The San Francisco call., 1910-01-02

has in his barn at Halfmoon- He I'm.
gered it lovingly. though he attributed
the reason for retaining it to its use
fuIness- Somehow I felt small and in
significant beside that disk of stone in
its modern setting, even though the
diameter was scarce two feet Mors
than 100 years ago that stonS was quar-
ried from the mountains of Spain and
rounded by the cruaest methods The
keen edges of the tools that aided in
the erection OF Dolores itself were
ground upon its surface. and manJ
times has the stone been rounded be-
cause of the methods used by those who
did not have the necessary aid IN turn
ing it.
Anxious to secure some hold on this
old implement, the Stanford museum
has taken the original crank into its
care. At first one sees little Inc thu
rough piece OF wrought tvon. but voice
murmurs. Gently. brother; gently
pray when It becomes known that the
mission blacksmith, Abodio, toiled
arduously in IT'S making.
When one or the first OF the Vasque7
family stepped into the scheme of things
relating to the Mission Dolores ne
brought with him frcm the mother
country hand wrought brass CANDLE
stick. and eventually II passed into tht
possession of Fathers Muro and Real
driving nightly the shadows from the
somber recesseS OF their study. Long
long ago, when the base OF the hout
glass was generous to Miramontes, 10
the days of his sacred duties. the same
light that carved the genial features OF
thS Padres Muro and Real from the
darkness shone on his facs and was re-
fiected in his eyes The eyes have
dimmed since then. as has the memory
but the candlestick still remains 1t hat
seen service not only in the fathers
study, but returning to the VaSquef
family has for many seasons lighted
the apartment OF Don Pablo at Half,
moon. There is no candle in the spa
cious socket now. the grease about the
base has been cleaned away, the day
perhaps one should say the night-oi
the candelero is done. and at the con
clusion OF service rendered TO historic
generations the final resting place VIII
be behind the glass OF an exhibit casa
Monopoly as we know It was prob
ably unknown to the Franciscans- In
a small way, however, there was mo-
nopoly in their time and they were the
capitalists in so much as they con-
trolled every interest. every industry
and exacted toll from every possiblt
source Far down In the Santa Clart
valley where all the farming OF thi
mission was done. the natives gatheret
their products and with difficulty trun
died them to San Francisco. where. Do
fore the doors of Dolores, they received
official weight from the mission scalet
in exchange for an "arroba or ~
pounds Of tallow, hides or wool. Thert
was no other medium OF exchange
money receiving consideration only a
a curiosity. Trade with vessels tha
stood in the harbor was carried on n
the same manner. every commodity re-
ceiving it's official weight from the
steelyard of the padres. There was ne
limit as to duties OF that famous old
steelyard. Between 1875 and 1910 prac.
tically every child born in the vicinity
of the mission settlement received itI
first weight from the mission scales.
Though absolutely honest in theiI
dealings with the natives and Abe shtI
masters, judging from certain legent
there were frequent inaccuracies wheI
babies were In the balance. The genia
fathers erred to please fond parents.
vasquez' father. as majordomo, ad
justed the counterpoise on many a sale
and In due time. before the abandon
ment of the mission by the fathers, tht
old steelyard fell into his hands, thenct
II went to Don Pablo and to the mu-
scum One brief inscription deep IL
the metal Of the scales tells more thar
a volume of history. 1t IL: "Jardon
Mexico, Ammo de 1776." T IL interest
Ing to know. however, that the scales
were made at the order Of Father
Junipero Sierra and are among the few
implements that were In use prior ia
the building Of Dolores
Time and the tide Of humanity from
the east did not spare the interests OF
the Franciscan fathers nor Don Pablo
vasquez and Raymundo Miramontes
The former left In the early part Of
'4s, and the other soon followed him
to make a new home in the deSolatiou
Of the foothills where now lies tht
town Of Halfmoon.
sTo the estate of Pablo VaSquez might
have come vast areas OF land in the
vicinity OF his present rancheria, foI
his father, having served in the war
had the pick OF the surrounding coun-
try then in it's valueless enormity
Miramontes is a parallel case, but hii
name alone will stand in Identification
of a future settlement on the site O
his present holdings.
There will be no human voices tt
tell the tales OF the Dolores Of ole
when vasquez and Miramontes havt
passed The romance will be gone savt
for the pen Of the historian Dolores
sphinxlike, will remain, how Iona
neither you nor nor any one may say
for majestic in age, and sturdy through
ner -ly a century and a half, the mis-
sion bids fair to stand when several
generations yet to be born lie buried
and forgotten