Barbara which. thanks to tho public
spirit, has been restored to all It's beauty
Three Of the finest OF the missions-San
Juan Capistrano. San Antonio and San
Batista-are I'm need Of immediate atten-
tion. San Fernando Mission in the San
Fernando Valley deserted and rapidly
going into ruins. Some effort at preserva-
tlon has been made at San Gabriel, be-
tween Los Angeles and San Diego and
to-day II is IN fairly good shape.
Tho example furnished by the lure Of
old-ford beauty is being used as a strong
argument IN favor Of preserving the Mis-
sions by the Landmarks Club. Appeals are
being made to the men Of business on the
coast and to the thousands Of Fasteners
who have established winter homes in
California.
GOV. Ginett makes stirring appeal,
california has no great battlehelds 70
honor. no statues Of great generals TO
stir a martial spirit. but It has got some
thing better towards arousing enthusiasm,
In the crumbling monuments erected by
the self-sacrifcing fathers in their efforts
TO bring men from darkness into the light
"The desire Of the people to preserve the
Missions is something with which am In
full sympathy and hope before leave
my office 10 be able TO appoint a commits
sion the duty OF which viii be the study
Of these Missions and Of the best way in
which TO keep them TO preserve their
beauty as an ethical stimulus TO the peo-
pie Of our state"
Bishop johnson, the executive head Of
the Protestant Episcopal Church in South
ern California speaks OF the work Of the
Pioneer Catholic Fathers as monuments
OF national architecture. Ho says:
"Thesc Mission Fathers built with great
courage. great devotion and great dill
gence, and they created a style Of archi-
lecture which we should maintain. This
can best be done by keeping for ourselves
and those who come after the original
examples Of the beauty they developed
II Is phenomenal that the fathers
should have buided so wisely and so
beautifully. II is due to their memory and
our own interest 20 keep for the country
what they gave 20 the province"
Before Bishop Johnson came TO Cali
fornia he had interested himself in the
cause Of the Missions SO great was his
desire TO preserve them or at least, aid
in so doing. that he became a member
Of the Landmarks Club years ago. II Is
largely the work OF the club that has
Kept few Of the Missions in a fair state
Of preservation. This organization IS
made up Of 10 per cent Catholics and 90
per cent Protestants.
President David Starr Jordan OF Stan
ford University. for years has been one OF
the prime movers in the preservation
work He expressed himself strongly and
logically recently on the subject. He said;
zone OF California's important assets
is found in the Spanish Missions. each
picturesque and OF real architectural mer-
H. Distinctive In CALIFORNIA; interest as
the romantic Spanish names OF cities,
churches and institutions-names associa-
ted with these Missions. They arc the old
est remnants OF the early life in this
country. and years OF neglect have
brought most OF them to a deplorablC
condition Some are utterly obliterated
while others are now rapidly falling into
decay. SO far the only step taken 10 pre-.
serve these Missions has been the mere
patriotic influence Of few OF Califor.
MAS people. and by religious and histori-
cal societies. Three OF the finest OF these
] Missions-San Juan Capistrano, San An.
/ tonic and san Batista-are in need OF i'm.
mediate attention. A rich man could de.
sire no greater monument than tho rosto-
ration OF one OF these Missions. And the
people OF California can rear no greater
monument to themselves than protecting
these Missions from further decay"
EVEN CURES ULCERS.