Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-20
FINE AUDIENCE
HEARS TW|TCHE[L
DELIVER LECTURE
Women as Master MaSonS
Who Built Churches and
Dwellings in Early Days En-
gage Attention Of Speaker

gage Attention Of Speaker
SPECIAL coaHEspororrea 10 MOANING JOURNAL
Santa Fe. Jan. 19.-The women as
master masons who built the mission
churches and the communal dwell
ines in the southwest, were the theme
Vi an illustrated address last evening
by Col. Ralph Emerson Twitchell, the
historian. Though his lecture bridg-
ed three and more centuries, the
wealth of incident he brought into
It made il OF intense interest. De
spite the inclement weather and
many other attractions at other
points. fine audience assembled.
The lecture was under the auspices
of the santa Fe Womans club. Mrs.
Jacob Weltner called the meeting 10
order. Mrs Kate +. Hall presided
during the lecture and both compli-
mcnted the speaker highly upon his
presentation of the at
tractivc subject Mrs. William G,
Sargent as the first number OF the
program, played most masterfully on
the piano. a Grieg selection.
Cites His AUTHORITIES.
colonel Twitchell laid his cards on
the table right az the start Benavi-
DEE, Bandelier and other authorities
furnished the premises for his con-
illusions and right interesting he made
the chronicles of the old timers as
we'll as the findings Of the archaeolo-
gists and historians. when he sum-
med up his arguments there remain
ed not particle of doubt that the
women built not only the temples but
also the huge communal dwellings,
both of prehistoric and historic times
In fact. the lecturer cited his hearers
to the present day custom in num-
Der of Spanish pueblos, such as Guy
formerly pueblo, where
he himself had recently seen women
rear the walls, plaster and white
wash them. Benavidez in his time
800 years ago. told of the women
building the walls. Whenever a
man attempted to engage in the same
kind Of work they laughed at his
The Pucblos of the Salinc~.
As picture upon picture, all Of them
superb. were flashed upon the screen.
the speaker eloquently told of the
mighty deeds associated with each
church and pueblo History holds no
more thrilling romance. no finer ex-
ample Of self sacrifice. as that of the
Franeiscans who Chrstanized New
Mexico. Unframed, unaccompanied,
without knowledge of the language,
they entered pueblo upon pueblo and
with a brief time had baptized $4,000
converts. had induced the women 10
rear mighty temples whose massive
ness proportions and beauty are stu
the marvel OF visitors The first
church ruins shown We're those of
Abo. Gran Quivira and Curai of the
Saline pueblos. The Cuarai ruin was
designated as the noblest ruin in all
OF the United States The thickness
of its walls. the regularity with which
stone was laid upon stone TO height
Of forty feet and more, the romance
that clings about it. make it a
shrine that the women Of America
should preserve for all time.
At this juncture Colonel Twitchell
made an eloquent appeal to the wom-
en- of the nation to restore these won
deriul old temples built by their sis
ters three centuries ago If the wom
anhood of America could have heard
him, it would no doubt have klndled
their zeal until the churches and tho
ruins hallowed by the blood Of mar
tyrs, the toll Of women, the deeds of
heroism became Americas most
sought shrines.
As Colonel Twitchell compared pie
ture by picture the masory of the
ruins of the Mesa Verde. of the Pue-
bio Bonito. Of the communal dwell
ings in the Paiarto park. Of the
Christian temples built by the Indi-
an women, the conclusion was forced
upon him that the Pueblo Indians are
the descendants Of the
cliff dwellers whose history, he de-
clared has been traced back at least
three and four thousand wears by re-
cent excavations.
Churches Near Albuquerque.
The churches at lsleta, Coehiti, sar
Felipe, Santo Domingo, za, Sandia.
Jemez, Laguna, Aeoma, all passed re-
view with their wealth of thrilling
episodes. the nartyrdom Of their
builders. A word picture was drawn
of the grandeur of the setting of the
ruins of the Jemez church that arous-
ed the desire in every one to visit that
noble ruin so fast falling into decay.
The speaker declared that the Grand
Canyon, magnificent as it is, can not
compare with the Jemez church and
its setting. The Santo Domingo
church he showed was built four
years before the founding Of Santa
Fe as was that at San lldefonso.
Located as near TO Denver as it is
to Albuquerque aud Santa Fe. the
Jemez church ruins, the pueblo ruins
round about. and their scenic setting
would be capitalized at St0,000,000 in
the opinion of the speaker The story
OF Cochiti itself would furnish the
material for more than one lecture
and il written up would make a book
tnat would be more of an epic than
a history, for it is al and around Co
ehiti that the principal battles of the
Re-Cunquest were fought, il * the
Cechitenos who have traditions
reaching hack thousand years and
more To the days when they lived in
the Rito de los Friioles ana carved
the stone lions and stone punlas and
those days they occupied various sue
cessive sites before they settled at
lheir nresent location.