Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-09-16


The colonization of California.
the historian tells us, was very
slow
ITO quote from Eldredge's i'm
L portant work, published last
year, in 1890 the entire population.
not counting aborigines, was but
9S9 1t is a fair question: Why
was it that in country so blessed
as California with a fertile soil,
an agreeable climate, and all the
conditions that go to make life
easy and comfortable. the efforts
to colonize it should meet with
such difficulty? The author of the
Mission Play might not admit
the answer, but is it not the true
one? The missions had become
possessed of enormous wealth. in
herds. in bursting granaries, they
were the swollen capitalists Of
their time. And it was not to the
interest of the mission to promote
colonization.
The wrong done to the Indians
by the secularization of the mis-
sions is insisted upon in the play
with dramatic inCiSiveness. But
the historian does not aCquit the
padres of a measure of response
bility for their condition. He de-
clares that they had kept the In
dams in a condition of peonage
from which such results were
bound in due course to follow. The
missions had not fitted them, had
not tried to fit them, for any other
than a dependent position.
And on a broad view the opinion
Of another historian, declared to be
a true friend of the Catholic
Church. may be justified
To secure lands for farming
purposes it was, in former years.
necessary to get the written con
sent of the missionaries under
whose control they were ere the
Government could give legitimate
possession; therefore their acqui-
sition depended entirely upon the
good will of the triars. It may be
Justly supposed that by this re
strictiOn the colonization of Cali.
fOrnia was rather retarded. So if
was. for the immigrant was placed
al the mercy of a preiudiced mis-
sionarv who might be averse to
anything like secular Improvement
AT hrst the secularizatiOu was con
sldered disastrous TO the prosper
lty OF California, and the WautOu
destruction OF property which fol
lowed seemed to warrant the con
cluslon. but the result proved to
enterprise has placed the country
III d more nourlshlng condition,
cnNenad w - ~ ,aS'I, Vi peins
tons as before. has been distribrt.
ed among the people
1,rIr, ..,,.z.i... M.
-. -. =. 20 peO III
,,h,,aa, -. - ~ 'S i's
Ian. ;, G. -. 'N'9,eN
usod .;r,.,,. ,..-,. 0 'iN''
,,.ith,+ -, 49,. '''''' 9i''N q ely
"i."o"' .'''l'uuil'l|lnS OF Dombast
II Is the feeling which runs through
it all. II is the spirit which nos
sesses if This is rop,.,chr -
snoh -. ..', N'''''''0' ~ Is
'> '''''''.''e as 10 many OF lis,
mas seemed all our lives to belong
10 an unreal world, a world of
imagination and dream, at most
"orlo centuries dead and gone
Whlch can never come to life again
But IL Is all rea.l And it is here!
Romance Is In the air we breathe!
Hlo Is d play tor America And
L the turmoil of great cities
where the strife of tbo ,,or,,o.- a.
MOST ,,oo,,.. q, -, 49, 'No'' A'
i'o7' '''>' s''''n'' 1T sorulu manu-
IactuFlnS towns, where tired men
and women live out their lives
heneatb skies that saor, mt
IT, -. i''iii4oH
li'ie' away lloui OURS Vi heavenly
Diue' tnls MISSION Play should
be performed, and they should
know what is tbe sweatnoss "a
the glory of the Golden So
So,ne da,, tba,, III, 49, gru0 u. . I'd 70
Tban in the r,orri,,c, ~. - ~ 10