The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1921-01-29

time.
Of course, there was a great diff
| ference between the founding and
| the construction of mission. The
| founding consisted of the erection
| of rustic cross. the ringing of a
bell, swung from some nearby tree,
the celebration Of mass and the NAM
ing of the mission. The building of
the mission was very different
matter.
For instance, the mission of San
Juan Capistrano was founded in 1776
but it was not completed and dedl-
Gated until 1906.
Between 1859 and. 1923 there was
founded twenty-one missions extend
ing along the California coast from
! San Diego northward to a point be-
yond San Francisco Bay. They were
placed at strategic points, thirty or
forty miles one from the other, or "a
days journey apart" and they were
connected by the "Camino ReaP' or
kings highwty, along which we roll
in our autos today with such ease
and comfort, but which was then
travelled by sandaled, brown-robed
Franciscans. through heat and dust,
slowly, step by step.
The hot sands scorched their sandal
shoon
Where the cactus studded the plain !;
But those friars of old, who sought
no gold,
Sang, and kept on again.
In 1883 the Mexican government,
by a decree of sequestration, confis
Gated all the mission property and
the building passed into private
hands. The new owners stripped the
tiles from the roofs, tore the heavy
beams from the ceilings and hauled
away the hewstones that entered
into the mission construction.
The mission period was at an end.
The Franciscans were scattered; the
Indians were dispersed, and the
great mission buildings plundered
and despoiled.
Riven and shattered by shock and
storm, beaten upon by the uncheck-
ed rains of over seventy winters. and
being in large part constructed of
sun dried "abode" bricks-the Cali
forni missions are today in the ma
jority of instances, nothing but
mournful, although picturesque,
ruins. The one notable exception is
the mission of Santa Barbara that
has never been allowed to fall into
decay.
AS for what was accomplished for
the welfare of the Indians during
the mission regime, 1769-1833. in
terested persons are referred to Nc
Groarty's History. of California; /;
Wharton James, 'In and Out of the
Old Missions" or the mission Play"
as presented at the Mission Theatre
at San Gabriel.
Out of it all stands forth one man
prominently and prominently
Fray Junipero Sierra, the apostle of
Christian civilization on the Pacific
Coast, and one whose place and
name grow larger as people come to
understand better what was the task
he set himself to perform, and how
unselfishly, wisely and heroically he
labored for its realization under very
many and grievous disadvantages.
Mr.. Frank A. Miller, appreciating
the Importance, historic and sentl-
mental of the old mission buildings
those earliest monuments of Chris
tian civilization on the Pacific coast
and having long felt the charm as
sociated with the mission period, its
romance and its high idealed hero
ism, has for years cherished the plan
of some day reproducing here in
Riverside, so far as it was possible,
the actual outlines of one of those
Franciscan Missions. He has endea
vored to furnish it throughout in the
simple and yet most comfortable
Mission STYLE" necessarily idealized
and with background of Twentieth
Century luxury, and then has
earnestly striven to impart to it all
the spirit of those old mission days,
the spirit of the courtesy and kindli-
ness and true, frank hospitality; the